Intermetallic Compound

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 24294

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Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: fabrication of intermetallic compounds with specific magnetic properties via the arc melting method; measurements of magnetic properties; measurements and study of the magnetization; magnetocrystalline anisotropy; magnetocaloric effect of intermetallic compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In modern society, applications of new functional materials are diverse and countless. Intermetallics, namely, compounds formed by two or more metallic elements, are among the various novel and significant materials developments. Intermetallics have received considerable attention owing to their potential for various applications, such as permanent magnets, magneto-optical recording media, hydrogen-storage and magnetocaloric materials, turbine blades, and in microelectronics. With a favorable combination of high strength, low density, and good corrosion resistance, intermetallics are specifically suited for applications at high temperatures and in adverse environments. They can also display desirable magnetic, superconducting, and chemical properties due to their strong internal order and mixed metallic and covalent or ionic bonding, respectively.

We invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue on Intermetallic Compounds, which is intended to serve as a unique multidisciplinary forum covering broad aspects of the science, technology, and application of intermetallic compounds.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

- Synthesis of intermetallic compounds;
- Characteristics of structural properties;
- Type of intermetallic compounds;
- Unique properties;
- Applications.

Dr. hab. Jacek Ćwik
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Functional alloys
  • High-entropy alloys
  • Shape–memory alloys
  • Magnetic properties
  • Thermal properties
  • Thermodynamic properties
  • Grain boundary
  • Superconducting

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 162 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue “Intermetallic Compound”
by Jacek Ćwik
Crystals 2020, 10(11), 1067; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10111067 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1506
Abstract
This Special Issue collects ten articles related to the broadly understood physical properties of intermetallic compounds [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)

Research

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10 pages, 2577 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Mg–Zn–Nd Master Alloy in Metallothermic Reduction of Neodymium from Fluoride–Chloride Melt
by Ilia Beloglazov, Sergey Savchenkov, Vladimir Bazhin and Rudolf Kawalla
Crystals 2020, 10(11), 985; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10110985 - 30 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2052
Abstract
In the presented article, a differential thermal analysis was carried out and the temperatures of thermal effects were established that arise during the reduction of neodymium from a technological salt mixture KCl–NaCl–CaCl2–NdF3 with a magnesium–zinc alloy. The results of experimental [...] Read more.
In the presented article, a differential thermal analysis was carried out and the temperatures of thermal effects were established that arise during the reduction of neodymium from a technological salt mixture KCl–NaCl–CaCl2–NdF3 with a magnesium–zinc alloy. The results of experimental studies on the reduction of neodymium from a fluoride–chloride melt in a shaft electric furnace at temperatures of 550, 600, 650, 700 °C are presented. In order to increase the degree of extraction of neodymium into the Mg–Zn–Nd master alloy, the study of the influence of technological parameters on the degree of extraction of neodymium was carried out. It was experimentally proven that when zinc is added to a reducing agent (magnesium), the degree of extraction of neodymium into the master alloy is 99.5–99.7%. The structure of the obtained master alloy samples, characterized by a uniform distribution of ternary intermetallic compounds (Mg3,4NdZn7) in the volume of a double magnesium–zinc eutectic, was studied by optical and electron microscopy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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11 pages, 1777 KiB  
Article
Thermal Expansion of MgTiO3 Made by Sol-Gel Technique at Temperature Range 25–890 °C
by Tamir Tuval, Brian A. Rosen, Jacob Zabicky, Giora Kimmel, Helena Dilman and Roni Z. Shneck
Crystals 2020, 10(10), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10100887 - 01 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2098
Abstract
MgTiO3 is a material commonly used in the industry as capacitors and resistors. The high-temperature structure of MgTiO3 has been reported only for materials synthesized by the solid-state method. This study deals with MgTiO3 formed at low temperatures by the [...] Read more.
