Intermetallic

An intermetallic is a type of metallicalloy that forms a solid-state compound with a crystal structure between two or more metallic elements. Alternatively, it can be called intermetallic compound, intermetallic alloy, ordered intermetallic alloy, or long-range-ordered alloy. Intermetallics are generally hard and brittle, with good high-temperature mechanical properties. They can be classified as stoichiometric or nonstoichiometic. A stoichiometric intermetallic has a specific numerical ratio between the metallic elements.

The term "intermetallic compounds" applied to solid phases has long been in use. However, Hume-Rothery argued that it misleads, suggesting a fixed stoichiometry and a clear decomposition into species.

Recent advances in intermetallic crystal chemistry have led to the discovery of a new family of ternary intermetallic compounds known as ZIP phases. These materials exhibit so-called dualistic atomic ordering, in which different atomic sublattices demonstrate distinct ordering mechanisms within a single crystalline framework. ZIP phases can crystallize in both face-centered cubic and hexagonal structural variants, thereby expanding the known structural diversity of complex intermetallic systems.