What is the Difference Between Alloy and Intermetallic Compound

Thekey difference between alloy and intermetallic compoundis that alloys contain metallic components and nonmetallic components, whereas intermetallic compounds contain metallic or semi-metallic components.

An alloy is a metallic substance that contains at least one metal element along with other elements. Intermetallic compounds are materials containing solid phases involving two or more metallic or semi-metallic elements arranged in an ordered structure.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is an Alloy
3.What is an Intermetallic Compound
4.合金与金属间化合物的表格形式
5.摘要 - 合金与金属间化合物

What is an Alloy?

Alloys are metallic substances consisting of at least one metal element along with other elements. These substances have enhanced properties when compared to the properties of every single element they are made of. We can obtain the properties of alloys by mixing chemical elements in different percentages. Therefore, they give the desired properties by mixing different metals and elements in different amounts. Almost all alloys have a lustre due to the presence of the metal component. Alloys are also able to conduct electricity due to the presence of a metal component.

合金分类

We can classify alloys in different ways. For example, they can be either homogenous or heterogeneous. Homogenous alloys have components distributed throughout the material uniformly. Heterogeneous alloys, on the other hand, have components distributed in an unorganized manner.

Furthermore, there aresubstitutional and interstitial alloys. Substitutional alloys are metal alloys formed from substituting one metal atom for another metal atom of similar size. Interstitial alloys are metal alloys formed by inserting smaller atoms into holes of the metal lattice.

What is Intermetallic Compound?

金属间化合物是包含固体相的材料，涉及以有序结构排列的两个或多个金属或半金属元素。它们也被称为金属间或金属合金。这些化合物通常具有明确且固定的化学计量学。通常，金属间化合物坚硬而脆，具有高温机械性能。我们可以对这些分类化合物作为化学计量学and non-stoichiometric intermetallic compounds.

Properties of Intermetallic Compounds

在考虑这些化合物的特性和应用时，它们通常具有高熔点，并且在室温下易碎。由于需要有限的独立滑移系统，因此可能存在裂解或晶间断裂模式plastic deformation. However, there can be ductile fracture modes of intermetallic compounds as well. This ductility can be improved in these compounds through alloying other materials such as boron, which can improve grain boundary cohesion.

Some common examples of intermetallic compounds include magnetic materials such as alnico, sendust, and Permendur, superconductors such as A 15 phases and niobium-tin, shape memory alloys, etc. The intermetallic compounds we can find from history include Roman yellow brass, Chinese high tin bronze and type metal, SbSn.

What is the Difference Between Alloy and Intermetallic Compound?

合金和金属间化合物是工业上重要的化合物。合金和金属间化合物之间的关键区别在于合金含有金属成分和非金属成分，而金属间化合物包含金属或半金属组件。青铜，黄铜，钢，锻铁，铸铁和不锈钢是合金的示例化合物。

以下信息图列出了表格形式的合金和金属间化合物之间的差异。

摘要 - 合金与金属间化合物

合金和金属间化合物是工业上重要的化合物。合金和金属间化合物之间的关键区别在于合金含有金属成分和非金属成分，而金属间化合物包含金属或半金属组件。

Reference:

1. “Intermetallic Compound.”ScienceDirect主题.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Bull’s head ornament for a lyre MET DP260070” donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy (CC0)
2. “Cr11Ge19 crystals” Hui Han等人。-Nature.com(CC BY 4.0)via Commons Wikimedia