Atomic ordering in alloys: stable states and kinetics

Ordering in alloys is a topic of growing technological and scientific interest within the field of materials science. This is because the advantageous high temperature and corrosion properties of intermetallic compounds are linked to the effect of long-range ordering. Ordering effects as observed by electrical resistometry are discussed in this paper with respect to stable states of order (thermal equilibrium) and the ordering relaxation kinetics leading from one stable state to another. Examples are given on CuPt (L11), CuAu (L10), Cu3Au (L12), Ni3Al (L12) and FeAl (B2).