MgTiO3 is a material commonly used in the industry as capacitors and resistors. The high-temperature structure of MgTiO3 has been reported only for materials synthesized by the solid-state method. This study deals with MgTiO3 formed at low temperatures by the sol-gel synthesis technique. Co-precipitated xerogel precursors of nanocrystalline magnesium titanates, with Mg:Ti ratio near 1:1, were subjected to thermal treatment at 1200 °C for 5 h in air. A sample with fine powders of MgTiO3 (geikielite) as a major phase with Mg2TiO4 (qandilite) as a minor phase was obtained. The powder was scanned on a hot-stage X-ray powder diffractometer at temperatures between 25 and 890 °C. The lattice parameters and the atomic positions of the two phases were determined as a function of temperature. The thermal expansion coefficients of the geikielite were derived and compared with previously published data using the solid-state synthesis technique, providing insights on trends in materials properties at elevated temperature as a function of synthesis. It was found that the deviation of the present results in comparison to previously reported data do not originate from the method of synthesis but rather from the fact that there is an asymmetric solubility gap in geikielite. The lattice parameters of this study present the property of stoichiometric MgTiO3 and are compared to previously reported non-stoichiometric MgTiO3 with excess of Ti. The values of lattice parameters of the non-stoichiometric versus temperature of geikielite found the same for both solid-state reaction and sol-gel products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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10 pages, 3458 KiB  
Article
Effect of Various Nanoparticles (GaF3, ZnF2, Zn(BF4)2 and Ga2O3) Additions on the Activity of CsF-RbF-AlF3 Flux and Mechanical Behavior of Al/Steel Brazed Joints
by Zhen Yao, Songbai Xue and Junxiong Zhang
Crystals 2020, 10(8), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10080683 - 07 Aug 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1940
Abstract
In this study, brazing AA6061 to Q235 steel using flame brazing was performed with 70.9 wt.% CsF-0.5 wt.% RbF-28.6 wt.% AlF3 fluxes doped with GaF3, ZnF2, Zn(BF4)2 and Ga2O3 nanoparticles, matched with [...] Read more.
In this study, brazing AA6061 to Q235 steel using flame brazing was performed with 70.9 wt.% CsF-0.5 wt.% RbF-28.6 wt.% AlF3 fluxes doped with GaF3, ZnF2, Zn(BF4)2 and Ga2O3 nanoparticles, matched with a Zn-15Al filler metal, and the spreadability of the filler metal and the mechanical properties of brazed joints were investigated at the same time. The results showed suitable amounts of GaF3, ZnF2, Zn(BF4)2 and Ga2O3 doped into the base flux could strengthen the filler metal in wetting and spreading on the surface of aluminum alloy and steel to different degrees. The suitable ranges of GaF3, ZnF2, Zn(BF4)2 and Ga2O3, respectively, were 0.0075–0.01 wt.%, 0.0075–0.01 wt.%, 0.0075–0.01 wt.% and 0.009–0.01 wt.%, and the maximum spreading area was obtained via doping with GaF3. The shear strength of brazed joints reached the peak at 126 MPa when 0.075 wt.% GaF3 was added. Comparative tests proved that the activity of the CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux doped with GaF3 was the best. The reason was that the CsF-RbF-AlF3-GaF3 flux was competent in removing oxides of the base metal and decreasing the interfacial tension, in virtue of the activity of Ga3+ as well as F. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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10 pages, 3749 KiB  
Article
Effect of Bi Substitution on Structural and AC Magnetic Susceptibility Properties of Nd1−xBixMnO3
by Nurul Atiqah Azhar, Intan Solehah Ismail, Nur Baizura Mohamed, Azhan Hashim and Zakiah Mohamed
Crystals 2020, 10(6), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060521 - 17 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2407
Abstract
This study synthesizes the neodymium-based manganites with Bi doping, Nd1−xBixMnO3 (x = 0, 0.25 and 0.50) using the solid-state reaction route. The crystal structural, morphological and magnetic properties were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy [...] Read more.
