Thermal conductivity of B2-type aluminides and titanides

Thermal conductivity measurement by the laser-flash method adopted here is very suitable for intermetallic compounds, some of which are too brittle for preparing samples with good geometry. Thermal conductivity data at room temperature are presented in the series of aluminides, FeAl, CoAl and NiAl, titanides, FeTi, CoTi and NiTi, and gallides CoGa and NiGa, in order to reveal the role of 8A group elements of the first transition metal series. Thermal conductivity reaches a maximum at stoichiometry and decreases with deviations from stoichiometry on either side in most of these compounds. The largest thermal conductivities observed are 92 W m^-1 K^-1 of NiAl among the aluminides, 23 of NiGa among the gallides and 73 of FeTi among the titanides. It is discussed that the thermal conductivity is further reduced as the position of the partner components becomes distant from that of a host component.