Structural evolution and superconductivity tuned by valence electron concentration in the Nb-Mo-Re-Ru-Rh high-entropy alloys

The crystal structure and physical properties of Nb_(25)Mo_(5+x)Re_(35)Ru_(25-x)Rh_(10)(0≤x≤10)and Nb_(5)Mo_(35-y)Re_(15+y)Ru_(35)Rh_(10)(0≤y≤15)high-entropy alloys(HEAs)have been studied by X-ray diffraction,electrical resistivity,magnetic susceptibility,and specific heat measurements.The results show that the former HEAs with valence electron concentration(VEC)values of 6.7-6.9 crystallize in a noncentrosymmetric cubicα-Mn structure,while the latter ones with VEC values of 7.1-7.25 adopt a centrosymmetric hexagonal close-packed(hcp)structure.Despite different structures,both series of HEAs are found to be bulk superconductors with a full energy gap,and the superconducting transition temperature Tc tends to decrease with the increase of VEC.Nevertheless,the Tc values of the hcp-type HEAs are higher than those of theα-Mn-type ones,likely due to a stronger electron phonon coupling.Furthermore,we show that VEC and electronegativity difference are two key parameters to control the stability ofα-Mn and hcp-type HEAs.These results not only are helpful for the design of such HEAs,but also represent the first realization of structurally different HEA superconductors without changing the constituent elements.

Microstructure,phase composition and wear resistance of low valence electron concentration Al_(x)CoCrFeNiSi high-entropy alloys prepared by vacuum arc melting

The low valence electron concentration(VEC)Al_(x)CoCrFeNiSi(x=0.5,1.0,1.5 and 2.0)high-entropy alloys(HEAs)were designed by the fundamental properties of the constituent elements and prepared by vacuum arc melting method.The effects of Al addition on the crystal structure and microstructure were investigated.The microhardness and wear property were also researched.The results showed that the microstructure transformed from dendritic crystal to equiaxed crystal.It was found that FCC phase gradually decreased with the increasing Al content and disappeared until in a composition of 1.0 in Al_(x)CoCrFeNiSi HEAs.Little FCC phase was found with continuously adding Al,while the phase fraction of BCC increased from 85.0% to 91.8%,and VEC decreased from 7.00 to 6.14.The microhardness was increased gradually from 598 up to 909 HV with addition of Al from 0.5 to 2.0.It was the same of the compressive strength results,which improved from 1200 to 1920 MPa.The wear coefficient and mass loss were in line with mechanical properties evolution,which was attributed to the microstructure transformation into equiaxed crystal and the increase in BCC phase.

Improving high-temperature oxidation behavior by modifying Al and Co content in Al-Co-Cr-Fe-Ni high-entropy alloy

Composition modification was introduced to improve the oxidation resistance by varying Al and excluding Co from the Al-Co-Cr-Fe-Ni system. Since adjusting the composition shifted the valence electron concentration(VEC) of the alloys, the dual-phase structure of the alloys is expected to be more stable. At low temperatures(T < 1273 K), the alloys formed mixed oxide products. As oxidation temperature increased,only Cr_(2)O_(3)or Al_(2)O_(3)dominated the alloy’s surface. Compared to equiatomic AlCoCrFeNi(5-Equi), nonequiatomic AlCoCrFeNi(5-B 40) and four-component AlCrFeNi(4-B 2013) had better oxidation resistance due to monocrystalline-Al_(2)O_(3)formation. Besides the role of oxide formation, maintaining BCC and B2phases within the alloys is also beneficial to supporting the stable Cr_(2)O_(3)or Al_(2)O_(3).

Prediction of alloy composition and microhardness by random forest in maraging stainless steels based on a cluster formula

Fe-Ni-Cr-based super-high-strength maraging stainless steels were generally realized by multiple-element alloying under a given heat treatment processing. A series of alloy compositions were designed with a uniform cluster formula of [Ni16Fe192]（Cr32（Ni16-x-y-z-m-n MoxTiyNbzAlmVn）） （at.%） that was developed out of a unique alloy design tool, a cluster- plus-glue-atom model. Alloy rods with a diameter of 6 mm were prepared by copper-mold suction-cast processing under the argon atmosphere. These alloy samples were solid-solutioned at 1273 K for 1 h, followed by water-quenching, and then aged at 783 K for 3 h. The effect of the valence electron concentration, characterized with the number of valence electrons per unit cluster （VE/uc） formula of 16 atoms, on microhardness of these designed maraging stainless steels at both solid- solutioned and aged states was investigated. The relationship between alloy compositions and microhardness in maraging stainless steels was firstly established by the random forest （RF, a kind of machine learning methods） based on the experimental results. It was found that not only the microhardness of any given composition alloy within the frame of cluster formula, but also the alloy composition with a maximum microhardness for any given VE/uc, could be predicted in good agreement with the guidance of the relationship by RF. The contributions of minor-alloying elements to the microhardness of the aged alloys were also discussed.