metalbased

Metalbased is an adjective used in science and industry to describe materials, substances, or technologies in which metal elements play the principal structural or active role. In this sense, metalbased systems include conventional metallic alloys and intermetallic compounds, as well as more complex materials in which metal nodes or centers are essential to function. The term is often used to distinguish metal-containing materials from metal-free alternatives in fields such as catalysis, energy storage, and electronics.

Common metalbased materials include metallic alloys (steel, aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys), intermetallics (Ni3Al, Ti3Al), transition metal oxides and chalcogenides (TiO2, FeS2), nitrides, and metal-organic frameworks and coordination polymers where metal centers are connected by organic ligands. Metal nanoparticles and supported metal catalysts are also described as metalbased due to their reliance on metallic sites. Properties such as electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, magnetic behavior, thermal stability, and catalytic activity stem from metallic bonding and the presence of metal centers.

Metalbased materials underpin aerospace, automotive, electronics, construction, and energy sectors. They are used for structural components, electrical contacts, sensors, catalysts for chemical transformations, and energy storage devices like batteries and supercapacitors. Processing methods include traditional metallurgy (smelting, alloying, heat treatment), thin-film deposition, sintering, and, in the case of MOFs and related materials, solution-based assembly and crystallization.

Metalbased is a descriptive term rather than a formal category in many disciplines, and is often hyphenated as metal-based in formal writing. The exact meaning can vary by context, ranging from a focus on metal cores or active sites to a broader inclusion of metal-containing matrices.