This study synthesizes the neodymium-based manganites with Bi doping, Nd1−xBixMnO3 (x = 0, 0.25 and 0.50) using the solid-state reaction route. The crystal structural, morphological and magnetic properties were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and AC magnetic susceptibility. The Rietveld refinement confirmed that the compounds were in the single-phase orthorhombic structure of the NdMnO3 with Pbnm space group and lattice parameter b increased with doping from 5.5571 (x = 0) to 5.6787 (x = 0.5). FTIR spectra showed that absorption bands were located within the range of 550–600 cm−1, which corresponded to the Mn–O stretching vibration. FESEM exhibited homogenous compound. The AC magnetic susceptibility measurement studies showed a strong antiferromagnetic (AFM) to paramagnetic (PM) transition existed at 76 K, 77 K and 67 K for samples (x = 0, 0.25 and 0.50), respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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11 pages, 2449 KiB  
Article
Simulating the Hysteretic Characteristics of Hard Magnetic Materials Based on Nd2Fe14B and Ce2Fe14B Intermetallics
by Natalia B. Kolchugina, Mark V. Zheleznyi, Aleksandr G. Savchenko, Vladimir P. Menushenkov, Gennadii S. Burkhanov, Yurii S. Koshkid’ko, Jacek Ćwik, Nikolai A. Dormidontov, Katerina Skotnicova, Miroslav Kursa and Pavel A. Prokofev
Crystals 2020, 10(6), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060518 - 17 Jun 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2066
Abstract
The Ce2Fe14B intermetallic, like Nd2Fe14B, has the tetragonal Nd2Fe14B-type structure (space group P42/mnm), in which Ce ions have a mixed-valence state characterized by the coexistence of [...] Read more.
The Ce2Fe14B intermetallic, like Nd2Fe14B, has the tetragonal Nd2Fe14B-type structure (space group P42/mnm), in which Ce ions have a mixed-valence state characterized by the coexistence of trivalent 4f1 and tetravalent 4f0 electron states. Despite the fact that the saturation magnetization, magnetic anisotropy field, and Curie temperature of the Ce2Fe14B intermetallic are substantially lower than those of Nd2Fe14B and Pr2Fe14B, Ce2Fe14B retains the capacity of being able to be used in the manufacturing of rare-earth permanent magnets. Moreover, at low temperatures, the anisotropy field of Се2Fe14B is higher than that of Nd2Fe14B, and Се2Fe14B does not undergo the spin-reorientation transition. In this respect, studies of (Nd, Ce)-Fe-B alloys, which are intended for the improvement of the service characteristics-to-cost ratio, are very relevant. A model and algorithm for calculating the hysteresis loops of uniaxial hard magnetic materials with allowance for the K1 and K2 (K2 > 0 and K1 > 0 and K1 < 0) magnetic anisotropy constants were developed and allowed us to obtain data on their effect on the parameters of hysteresis loops for a wide temperature range (0–300 K). The simulation and analysis of hysteresis loops of the quasi-ternary intermetallics (Nd1−хСех)2Fe14B (х = 0–1) was performed. Results of the simulation indicate that the alloying of the Nd2Fe14B intermetallic with Ce to x = 0.94 (1) does not completely eliminate the negative effect of spin-reorientation phase transition on the residual magnetization of the (Nd1−хCeх)2Fe14B intermetallic and (2) slightly decreases the slope of magnetization reversal curve. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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10 pages, 2493 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study on the Activity of GaF3 and Ga2O3 Nanoparticle-Doped CsF-AlF3 Flux for Brazing 6061 Al/Q235 Steel Joints
by Zhen Yao, Songbai Xue and Junxiong Zhang
Crystals 2020, 10(6), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060498 - 09 Jun 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1974
Abstract
The effect of trace amounts of GaF3 and Ga2O3 nanoparticles on the wettability and spreadability of CsF-AlF3 flux matched Zn-15Al filler metal were comparatively studied on 6061 aluminum alloy and Q235 low-carbon steel. The experimental results indicate that [...] Read more.
