Electromigration rates of small amounts of Ag, Cd, In, Sn and Sb in liquid bismuth were measured with relatively good precision, using a modified capillary-reservoir technique. Measurements were made at several temperatures, ranging from 300 to 600°c. The mobilities of Cd, In and Sn in liquid bismuth are very similar to their respective mobilities in mercury at room temperature. The mobilities do not appear to be a function of valence, which makes questionable the existence of a strong field-ion interaction. However, the data can be explained semi-quantitatively on the basis that electromigration in liquid alloys is predominantly governed by a momentum exchange arising from non-elastic scattering of the electrons by the ions.
