Iron–nickel alloy

 ( Petrology ) 

An iron–nickel alloy or nickel–iron alloy, abbreviated FeNi or NiFe, is a group of consisting primarily of the chemical element nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). It is the main constituent of the "iron" and . In chemistry, the acronym NiFe refers to an iron–nickel Catalysis or component involved in various chemical reactions, or the reactions themselves; in geology, it refers to the main constituents of telluric (including Earth's).

Some metallurgy of iron–nickel are called nickel steel or stainless steel. Depending on the intended use of the alloy, these are usually fortified with small amounts of other metals, such as chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, and titanium.

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Astronomy and geology Iron and nickel are the most abundant elements produced during the final stage of stellar nucleosynthesis in massive stars. Heavier elements require other forms of nucleosynthesis, such as during a supernova or neutron star merger. Iron and nickel are the most abundant metals in metallic and in the dense metal cores of telluric planets, such as Earth.

Nickel–iron alloys occur naturally on Earth's surface as telluric iron or meteoric iron.

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Chemistry and metallurgy

The affinity of nickel atoms (atomic number 28) for iron (atomic number 26) results in natural occurring and a large number of commercial alloys. The surfaces of these metallic compounds provide a complex electron environment for catalyzing chemical reactions.

In steel metallurgy, nickel is alloyed with iron since 1888 (date of Schneider et Cie's patent on nickel steel based on Jean Werth's research

Agnès D'Angio (2025). 9782271058263, CNRS éditions. . ISBN 9782271058263

) to produce maraging steel and some . Other technological uses include Invar and Mu-metal.

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Alloy summary

The following table is an overview of different iron–nickel alloys. Naturally occurring are a type of mineral and called native elements or . Some of the entries have more than one crystal structure (e.g. meteoric iron is a mixture of two crystal structures).

FeNi

NiFe to NiFe

about 5.5% nickel

36% nickel

36% nickel

FeNi

15–25% nickel

5–30% nickel

77% nickel

various

4–8% nickel

NiFe

0.05%–4% nickel

FeNi

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See also

• Iron–nickel clusters
• KREEP
• Sial
• Sima

Categories: Petrology, Structure Of The Earth, Ferrous Alloys, Meteorites

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