Review: Combustion Synthesis of Nickel Aluminide (Ni3Al) Intermetallics and Their Composites

The Ni-Al system contains five intermetallic compounds, out of which NiAl and Ni3Al have received the vast majority of scientific and industrial interest over the past few decades. Ni3Al is of major interest due to its unique properties, including a yield strength that increases with temperature. The combustion synthesis (CS) process for producing Ni3Al from elemental powders of nickel and aluminum offers a low thermal budget and rapid processing, as well as purer products. This paper reviews the fundamentals of CS as applied to Ni3Al and its composites, and focuses on research over the past 25 years, including mechanically and electrically activated combustion synthesis and combined combustion synthesis and bulk deformation processes to produce high-density products. Several new directions are suggested for future research in the field.