A metal alloy is a substance that combines more than one metal or mixes a metal with other non-metallic elements such as silicon.
Alloys are an example of “teamwork makes the dream work,” since each substance within the alloy lends its own properties to the solution or mixture. Some alloys will take the best attributes of each contributing element and create a final product that is harder, more durable, and/or more resistant to corrosion (What Is an Alloy?, n.d.).
Alloys are divided into categories. Below are some categories:
- Substitutional alloys: This type of alloy essentially replaces atoms that make up the lattice structure of the primary metal with atoms of the additional element. This can only happen if the atoms of both compounds are roughly similar in size, with an example being bronze (Copper and tin).
- Interstitial alloys: If the atoms of the alloying element (or elements) are much smaller than the atoms of the primary metal, they slip in between the atoms of the primary metal. This allows them to fill the gaps, or interstices, of the lattice structure of atoms that makes up the alloy (Kadezabek, 2022).
