Complex metallic alloys: fundamentals and applications

Complex metal alloys (CMAs) comprise a huge group of largely unknown alloys and compounds, where many phases are formed with crystal structures based on giant unit cells containing atom clusters, ranging from tens of to more than thousand atoms per unit cell. In these phases, for many phenomena, the physical length scales are substantially smaller than the unit-cell dimension. Hence, these materials offer unique combinations of properties which are mutually exclusive in conventional materials, such as metallic electric conductivity combined with low thermal conductivity, good light absorption with high-temperature stability, high metallic hardness with reduced wetting by liquids, etc. This book is the second of a series of books issued yearly as a deliverable to the European Community of the School established within the European Network of Excellence CMA. Written by reputed experts in the fields of metal physics, surface physics, surface chemistry, metallurgy, and process engineering, this book brings together expertise found inside as well as outside the network to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in CMAs.

Introduction to the Science of Complex Metallic Alloys / Jean-Marie Dubois, Esther Belin-Ferré, Michael Feuerbacher -- Properties of CMAs: Theory and Experiments / Enrique Macia, Marc de Boissieu -- Anisotropic Physical Properties of Complex Metallic Alloys / Janez Dolinšek, Ana Smontara -- Surface Science of Complex Metallic Alloys / Vincent Fournee, Julian Ledieu, Jeong Y Park -- Metallurgy of Complex Metallic Alloys / Saskia Gottlieb-Schoenmeyer, Wolf Assmus, Nathalie Prud'Homme, Constantin Vahlas -- Surface Chemistry of CMAs / Marie-Genevïve Barthes-Labrousse, Alessandra Beni, Patrik Schmutz -- Mechanical Engineering Properties of CMAs / Jürgen Eckert, Sergio Scudino, Mihai Stoica, Samuel Kenzari, Muriel Sales -- CMA's as Magnetocaloric Materials / Spomenka Kobe, Benjamin Podmilj₍ak, Paul John McGuiness, Matej Komelj -- Recent Progress in the Development of Thermoelectric Materials with Complex Crystal Structures / Silke Paschen, Claude Godart, Yuri Grin -- Complex Metallic Phases in Catalysis / Marc Armbrüster, Kirill Kovnir, Yuri Grin, Robert Schlögl.