Alloy

Alloys are fascinating metallic materials that are created by the skilful combination of two or more elements of the periodic table. These elements can be mixed in different ratios to achieve specific properties such as strength, hardness, corrosion resistance or electrical conductivity. The variety of alloys ranges from the widely used steel alloys to more exotic alloys such as titanium aluminides or shape memory alloys.

The term plastic alloy is also used in materials science, but refers to polymer blends. Here, different polymers are combined with one another to create new materials with tailor-made properties.

These polymer blends can cover a wide range of applications, from the automotive to the packaging industry, and often offer improved mechanical strength, durability or aesthetic properties compared with pure polymers.