Expanded dataset of mechanical properties and observed phases of multi-principal element alloys.

This data article presents a compilation of mechanical properties of 630 multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs). Built upon recently published MPEA databases, this article includes updated records from previous reviews (with minor error corrections) along with new data from articles that were published since 2019. The extracted properties include reported composition, processing method, microstructure, density, hardness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength (or maximum compression strength), elongation (or maximum compression strain), and Young's modulus. Additionally, descriptors (e.g. grain size) not included in previous reviews were also extracted for articles that reported them. The database is hosted and continually updated on an open data platform, Citrination. To promote interpretation, some data are graphically presented.

Multiplicity of dislocation pathways in a refractory multiprincipal element alloy.

Refractory multiprincipal element alloys (MPEAs) are promising materials to meet the demands of aggressive structural applications, yet require fundamentally different avenues for accommodating plastic deformation in the body-centered cubic (bcc) variants of these alloys. We show a desirable combination of homogeneous plastic deformability and strength in the bcc MPEA MoNbTi, enabled by the rugged atomic environment through which dislocations must navigate. Our observations of dislocation motion and atomistic calculations unveil the unexpected dominance of nonscrew character dislocations and numerous slip planes for dislocation glide. This behavior lends credence to theories that explain the exceptional high temperature strength of similar alloys. Our results advance a defect-aware perspective to alloy design strategies for materials capable of performance across the temperature spectrum.

Entropy Determination of Single-Phase High Entropy Alloys with Different Crystal Structures over a Wide Temperature Range.

We determined the entropy of high entropy alloys by investigating single-crystalline nickel and five high entropy alloys: two fcc-alloys, two bcc-alloys and one hcp-alloy. Since the configurational entropy of these single-phase alloys differs from alloys using a base element, it is important to quantify the entropy. Using differential scanning calorimetry, cp-measurements are carried out from -170 °C to the materials' solidus temperatures TS. From these experiments, we determined the thermal entropy and compared it to the configurational entropy for each of the studied alloys. We applied the rule of mixture to predict molar heat capacities of the alloys at room temperature, which were in good agreement with the Dulong-Petit law. The molar heat capacity of the studied alloys was about three times the universal gas constant, hence the thermal entropy was the major contribution to total entropy. The configurational entropy, due to the chemical composition and number of components, contributes less on the absolute scale. Thermal entropy has approximately equal values for all alloys tested by DSC, while the crystal structure shows a small effect in their order. Finally, the contributions of entropy and enthalpy to the Gibbs free energy was calculated and examined and it was found that the stabilization of the solid solution phase in high entropy alloys was mostly caused by increased configurational entropy.

About the Reliability of CALPHAD Predictions in Multicomponent Systems.

This study examines one of the limitations of CALPHAD databases when applied to high entropy alloys and complex concentrated alloys. We estimate the level of the thermodynamic description, which is still sufficient to correctly predict thermodynamic properties of quaternary alloy systems, by comparing the results of CALPHAD calculations where quaternary phase space is extrapolated from binary descriptions to those resulting from complete binary and ternary interaction descriptions. Our analysis has shown that the thermodynamic properties of a quaternary alloy can be correctly predicted by direct extrapolation from the respective fully assessed binary systems (i.e., without ternary descriptions) only when (i) the binary miscibility gaps are not present, (ii) binary intermetallic phases are not present or present in a few quantities (i.e., when the system has low density of phase boundaries), and (iii) ternary intermetallic phases are not present. Because the locations of the phase boundaries and possibility of formation of ternary phases are not known when evaluating novel composition space, a higher credibility database is still preferable, while the calculations using lower credibility databases may be questionable and require additional experimental verification. We estimate the level of the thermodynamic description which would be still sufficient to correctly predict thermodynamic properties of quaternary alloy systems. The main factors affecting the accuracy of the thermodynamic predictions in quaternary alloys are identified by comparing the results of CALPHAD calculations where quaternary phase space is extrapolated from binary descriptions to those resulting from ternary system descriptions.

Correlation between thermodynamic and kinetic fragilities in nonpolymeric glass-forming liquids.

A phenomenological relationship between reduced excess heat capacity of supercooled liquid DeltaC(p)(exc)(T(g))DeltaS(m) at the glass transition temperature T(g), fragility index m, and reduced glass transition temperature T(rg)=T(g)T(m), where T(m) is the melting (liquidus) temperature, was derived for fragile nonpolymeric glass-forming liquids under the assumptions that the fragile behavior of these liquids is described by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) equation; the excess heat capacity of liquid is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature and the VFT temperature T(0) is equal to the Kauzmann temperature T(K). It was found that DeltaC(p)(exc)(T(g))DeltaS(m) is a composite function of m and T(rg), which indicates that the empirical correlation DeltaC(p)(exc)(T(g))DeltaS(m)=0.025m recently identified by Wang et al. [J. Chem Phys. 125, 074505 (2006)] is probably valid only for liquids which have nearly the same values of T(rg).