aluminide is an important metal alloying element for the development of high strength and corrosion resistance coatings. It is available as a powder form or in a solid granulate formulation and can be used for various applications. Its properties can be affected by the composition of the alloying elements, but also by the synthesis and processing methods.

A wide range of metals can be made from aluminide, but it is particularly useful for aluminide-based alloys that have high specific heat and/or low thermal conductivity. This material can be used to make a wide range of products including linings for tanks, pressure vessels, and pipelines.

It has a very high resistance to oxidation and can be coated by various diffusion processes. The aluminising process is based on the reaction of an activated halogen compound with the source metal to generate a gaseous aluminising compound, which is then deposited as a coating element at the substrate surface.

In diffusion coatings, the aluminising compound is packed in retorts and heated slowly to a temperature within the range 900 – 1050 degC. After the required amount of time at the specified coating temperature, the aluminising compound is slowly cooled to ambient temperature.

Microstructure of aluminide coatings is characterized by electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements. It is found that the aluminide coating is mainly characterized by two different zones, one of which consists of Fe-Al and Cr-Al intermetallics, the other of amorphous alumina.