Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment

Tang, Yao; Wang, Haikuo; Ouyang, **; Wang, Chao; Huang, Qishan; Zhao, Qingkun; Liu, **aochun; Zhu, Qi; Hou, Zhiqiang; Wu, Jiakun; Zhang, Zhicai; Li, Hao; Yang, Yikan; Yang, Wei; Gao, Huajian; Zhou, Haofei

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48435-6

Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment

Article
Open access
Published: 10 May 2024

Volume 15, article number 3932, (2024)
Cite this article

Download PDF

You have full access to this open access article

From

View current issue

Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment

Download PDF

3749 Accesses
2 Altmetric
Explore all metrics

Abstract

Conventional material processing approaches often achieve strengthening of materials at the cost of reduced ductility. Here, we show that high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) treatment can help overcome the strength-ductility trade-off in structural materials. We report an initially strong-yet-brittle eutectic high entropy alloy simultaneously doubling its strength to 1150 MPa and its tensile ductility to 36% after the HPHT treatment. Such strength-ductility synergy is attributed to the HPHT-induced formation of a hierarchically patterned microstructure with coherent interfaces, which promotes multiple deformation mechanisms, including dislocations, stacking faults, microbands and deformation twins, at multiple length scales. More importantly, the HPHT-induced microstructure helps relieve stress concentration at the interfaces, thereby arresting interfacial cracking commonly observed in traditional eutectic high entropy alloys. These findings suggest a new direction of research in employing HPHT techniques to help develop next generation structural materials.

Strength–Ductility Synergy in High Entropy Alloys by Tuning the Thermo-Mechanical Process Parameters: A Comprehensive Review

Article 01 January 2022

Strong and Ductile Non-equiatomic High-Entropy Alloys: Design, Processing, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties

Article Open access 21 August 2017

Enhanced strength–ductility synergy in ultrafine-grained eutectic high-entropy alloys by inheriting microstructural lamellae

Article Open access 30 January 2019

Introduction

Various industrial and advanced functional applications require materials with high strength and ductility. Unfortunately, conventional processing strategies usually attain high material strength at the expense of deteriorated ductility^1,2,3, whilst develo** structures with substantial improvement of both strength and ductility is highly challenging. Recent successes in synthesizing superhard materials^4,5,6 have made the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) treatment^7,8 promising to achieve extreme properties in materials. The combination of pressure and temperature offers the great prospect for altering the microstructure of structural materials that would permit overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off. Given the vast space of control parameters involved in the HPHT treatment and the often complex microstructural evolution under extreme pressures and temperatures^9,10, it remains difficult to predict and interpret the mechanical behaviors of HPHT-treated structural materials, especially the abnormal kinetics and thermodynamics of non-equilibrium interfaces induced by the HPHT treatment^11,12.

Eutectic high entropy alloys (EHEA) represent a promising class of multi-principal-element alloys featured by a hierarchical microstructure of dual-phase lamellae colonies, which offers great potential for achieving superior mechanical properties that are unmatched by conventional metallic materials¹³. However, the room-temperature brittleness and limited tensile ductility of these alloys hinder their usage in practical applications, despite a wide range of microstructural design strategies and associated processing techniques have been proposed^14,15. Due to the prevalent interfacial structures in eutectic high entropy alloys, pronounced dislocation pile-ups are routinely developed in the vicinity of internal boundaries, where local stress concentration can emerge, leading to the onset of micro-cracking and catastrophic damage during mechanical straining^16,17.

Here, we demonstrate that, with HPHT treatment in a self-designed hexahedron-anvil-press apparatus, the dual-phase lamellae structure frequently observed in eutectic high entropy alloys^14,18 can be transformed to a hierarchically patterned microstructure with coherent interfaces. Tensile tests at ambient temperature demonstrate that the HPHT-treated specimens exhibit a high uniform tensile elongation (~36%) and greatly improved fracture strength (~1150 MPa), overcoming the typical brittle interfacial fracture mode in conventional eutectic high entropy alloys. Multiple deformation mechanisms, including dislocations, stacking faults, microbands and deformation twins, are observed at multiple length scales, as the applied strain increases. Isolated microcracks are uniformly distributed near the fracture surface in the HPHT-treated samples, in contrast to the catastrophic fracture in those without HPHT treatment. We further demonstrate that the HPHT treatment can be easily extended to other alloy systems for synergistic improvement of strength and ductility.