The effect of trace amounts of GaF3 and Ga2O3 nanoparticles on the wettability and spreadability of CsF-AlF3 flux matched Zn-15Al filler metal were comparatively studied on 6061 aluminum alloy and Q235 low-carbon steel. The experimental results indicate that appropriate amounts of GaF3 and Ga2O3 added into the flux could significantly promote the Zn-15Al filler metal to wet and spread on the surface of 6061 aluminum alloy and Q235 low-carbon steel. The optimum ranges for GaF3 and Ga2O3 were 0.0075–0.01wt.% and 0.009–0.01 wt.%, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the activity of CsF-AlF3 flux bearing GaF3 was higher than that bearing Ga2O3. The reason for this is that the former flux has a stronger ability to remove oxides of the base metal and reduce the interfacial tension of the molten filler metal and the base metal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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22 pages, 4545 KiB  
Article
Modeling the Maximum Magnetic Entropy Change of Doped Manganite Using a Grid Search-Based Extreme Learning Machine and Hybrid Gravitational Search-Based Support Vector Regression
by Sami M. Ibn Shamsah and Taoreed O. Owolabi
Crystals 2020, 10(4), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10040310 - 16 Apr 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3024
Abstract
The thermal response of a magnetic solid to an applied magnetic field constitutes magnetocaloric effect. The maximum magnetic entropy change (MMEC) is one of the quantitative parameters characterizing this effect, while the magnetic solids exhibiting magnetocaloric effect have great potential in magnetic refrigeration [...] Read more.
The thermal response of a magnetic solid to an applied magnetic field constitutes magnetocaloric effect. The maximum magnetic entropy change (MMEC) is one of the quantitative parameters characterizing this effect, while the magnetic solids exhibiting magnetocaloric effect have great potential in magnetic refrigeration technology as they offer a green solution to the known pollutant-based refrigerants. In order to determine the MMEC of doped manganite and the influence of dopants on the magnetocaloric effect of doped manganite compounds, this work developed a grid search (GS)-based extreme learning machine (ELM) and hybrid gravitational search algorithm (GSA)-based support vector regression (SVR) for estimating the MMEC of doped manganite compounds using ionic radii and crystal lattice parameters as descriptors. Based on the root-mean-square error (RMSE), the developed GSA-SVR-radii model performs better than the existing genetic algorithm (GA)-SVR-ionic model in the literature by 27.09%, while the developed GSA-SVR-crystal model performs better than the existing GA-SVR-lattice model in the literature by 38.34%. Similarly, the developed ELM-GS-crystal model performs better than the existing GA-SVR-ionic model with a performance enhancement of 14.39% and 20.65% using the mean absolute error (MAE) and RMSE, respectively, as performance measuring parameters. The developed models also perform better than the existing models using correlation coefficient as the performance measuring parameter when validated with experimentally measured MMEC. The superior performance of the present models coupled with easy accessibility of the descriptors definitely will facilitate the synthesis of doped manganite compounds with a high magnetocaloric effect without experimental stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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9 pages, 3214 KiB  
Article
Inducing the Effect of a Ga2O3 Nano-Particle on the CsF-RbF-AlF3 Flux for Brazing Aluminum to Carbon Steels
by Zhen Yao, Songbai Xue, Jinlong Yang and Junxiong Zhang
Crystals 2020, 10(3), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10030183 - 07 Mar 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2123
Abstract
In this study, a Ga2O3 nano-particle was added into CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux to develop a highly active flux for brazing aluminum alloy to steel, and the spreadability and wettability of Zn-Al filler metal that matched the CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux-doped Ga [...] Read more.
