The effects of Y pre-alloying on the in-situ dispersoids of ODS Co Cr Fe Mn Ni high-entropy alloy

Oxide dispersion strengthened CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys(ODS-HEAs)were prepared using two different powder preparation methods classified by yttrium addition strategy to investigate the effects of in-situ and ex-situ oxide dispersoid formation on the microstructure and mechanical properties.Systematic micro structural analysis was carried out by X-ray diffraction(XRD),electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD),high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),atom probe tomography(APT),and small-angle neutron scattering(SANS).Cryo-milled powder analysis,grain structure evolution after spark plasma sintering,dispersoid characteristics,and matrix/dispersoid interface structure analysis of the insitu and ex-situ dispersoids within the high-entropy alloy(HEA)matrix were performed.The in-situ dispersoid formation was dominantly observed in the Y-alloyed ODS-HEA through the construction of a coherent interface relationship with complex chemical composition,leading to an increase in the Zener pinning forces on the grain boundary movement.ODS-HEA with in-situ oxide dispersoids enhanced the formation of ultrafine-grained structures with an average diameter of 330 nm at a sintering temperature of 1173 K.This study shows that the Y pre-alloying method is efficient in achieving fine coherent dispersoids with an ultra fine-grained structure,resulting in an enhancement of the tensile strength of the CoCrFeMnNi HEA.