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Intermetallic compounds are substances composed of two or more than two elements in a fixed ratio. Their crystal structure and properties are usually different from its constituents. Intermetallic compounds commonly consist of electron compounds, zintl phases and size packing phases. Alongside these, it also contains several post-transition metals and metalloids.
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Key Terms: Intermetallic Compounds, Alloys, Crystal Structure, Metals, Metalloids, Mixture, Metallic elements, Electron, Gold, Silver, Atoms
Intermetallic Alloys
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Intermetallic compounds ( otherwise known as Intermetallic alloy or Ordered Intermetallic alloy) are substances built with a mixture of two or more metallic elements. On looking at its mechanical properties, Intermetallic compounds are hard and brittle in nature.
Intermetallic Alloys
However, alloy is a mixture of two or more metals that allows formation of different substances with the desirable compound properties. Metal alloys can be used as a substitution for plasmonic materials because of the presence of large and free electron densities. For instance, Gold and silver are continued to be used as metallic plasmonic materials in unit cells especially because intermetallics with more atoms seem to bear higher optical losses.
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Applications of Intermetallic Compounds
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Intermetallic compounds are otherwise referred to as ‘exotic materials’, due to their superior chemical, mechanical, electrical, magnetic properties, among others. Currently, there are approximately over 25000 intermetallics. Few of them are produced in a relatively larger quantity, while others are produced in small quantities.
- Intermetallics are responsible for the development of several novel materials, like Alnico and Hydrogen storage materials, especially those utilized in nickel-metal hydride batteries.
- Turbine-blade applications are seen to use Nickel-based superalloys, besides other titanium aluminides too.
- Titanium aluminides are also used in very small portions for purposes like grain refinement of titanium alloys.
- Silicides are being used as barriers and contact layers in microelectronics.
Properties of Intermetallic Compounds
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The properties and respective structure of Intermetallic compounds are completely different from its constituents. As already mentioned, these are made up of two or more elements in a fixed ratio. And it can be further improved by mixing with another material. Few of its properties are as follows:
- Intermetallic compounds are generally very soft and breakable at room temperature.
- Intermetallic compounds have very high melting points.
- These compounds show our desirable chemical and magnetic properties.
- These compounds are very hard and very highly corrosion resistant.
Stoichiometric Intermetallic Compounds & Non-Stoichiometric Intermetallic Compounds
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Intermetallic compounds can be classified into two major segments, which are
- Stoichiometric Compounds
- Non-stoichiometric Compounds
There is an extensive list of differences each share.
| Stoichiometric Compounds | Nonstoichiometric Compounds |
|---|---|
| The compounds that follow the laws of fixed or given proportions, constant composition and conservation of mass are referred to as stoichiometric compounds. | Non-stoichiometric Compounds are commonly obtained from Stoichiometric compounds themselves, but their chemical composition doesn’t follow the given ratio. And because they don’t follow the law of definite proportions, they’re called Non-stoichiometric Compounds. |
| Their chemical composition can be shown in whole number ratios. | These compounds exhibit different structural and thermodynamic properties than their stoichiometric counterparts. |
Stoichiometric Compounds and Non-stoichiometric Compounds
Things to Remember
- Intermetallic compounds are basically substances that are composed of two or more metals with a distinctive crystal structure.
- In an Intermetallic compound, the metallic elements are mixed in a fixed ratio.
- Intermetallics are of two major types, Stoichiometric Compounds and Non-stoichiometric Compounds.
- They are highly corrosion resistant.
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Sample Questions
Ques. What do you mean by intermetallic compound? (1 mark)
Ans. Intermetallic compounds could be defined as solid phases, that mainly comprise of two or more metallic or semi-metallic elements within the limit of a fixed structure.
Ques. How are intermetallic compounds formed? (2 marks)
Ans. Intermetallic compounds can be given rise to with the combination of electropositive and electronegative metals. Ideally, these metals are chemically bonded to form the compounds with a specific crystalline structure.
Ques. What are intermetallic phases? (2 marks)
Ans. An intermetallic phase (also known as intermetallic compound) is a chemical compound, which consist of two or more metals. Unlike alloys, intermetallic phases demonstrate a lattice structure which apparently are different from the component metals, also otherwise known as superstructures.
Ques. List the differences between Alloys and Intermetallic Compounds. (2 marks)
Ans.
| Alloys | Intermetallics |
|---|---|
| Alloys are also referred to as solid solutions. These are random mixtures of metals where the fundamental crystal structure of one constituent element is adopted. | Intermetallic compounds are compounds with a defined ratio of metals that forms a crystal structure. |
| Alloys contain both metallic and non-metallic components. | Intermetallics, however, comprise metallic and semi-metallic components. |
Ques. Why is intermetallic compound important? (3 marks)
Ans. The properties of Intermetallic compounds are generally found in ceramic and metallic materials. In most cases, their hot corrosion resistance and their simultaneous brittle nature are of extreme importance, scientifically. One of the main applications of these intermetallic compounds is for super-alloy turbine blades where they show their appropriate high-temperature-related properties.
Ques. What is an example of an intermetallic compound? (1 mark)
Ans. Some common examples of intermetallic compounds are magnetic materials, such as, alnico, sendust, and Permendur, etc.
Ques. How are intermetallic compounds formed? (2 marks)
Ans. Intermetallic compounds generally are formed from and electropositive and the electronegative metals. They then chemically bond to form compounds with a specific kind of composition and the crystal kind structure.
Ques. List differences between Stoichiometric Compounds and Non-stoichiometric Compounds. (2 marks)
| Stoichiometric Compounds | Nonstoichiometric Compounds |
|---|---|
| Compounds that follow the laws of fixed or given proportions and constant composition are called stoichiometric compounds. | The chemical composition of Non-stoichiometric compounds don’t follow the given ratio. |
| Their chemical composition can be shown in whole number ratios. | These compounds exhibit different structural and thermodynamic properties than their stoichiometric counterparts. |
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