High-Entropy Alloys A novel

material class with great potential

The basic concept of high entropy alloys pursues the strategy to maximize the
so-called configurational entropy of an alloy by increasing the number of
alloying elements that should minimize the Gibbs free energy in favor of a
mono-phase material. In other words: By producing a high degree of disorder
or confusion in the alloy by mixing many different elements, the material
decides to crystallize in only one single phase. This idea does not work out
for all variations of compounds, nevertheless, several alloys have been
identified that follow this hypothesis.
An outstanding example of this alloy class, a CrMnFeCoNi alloy in equiatomic
composition, has been investigated with a focus on the mechanical properties
in an International collaboration between researchers of the Erich Schmid
Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley and Oak
Ridge National Laboratories (Berkeley Lab and ORNL). Despite the different
crystal structure of the single elements the alloy disobeys the well-established
Hume-Rothery rules and crystallizes in a single phase, face-centered cubic
structure.

The mechanical properties have been found to be exceptional. The strength of

the material increases by lowering the temperature from room temperature to
cryogenic temperatures drastically. This trend is usually only found in body
cubic centered structures and some further exceptions. More striking, the
ductility of the material increases and the damage tolerance, i.e. fracture
toughness, remains constant or even increases by single measures when the
test temperature is lowered. The increase in ductility and fracture toughness
could be related to the formation of nanotwins at low testing temperatures
serving as an additional deformation mechanism that keeps the workhardening rate high and suppresses strain localization and failure.
Such an alloy could be ideal for cryogenic applications, such as storage tanks
for liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and oxygen. This work represents the first
study that characterizes the fracture toughness properties of this novel class of
alloys, which are spectacular.
The results could be published in Science, a weekly multidisciplinary journal
with about 570,000 readers per week.
For further details see:
A fracture-resistant high-entropy alloy for cryogenic applications
Bernd Gludovatz, Anton Hohenwarter, Dhiraj Catoor, Edwin H. Chang, Easo P.
George, Robert O. Ritchie

Science 345, 1153 (2014);

DOI: 10.1126/science.1254581