Ubiquitous short-range order in multi-principal element alloys

Ying Han; Hangman Chen; Yongwen Sun; Jian Liu; Shaolou Wei; Bijun Xie; Zhiyu Zhang; Yingxin Zhu; Meng Li; Judith Yang; Wen Chen; Penghui Cao; Yang Yang

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-49606-1

Nature Communications (Aug 2024)

Ubiquitous short-range order in multi-principal element alloys

Ying Han,
Hangman Chen,
Yongwen Sun,
Jian Liu,
Shaolou Wei,
Bijun Xie,
Zhiyu Zhang,
Yingxin Zhu,
Meng Li,
Judith Yang,
Wen Chen,
Penghui Cao,
Yang Yang

Affiliations

Ying Han: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University
Hangman Chen: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California
Yongwen Sun: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University
Jian Liu: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts
Shaolou Wei: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bijun Xie: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California
Zhiyu Zhang: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University
Yingxin Zhu: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University
Meng Li: Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
Judith Yang: Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
Wen Chen: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts
Penghui Cao: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California
Yang Yang: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49606-1
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract Recent research in multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) has increasingly focused on the role of short-range order (SRO) on material performance. However, the mechanisms of SRO formation and its precise control remain elusive, limiting the progress of SRO engineering. Here, leveraging advanced additive manufacturing techniques that produce samples with a wide range of cooling rates (up to 107 K s−1) and an enhanced semi-quantitative electron microscopy method, we characterize SRO in three CoCrNi-based face-centered-cubic (FCC) MPEAs. Surprisingly, irrespective of the processing and thermal treatment history, all samples exhibit similar levels of SRO. Atomistic simulations reveal that during solidification, prevalent local chemical order arises in the liquid-solid interface (solidification front) even under the extreme cooling rate of 1011 K s−1. This phenomenon stems from the swift atomic diffusion in the supercooled liquid, which matches or even surpasses the rate of solidification. Therefore, SRO is an inherent characteristic of most FCC MPEAs, insensitive to variations in cooling rates and even annealing treatments typically available in experiments.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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