Nature of metal-nonmetal transition in metal-ammonia solutions. II. From uniform metallic state to inhomogeneous electronic microstructure

Applying semianalytical models of nonideal plasma, we evaluate the behavior of the metallic phase in metal-ammonia solutions (MAS). This behavior is mainly controlled by the degenerate electron gas, which remains stable down to 5 MPM due to high solvent polarizability and strong dielectric screening of solvated ions. Comparing the behavior of the metallic state with those of localized solvated electrons, we have estimated the miscibility gap Delta n for various alkali metals and found Delta n(Na)>Delta n(K). It is rather narrow in Rb-NH3 and does not occur in Cs-NH3 solutions, which is in full agreement with the experiments. The case of Li is discussed separately. The difference calculated in the excess free energies of the metallic and nonmetallic phases is in the order of kBT, yielding a thermally fluctuating mixed state at intermediate metal concentrations. It results in a continuous metal-nonmetal (MNM) transition above the consolute point Tc and a phase separation below Tc. We propose a criterion for the MNM transition which may be attributed to the line of the maximum of compressibility above Tc. This line crosses the spinodal one at the critical temperature. Finally, we assert that a new electronic phase similar to microemulsion should also arise between the spinodal and the binodal lines.