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Title: Design and Development of Stable Nanocrystalline High‐Entropy Alloy: Coupling Self‐Stabilization and Solute Grain Boundary Segregation Effects

Journal Article · · Small
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada
  2. Nuclear Science and Technology Department Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY 11973 USA, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  3. Center for Functional Nanomaterials Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY 11973 USA
  4. Nuclear Science and Technology Department Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY 11973 USA

Abstract Grain growth is prevalent in nanocrystalline (NC) materials at low homologous temperatures. Solute element addition is used to offset excess energy that drives coarsening at grain boundaries (GBs), albeit mostly for simple binary alloys. This thermodynamic approach is considered complicated in multi‐component alloy systems due to complex pairwise interactions among alloying elements. Guided by empirical and GB‐segregation enthalpy considerations for binary‐alloy systems, a novel alloy design strategy, the “ pseudo‐binary thermodynamic ” approach, for stabilizing NC‐high entropy alloys (HEAs) and other multi‐component‐alloy variants is proposed. Using Al 25 Co 25 Cr 25 Fe 25 as a model‐HEA to validate this approach, Zr, Sc, and Hf, are identified as the preferred solutes that would segregate to HEA‐GBs to stabilize it against growth. Using Zr, NC‐Al 25 Co 25 Cr 25 Fe 25 HEAs with minor additions of Zr are synthesized, followed by annealing up to 1123 K. Using advanced characterization techniques— in situ X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM), and atom probe tomography, nanograin stability due to coupling self‐stabilization and solute‐GB segregation effects is reported in HEAs up to substantially high temperatures. The self‐stabilization effect originates from the preferential GB‐segregation of constituent HEA‐elements that stabilizes NC‐Al 25 Co 25 Cr 25 Fe 25 up to 0.5 T m ( T m –melting temperature). Meanwhile, solute‐GB segregation originates from Zr segregation to NC‐Al 25 Co 25 Cr 25 Fe 25 GBs; this results in further stabilization of the phase and grain‐size (≈14 nm) up to ≈0.58 and ≈0.64 T m , respectively.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
Grant/Contract Number:
DE‐SC0012704; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
2290437
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2290440; OSTI ID: 2319180
Report Number(s):
BNL-225340-2024-JAAM; 2309631
Journal Information:
Small, Journal Name: Small; ISSN 1613-6810
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English

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