Microstructure of Sm5Ni19 intermetallic compound observed by high‐resolution electron microscope

The method of high‐resolution electron microscopy is applied to study the microstructure of the Sm–Ni intermetallic compound whose composition is near the Sm5Ni19. Several new polytypic structures (5T, 7T, 15R and 18R) are found and their crystal structures are analysed by high‐resolution imaging method combined with electron diffraction method. Various kinds of defects are observed and the atomic arrangements near the defects are deduced; the defects include stacking faults in Sm5Ni19, intergrowth of the Sm2Ni7 or other complex structures in between the matrix of Sm5Ni19, complicated defect structure which changes the stacking sequence of Sm5Ni19, and lattice defects in the region of terminating the intergrowth.