Stability in ordered and icosahedral aluminium–transition metal alloys

Abstract

We present calculated electron state densities for A1T (T is a transition metal) compounds and icosahedral Al₈₆T₁₄ alloys which suggest that the relative stability of different short-range atomic arrangements varies inversely with the electron state density at the Fermi level. Using this argument, we show that the absence ofstable highly coordinated configurations is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the existence of icosahedral Al₈₆T₁₄ alloys.