Strong Additively Manufactured High-Entropy Alloys

July 19, 2022
APT data shows the nanoscale compositional modulation in BCC nanolamellae. (Right) Comparison of yield strength versus uniform elongation for the studied AM-EHEAs and other AM alloys from the literature.

Scientific Achievement

A eutectic high-entropy alloy (EHEA) AlCoCrFeNi2.1 produced via additive manufacturing (AM) exhibits a hierarchical microstructure of dual-phase nanolamellar eutectic colonies leading to an excellent combination of nearly isotropic strength and ductility.

Significance and Impact

The work shows how to overcome the issue that many high-strength AM alloys exhibit lower ductility than desired for applications.

Research Details

  • Microscopy revealed the dual-phase nanolamellar eutectic colonies and atom probe tomography (APT) confirmed the nanoscale compositional modulation in the body-centered cubic (BCC) nanolamellae.
  • In situ neutron diffraction revealed real-time load partitioning and deformation mechanisms in the two phases

“Strong yet Ductile Nanolamellar High-entropy Alloys by Additive Manufacturing”
Jie Ren, Yin Zhang, Dexin Zhao, Yan Chen, Shuai Guan, Yanfang Liu, Liang Liu, Siyuan Peng, Fanyue Kong, Jonathan D. Poplawsky, Guanhui Gao, Thomas Voisin, Ke An, Y. Morris Wang, Kelvin Y. Xie, Ting Zhu, and Wen Chen,
Nature 608, pages62–68 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04914-8