An overview of rhenium effect in single-crystal superalloys

Nickel-based single-crystal superalloys are the key materials for the manufacturing and development of advanced aeroengines. Rhenium is a crucial alloying element in the advanced nickel-based single-crystal superalloys for its special strengthening effects. The addition of Re could effectively enhance the creep properties of the single-crystal superalloys; thus, the content of Re is considered as one of the characteristics in different-generation single-crystal superalloys. Owing to the fundamental importance of rhenium to nickel-based single-crystal superalloys, much progress has been made on understanding of the effect of rhenium in the single-crystal superalloys. While the effect of Re doping on the nickelbased superalloys is well documented, the origins of the socalled rhenium effect are still under debate. In this paper,the effect of Re doping on the single-crystal superalloys and progress in understanding the rhenium effect are reviewed. The characteristics of the d-states occupancy in the electronic structure of Re make it the slowest diffusion elements in the single-crystal superalloys, which is undoubtedly responsible for the rhenium effect, while the postulates of Re cluster and the enrichment of Re at the c/c0 interface are still under debate, and the synergistic action of Re with other alloying elements should be further studied.Additionally, the interaction of Re with interfacial dislocations seems to be a promising explanation for the rhenium effect. Finally, the addition of Ru could help suppress topologically close-packed（TCP） phase formation and strengthen the Re doping single-crystal superalloys.Understanding the mechanism of rhenium effect will be beneficial for the effective utilization of Re and the design of low-cost single-crystal superalloys.