How is purity defined? According to AmesLab, purity is an extremely important factor in research. The effects that impurities have on alloy properties are well documented. However, these effects are not commonly talked about or even explored in conjunction to bulk materials. Essentially, then, the absence of high purity metals might be the reason why researchers keep missing or in some cases, just fail to see, a material’s true physical properties. This, in turn, could lead to a great deal of missed chances in terms of improving existing theories as well as changing old ones. New and better ideas, then – spurred on by the use of high purity metals are necessary for discovering new materials and developing better devices.
Basis of Purity
There are two types of purity in this case. The first is absolute purity, the second is the commonly known metals basis purity. Absolute purity is what happens when a scale of 99.999 percent is achieved. This measurement only makes room for about 10 ppm impurity. That becomes even more impressive when you find out that the measurement is with respect to all the other elements that are on the periodic table. Metals basis purity, on the other hand, doesn’t cover many of the elements considered to be metallurgically important. In addition, it also doesn’t have other nonmetallic impurities.
Alloys
According to ExplainThatStuff, alloys refer to a mixture of metals with other metals or with other non-metal substances like carbon. An alloy’s most important component is its main metal, which is the material that makes up 90 percent of the alloy. It’s also called as a base metal or parent metal. Other parts of the alloy, those present in smaller amounts, are referred to as alloying agents. These agents can be metals or non-metals and usually a solid solution made up of intermixed atoms of an element, the kind you get when you mix in salt with water.
High Purity
High purity alloys, then, refer to a combination of high purity metals. These alloys are developed by combining high purity elements into an alloy, they demonstrate greater strength and durability. They’re harder and in some cases, more able to fight against and withstand rust. In addition, other benefits of alloys also include better ability to conduct electricity and heat as well as improved durability.
For more information on high purity metals and their commercial applications, visit ACI Alloys.
