skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Temperature-Dependent Configurational Entropy Calculations for Refractory High-Entropy Alloys
The cluster expansion formalism for alloys is used to construct surrogate models for three refractory high-entropy alloys (NbTiVZr, HfNbTaTiZr, and AlHfNbTaTiZr). These cluster expansion models are then used along with Monte Carlo methods and thermodynamic integration to calculate the configurational entropy of these refractory high-entropy alloys as a function of temperature. Many solid solution alloy design guidelines are based on the ideal entropy of mixing, which increases monotonically with N, the number of elements in the alloy. However, our results show that at low temperatures, the configurational entropy of these materials is largely independent of N, and the assumption described above only holds in the high-temperature limit. This suggests that alloy design guidelines based on the ideal entropy of mixing require further examination.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2001411
PAR ID:
10222508
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion
ISSN:
1547-7037
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The empirical parameters of mixing enthalpy (ΔHmix), mixing entropy (ΔSmix), atomic radius difference (δ), valence electron concentration (VEC), etc., are used in this study to design a depleted uranium high-entropy alloy (HEA). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the phase composition. Compression and hardness tests were conducted to select alloy constituents with outstanding mechanical properties. Based on the experimental results, the empirical criteria of HEAs are an effective means to develop depleted uranium high-entropy alloys (DUHEAs). Finally, we created UNb0.5Zr0.5Mo0.5 and UNb0.5Zr0.5Ti0.2Mo0.2 HEAs with outstanding all-round characteristics. Both alloys were composed of a single BCC structure. The hardness and strength of UNb0.5Zr0.5Mo0.5 and UNb0.5Zr0.5Ti0.2Mo0.2 were 305 HB and 1452 MPa, and 297 HB and 1157 MPa, respectively. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Energy efficiency is motivating the search for new high-temperature (high-T) metals. Some new body-centered-cubic (BCC) random multicomponent “high-entropy alloys (HEAs)” based on refractory elements (Cr-Mo-Nb-Ta-V-W-Hf-Ti-Zr) possess exceptional strengths at high temperatures but the physical origins of this outstanding behavior are not known. Here we show, using integrated in-situ neutron-diffraction (ND), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and recent theory, that the high strength and strength retention of a NbTaTiV alloy and a high-strength/low-density CrMoNbV alloy are attributable to edge dislocations. This finding is surprising because plastic flows in BCC elemental metals and dilute alloys are generally controlled by screw dislocations. We use the insight and theory to perform a computationally-guided search over 10 7 BCC HEAs and identify over 10 6 possible ultra-strong high-T alloy compositions for future exploration. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract An oxygen‐resistant refractory high‐entropy alloy is synthesized in microlattice or bulk form by 3D ink‐extrusion printing, interdiffusion, and silicide coating. Additive manufacturing of equiatomic HfNbTaTiZr is implemented by extruding inks containing hydride powders, de‐binding under H2, and sintering under vacuum. The sequential decomposition of hydride powders (HfH2+NbH+TaH0.5+TiH2+ZrH2) is followed by in situ X‐ray diffraction. Upon sintering at 1400 °C for 18 h, a nearly fully densified, equiatomic HfNbTaTiZr alloy is synthesized; on slow cooling, both α‐HCP and β‐BCC phases are formed, but on quenching, a metastable single β‐BCC phase is obtained. Printed and sintered HfNbTaTiZr alloys with ≈1 wt.% O shows excellent mechanical properties at high temperatures. Oxidation resistance is achieved by silicide coating via pack cementation. A small‐size lattice‐core sandwich is fabricated and tested with high‐temperature flames to demonstrate the versatility of this sequential approach (printing, sintering, and siliconizing) for high‐temperature, high‐stress applications of refractory high‐entropy alloys. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract High‐entropy alloys combine multiple principal elements at a near equal fraction to form vast compositional spaces to achieve outstanding functionalities that are absent in alloys with one or two principal elements. Here, the prediction, synthesis, and multiscale characterization of 2D high‐entropy transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) alloys with four/five transition metals is reported. Of these, the electrochemical performance of a five‐component alloy with the highest configurational entropy, (MoWVNbTa)S2, is investigated for CO2conversion to CO, revealing an excellent current density of 0.51 A cm−2and a turnover frequency of 58.3 s−1at ≈ −0.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. First‐principles calculations show that the superior CO2electroreduction is due to a multi‐site catalysis wherein the atomic‐scale disorder optimizes the rate‐limiting step of CO desorption by facilitating isolated transition metal edge sites with weak CO binding. 2D high‐entropy TMDC alloys provide a materials platform to design superior catalysts for many electrochemical systems. 
    more » « less
  5. There is a strong demand for materials with inherently high creep resistance in the harsh environment of next-generation nuclear reactors. High entropy alloys have drawn intense attention in this regard due to their excellent elevated temperature properties and irradiation resistance. Here, the time-dependent plastic deformation behavior of two refractory high entropy alloys was investigated, namely HfTaTiVZr and TaTiVWZr. These alloys are based on reduced activity metals from the 4-5-6 elemental palette that would allow easy post-service recycling after use in nuclear reactors. The creep behavior was investigated using nano-indentation over the temperature range of 298 K to 573 K under static and dynamic loads up to 5 N. Creep stress exponent for HfTaTiVZr and TaTiVWZr was found to be in the range of 20–140 and the activation volume was ~16–20b3, indicating dislocation dominated mechanism. The stress exponent increased with increasing indentation depth due to a higher density of dislocations and their entanglement at larger depth and the exponent decreased with increasing temperature due to thermally activated dislocations. Smaller creep displacement and higher activation energy for the two high entropy alloys indicate superior creep resistance compared to refractory pure metals like tungsten. 
    more » « less