In this study, a Ga2O3 nano-particle was added into CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux to develop a highly active flux for brazing aluminum alloy to steel, and the spreadability and wettability of Zn-Al filler metal that matched the CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux-doped Ga2O3 nano-particle on the steel were investigated. The results showed that the spreadability and wettability of the CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux-doped Ga2O3 nano-particle could be remarkably improved when matching Zn-Al filler metals on both aluminum and low-carbon steel, for which the optimal content is in the range of 0.001–0.003 wt.% of Ga2O3. An investigation and analysis on the mechanism of reactions among CsF-RbF-AlF3-doped Ga2O3 nano-particle flux and filler metal or base metals showed that the Ga2O3 nano-particle is selectively absorbed by the interface of molten Zn-2Al filler metal and base metal, which released the surface-active element Ga to enrich the molten Zn-2Al filler metal and decreased the interfacial tension, so as to promote the enlargement of its spreading area during the brazing process. It was concluded that adding a trace amount of Ga2O3 nano-particle into CsF-RbF-AlF3 flux is a meaningful way to improve the activity of flux for brazing aluminum to steel compared with adding ZnCl2, which poses the risk of corrosion on aluminum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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16 pages, 4522 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Zn-Doped Al-Rich Alloys for Fast on-Board Hydrogen Production
by Dan Liu, Qian Gao, Qi An, Hongchao Wang, Jilun Wei and Cundi Wei
Crystals 2020, 10(3), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10030167 - 03 Mar 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2319
Abstract
For the purpose of investigating the effect of Zn replacement of In3Sn on the hydrogen production performance of Al-rich alloy ingots, Al-Ga-In3Sn alloys with various Zn dosages (0–5 wt.%) were prepared by a traditional melting and casting technique. The [...] Read more.
For the purpose of investigating the effect of Zn replacement of In3Sn on the hydrogen production performance of Al-rich alloy ingots, Al-Ga-In3Sn alloys with various Zn dosages (0–5 wt.%) were prepared by a traditional melting and casting technique. The phase compositions and microstructures were characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an Energy Dispersed X-ray system (EDS). The SEM results indicate that, with a small amount of Zn instead of In3Sn, the number and total area of grain boundary (GB) phases will decrease gradually, and the average single GB area will eventually stabilize. The distribution of Zn in the alloy is similar to that of Ga, and an area with high Zn content appeared in the high-Zn-doped sample. The melting behaviors of Al with other metals were measured by DSC. The reaction of these alloys and water were investigated at different temperatures. Compared with Al-Ga-In3Sn alloy, low addition of Zn changed the composition of GB phase and increased the maximum hydrogen production rate. The reason for the changes in the hydrolysis reaction of Al with the addition of Zn was discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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10 pages, 5215 KiB  
Article
Reactively Synthesized Porous Ti3SiC2 Compound and Its Mechanical Properties with Different Apertures
by Yao Jiang, Xinli Liu, Haiyan Gao and Yuehui He
Crystals 2020, 10(2), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10020082 - 02 Feb 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1847
Abstract
Reactively synthesized porous Ti3SiC2 with different pore sizes was prepared using TiH2, Si and graphite powders as starting materials. The effect of pore size on the flexural stress–strain relationship, bending strength and flexural elastic modulus were investigated. The [...] Read more.
Reactively synthesized porous Ti3SiC2 with different pore sizes was prepared using TiH2, Si and graphite powders as starting materials. The effect of pore size on the flexural stress–strain relationship, bending strength and flexural elastic modulus were investigated. The results show that the synthesized porous Ti3SiC2 intermetallic compounds have a characteristic of a high-purity MAX phase with typical laminate microstructure. When the average pore size decreases from 21.8 to 2.1 μm, the volume content of Ti3SiC2 phase ranges from 96.9% to 99.6%, and the porosity is in the range of 49.9% to 54.1%. The flexural stress–strain curves of porous Ti3SiC2 show a characteristic of two stages of elastic deformation and fracture. The flexural modulus is in the range of 13 to 70 GPa, which increases rapidly with further decrease of the pore size. A relation similar to the Hall–Petch equation between the mechanical property and the pore size was investigated for the porous material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermetallic Compound)
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