Production of powdery intermetallic compound having very fine particle size

摘要

An intermetallic compound such as Nb3Al exhibits the phenomenon of self-disintegration, when hydrogen is adsorbed in the intermetallic compound. This self-disintegration is used for the pulverization of the intermetallic compound material. The material is autogeneously pulverized into very fine particles only by adjusting an atmosphere to which the material is exposed, since the pulverizing reaction occurs between hydrogen existent in the atmosphere and the active surface of the intermetallic compound. The pulverized intermetallic compound having irregular shapes and large specific surface area is useful in various technical fields, e.g. as a superconductive material, a heat-resistant material, a magnetic body or a hydrogen-absorbing material.