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High-Throughput Design of Multi-Principal Element Alloys with Spinodal Decomposition Assisted Microstructures

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Abstract

Recent studies revealed that multiphase microstructures in Al0.5NbTa0.8Ti1.5V0.2Zr, Fe15Co15Ni20Mn20Cu30 and TiZrNbTa multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) developed via spinodal decomposition assisted phase transformation pathways offer better properties than single-phase MPEAs. Although spinodal decomposition has been widely studied for the past six decades, it has not been explored in detail as a design strategy to develop multiphase MPEAs. In this work, we illustrate high-throughput CALPHAD calculations necessary to design MPEAs with spinodal decomposition assisted multiphase microstructures by using Fe-Co-Ni-Mn-Cu system as an example. Firstly, the MPEAs that possess single solid solution phase at high temperatures and can undergo spinodal decomposition are identified through solid solution stability analysis and phase equilibrium calculations. The spinodal temperature as a function of alloy composition is visualized through Morral’s constant core component diagrams and the MPEAs of interest are selected based on further phase equilibrium calculations at the ageing temperature. Lastly, the critical features of spinodal decomposition such as the initial compositional modulations are calculated for the chosen alloy compositions. We find that the alloying elements could be divided into three groups: (i) Fe and Co, (ii) Ni and Mn, and (iii) Cu, based on the spinodal decomposition features predicted by the PanHEA database, and the restricted solubility of Cu in Fe and Co has led to the miscibility gap in FCC solid solutions of Fe-Co-Ni-Mn-Cu MPEAs. However, the addition of Ni and Mn is crucial in attaining spinodal microstructures as they aid in shifting the miscibility gap below the solidus curve in these MPEAs.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) under grant FA9550-20-1-0015.

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  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Shalini Roy Koneru, Kamalnath Kadirvel & Yunzhi Wang

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  1. Shalini Roy Koneru
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Correspondence to Shalini Roy Koneru, Kamalnath Kadirvel or Yunzhi Wang.

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This invited article is part of a special tribute issue of the Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion dedicated to the memory of former JPED Editor-in-Chief John Morral. The special issue was organized by Prof. Yongho Sohn, University of Central Florida; Prof. Ji-Cheng Zhao, University of Maryland; Dr. Carelyn Campbell, National Institute of Standards and Technology; and Dr. Ursula Kattner, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Koneru, S.R., Kadirvel, K. & Wang, Y. High-Throughput Design of Multi-Principal Element Alloys with Spinodal Decomposition Assisted Microstructures. J. Phase Equilib. Diffus. 43, 753–763 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11669-022-00977-2

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