News/Press Release

May 17, 2024
Hebei University of Technology
Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
Guangdong Academy of Sciences

Secrets of superior ductility of “high-entropy alloys” revealed through neutrons
— Discovery that carbon controls the formation of unique deformed microstructure in alloys —

[Summary of announcement]
  • High-entropy alloys have very promising mechanical characteristics including high strength and excellent ductility. They also have special functional capabilities such as high irradiation-resistance to radiation. For this reason, many related research projects have been rushed into high-entropy alloys in recent years.
  • In rolling deformation studies of high-entropy alloys important for the practical application, it is essential to clarify how interstitial carbon addition affects the deformation behavior of these microstructures with large initial crystal lattice distortions induced by the remarkable atom size differences among the component elements in these alloys.
  • In this research, the influence of interstitial carbon addition on the texture evolution of high-entropy alloys during cold rolling was investigated through combining RESA instrument at JRR-3 neutron facility and an electron microscope with electron backscatter diffraction. As a result, it was revealed for the first time that the addition of carbon promotes the formation of two types of crystal grains with special orientations during the cold rolling deformation.
  • The further optimization of the related microstructure-texture control techniques of high-entropy alloys is expected to accelerate the development of new structure-controlled functional materials with superior resistance to radiations, towards the potential application to the space and nuclear power industries.
Figure 1: Illustrative comparison of crystallographic orientations of high entropy alloys with (vs. without) carbon addition before and after cold rolling. (Top) If carbon is not added, there are few Brass-oriented and Goss-oriented grains after cold rolling. (Bottom) If carbon is added, there are a large quantity of Brass-oriented and Goss-oriented grains after cold rolling.
[Information on article]
Name of journal: Scripta Materialia
Title of article: Influence of interstitial carbon on bulk texture evolution of carbide-free high-entropy alloys during cold rolling using neutron diffraction
Names of authors (and their organizations): Wei Fang1, Chang Liu1, Jinfei Zhang1, Pingguang Xu2, Tiexu Peng1, Baoxi Liu1, Satoshi Morooka2, Fuxing Yin1,3
Organization of affiliation:
1
Hebei University of Technology
2
Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
3
Guangdong Academy of Sciences
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2024.116046