Phase relations and crystal structure of τ6-Ti2(Ti(0.16)Ni(0.43)Al(0.41))3

Metallic alloys at the edge of complexity: structural aspects, chemical bonding and physical properties

Complex metallic alloys belong to the vast family of intermetallic compounds and are hallmarked by extremely large unit cells and, in many cases, extensive crystallographic disorder. Early studies of complex intermetallics were focusing on the elucidation of their crystal structures and classification of the underlying building principles. More recently, ab initio computational analysis and detailed examination of the physical properties have become feasible and opened new perspectives for these materials. The present review paper provides a summary of the literature data on the reported compositions with exceptional structural complexity and their properties, and highlights the factors leading to the emergence of their crystal structures and the methods of characterization and systematization of these compounds.

The Ti-Mn system revisited: experimental investigation and thermodynamic modelling

As the Ti-Mn phase diagram is part of numerous ternary and higher order systems of technological importance, the present paper defines phase relations which have been experimentally established throughout this work from 800 °C to the melting range based on Differential Thermal Analyses (DTA), X-ray powder diffraction, metallography and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) techniques on ∼50 alloys, which were prepared by arc melting or high frequency melting under high purity argon starting from freshly cleaned metal ingots. Novel compounds were identified and reaction isotherms were redefined accordingly. In the Ti-rich region a novel compound TiMn was detected, sandwiched between the known phases: TiMn1-x (∼45 at% Mn) and TiMn1+x (∼55 at% Mn). In the Mn-rich region the hitherto unknown crystal structure of TiMn∼3 was solved from X-ray single crystal diffraction data and found to be of a unique structure type Ti6(Ti1-xMnx)6Mn25 (x = 0.462; space group Pbam (#55); a = 0.79081(3) nm, b = 2.58557(9) nm, c = 0.47931(2) nm), which consists of two consecutive layers of the hexagonal MgZn2-type Laves phase (TiMn2) and a combined layer of alternate structure blocks of MgZn2 type and Zr4Al3 type. Whereas TiMn can be considered as a line compound (solubility range <∼1 at%), the homogeneity regions of the Ti-Mn compounds are significant (determined by EPMA): TiMn1-x (44.0 to 46.6 at% Mn), TiMn1+x (54.6 to 56.3 at% Mn), Ti1+xMn2-x (MgZn2-type, 59 to 69 at% Mn at 1000 °C: -0.08 < x < 0.23), TiMn∼3 (unique type; 74 to 76.5 at% Mn) and TiMn∼4 (R-phase: Ti8(TixMn1-x)6Mn39, 80 to 84 at% Ti). Supported by ab initio calculations of the ground state energy for the Laves phase, the new experimental results enabled thermodynamic modelling of the entire Ti-Mn phase diagram providing a complete and novel set of thermodynamic data thus providing a sound basis for future thermodynamic predictions of higher order Ti-Mn-X-Y systems.

Crystal structure of novel compounds in the systems Zr-Cu-Al, Mo-Pd-Al and partial phase equilibria in the Mo-Pd-Al system

The crystal structures of three Al-rich compounds have been solved from X-ray single crystal diffractometry: τ(1)-MoPd(2-x)Al(8+x) (x = 0.067); τ(7)-Zr(Cu(1-x)Al(x))(12) (x = 0.514) and τ(9)-ZrCu(1-x)Al(4) (x = 0.144). τ(1)-MoPd(2-x)Al(8+x) adopts a unique structure type (space group Pbcm; lattice parameters a = 0.78153(2), b = 1.02643(3) and c = 0.86098(2) nm), which can be conceived as a superstructure of the Mo(Cu(x)Al(1-x))(6)Al(4) type. Whereas Mo-atoms occupy the 4d site, Pd(2) occupies the 4c site, Al and Pd(1) atoms randomly share the 4d position and the rest of the positions are fully occupied by Al. A Bärnighausen tree documents the crystallographic group-subgroup relation between the structure types of Mo(Cu(x)Al(1-x))(6)Al(4) and τ(1). τ(7)-Zr(Cu(1-x)Al(x))(12) (x = 0.514) has been confirmed to crystallize with the ThMn(12) type (space group I4/mmm; lattice parameters a = 0.85243(2) and c = 0.50862(3) nm). In total, 4 crystallographic sites were defined, out of which, Zr occupies site 2a, the 8f site is fully occupied by Cu, the 8i site is entirely occupied by Al, but the 8j site turned out to comprise a random mixture of Cu and Al atoms. The compound τ(9)-ZrCu(1-x)Al(4) (x = 0.144) crystallizes in a unique structure type (space group P4/nmm; lattice parameters a = 0.40275(3) and c = 1.17688(4) nm) which exhibits full atom order but a vacancy (14.4%) on the 2c site, shared with Cu atoms. τ(9)-ZrCu(1-x)Al(4) is a superstructure of Cu with an arrangement of three unit cells of Cu in the direction of the c-axis. A Bärnighausen tree documents this relationship. The ZrCu(1-x)Al(4) type (n = 3) is part of a series of structures which follow this building principle: Cu (n = 1), TiAl(3) (n = 2), τ(5)-TiNi(2-x)Al(5) (n = 4), HfGa(2) (n = 6) and Cu(3)Pd (n = 7). A partial isothermal section for the Al-rich part of the Mo-Pd-Al system at 860 °C has been established with two ternary compounds τ(1)-MoPd(2-x)Al(8+x) and τ(2) (unknown structure). The Vickers hardness (H(v)) for τ(1) was found to be 842 ± 40 MPa.