Alloys

A blend of chemical components, at least one of which must be a metal, is called an alloy. An alloy, unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, will retain all the characteristics of a metal in the final product, including electrical conductivity, ductility, opacity, and lustre, but it may also have characteristics that are different from those of pure metals, such as increased strength or hardness. Sometimes an alloy can maintain crucial qualities while lowering the material's overall cost. In other instances, the combination gives the individual metal components of the mixture synergistic qualities like corrosion resistance or mechanical strength. For practical purposes, the alloy ingredients are often quantified by mass percentage, whereas atomic fraction is used for fundamental scientific research. Depending on the atomic configuration that gives rise to the alloy, alloys are often categorised as substitutional or interstitial alloys. They can also be divided into homogeneous (only having one phase), heterogeneous, and intermetallic categories. An alloy may be a single phase, in which all metallic grains (crystals) have the same composition, or it may be a combination of metallic phases (two or more solutions, forming a microstructure of different crystals within the metal). Red gold (gold and copper), white gold (gold and silver), sterling silver, silicon steel, solder, brass, pewter, duralumin, bronze, and amalgams are a few examples of alloys.