A new complex intermetallic phase in the system Al–Cu–Ta with familiar clusters and packing principles

Acta Cryst. (2013). B69, 238–248 (http://doi.org/mt7)

Cluster description of the new intermetallic phase, highlighting the packing of recurring building blocks.

Why do complex structures form in intermetallic compounds? In order to determine critical structure-forming factors, common building principles have to be discovered for known and newly discovered structures. The article presents a new complex intermetallic phase in the Al–Cu–Ta system, comprising already three cubic giant-unit-cell structures. The structure is described by different approaches and its disorder motifs are discussed. The prerequisite for understanding structure–property relationships is the full comprehension of crystallographic structures, while the consequence should be no less than the tailoring of novel functional materials.