Results

We used the homogenized Al_0.7CoCrFeNi (molar ratio) alloy¹⁸ (hereafter termed Ho alloy) with a composition of Al_14.8Co_21.3Cr_21.3Fe_21.3Ni_21.3 (at. %) and the typical dual-phase lamellae microstructure (Fig. 1a, b) as the precursor material for HPHT treatment. The corresponding EBSD phase map (Fig. 1c) clearly reveals the dual-phase lamellae consisting of alternating face-centered cubic (FCC) layers and body-centered cubic (BCC) layers. After HPHT treatment (Fig. 1f) at a pressure of 6 GPa and a temperature of 1473 K (more details see Methods), we confirmed that there is no change in the phase constitutions with X-ray diffraction (XRD) (Fig. 1g), where the corresponding peak positions of the HPHT-treated alloy are shifted slightly rightward due to densification. Notably, the HPHT-treated alloy exhibits a hierarchically patterned microstructure (Fig. 1h) consisting of hexagonal-like structural units (Fig. 1i). The corresponding EBSD phase map (Fig. 1j) reveals that the interior of each structural unit is composed of a mixture of FCC and BCC phases, while different units are interconnected by the FCC phase. The volume fractions of FCC and BCC phases in the HPHT-treated alloy were determined by EBSD to be ~69% and ~31%, nearly identical to those in the Ho alloy (~68% and ~32%). The elemental distribution maps of the HPHT-treated alloy (Fig. 1m–q) indicate that the FCC phase is relatively depleted in Al and Ni elements, with a composition of Al₉Co₂₂Cr₂₈Fe₂₄Ni₁₇ (at. %), while the BCC phase is rich in Al and Ni, with a composition of Al₃₀Co₁₉Cr₉Fe₁₃Ni₂₉ (at. %). Despite of the substantial change in microstructural pattern, the compositions of the FCC and BCC phases in the alloy before (Supplementary Fig. 1) and after HPHT treatment show almost no difference. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to better characterize the microstructures of the HPHT-treated alloy (Fig. 1k) and Ho alloy (Fig. 1d). The presence of superlattice spots in the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns suggests an ordered B2 structure for the BCC phase. No other phases were detected in both alloys. A high-resolution TEM image of the interface region between the two phases (highlighted by the white dashed circle in Fig. 1k) in the HPHT-treated alloy reveals a coherent interface structure (Fig. 1l and Supplementary Fig. 3). The inset in Fig. 1l presents the corresponding fast Fourier transform (FFT) patterns, in which the diffraction spots with yellow and blue circles are the [100] crystal zone axis of the FCC and B2 phases, respectively. The orientation relationship between the two phases is confirmed to be (01-1)B2//(−111)FCC, which meets the classical Kurdjumov–Sachs (KS) relationship^{Full size image}

Discussion

To further reveal the underlying deformation mechanisms, we performed electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) analysis at various strains for the HPHT-treated alloy (Fig. 4a–c). We have carried out five individual tests of ECCI analysis for different locations at the same strain amplitude to confirm the observed deformation characteristics of the HPHT-treated alloy. A typical triple junction region of the hierarchically patterned structure (indicated in Supplementary Fig. 13) was selected for demonstration, with magnified ECCI images presented in Fig. 4a–c. At a strain of 5%, profuse dislocation activities are observed in both FCC and B2 phases, with the dislocations extending across the FCC/B2 interfaces, indicating an early stage of synergistic deformation. Formation of extended stacking faults (SFs) near the interfaces is also identified, which has been regarded as a mechanism that accommodates local interfacial stresses⁴¹. With strain increasing to 15%, SFs are activated in the FCC phase with a much higher density as compared with those at 5% strain, indicating enhanced dislocation activities in the FCC phase. The accumulated dislocation storage has led to the formation of microbands, which pile up and evolve into high-density dislocation walls (HDDWs)⁴² near the phase boundary, further contributing to strain hardening capability of the alloy⁴³. In the B2 phase, dislocations and slip traces are widely observed (Supplementary Fig. 13), in sharp contrast to the nearly unnoticeable dislocation activities in the Ho alloy (Supplementary Fig. 17). As the strain increases to 35%, numerous microbands intersect each other, and dense dislocation networks form in the FCC regions. Some microbands extend from the FCC phase and terminate at the B2 phase, while some microbands cut across the B2 phase, which is important for the strain hardening and uniform deformation of the HPHT alloy. More interestingly, we observed clear traits of deformation twins (DTs) in the highly deformed hierarchically patterned structure (indicated by red arrows in Fig. 4d). An enlarged view shows a pattern of intensely intersected DTs and microbands (inset in Fig. 4d). Note that neither HDDWs nor DTs were observed in the Ho alloy at fracture. Such progressive activation of multiple plastic deformation mechanisms in both FCC and BCC phases of the HPHT alloy is in distinct contrast to the case of Ho alloy, where only limited slip lines exist in the FCC phase while the BCC phase exhibits no evident dislocation activities at large strains.

**Fig. 4: Activation of multiple deformation mechanisms in the tensile-deformed HPHT-treated alloy.**

The TEM image of the fracture region captured at 35% strain (Fig. 4e) also demonstrates slip transfer between the FCC and B2 phases (confirmed with the SAED pattern in the insets) and numerous dislocation-SF interactions in the HPHT-treated alloy, different from the localized deformation at the interface and the absence of dislocation in the B2 phase in the Ho alloy (Supplementary Figs. 17 and 19). In the FCC phase, emanating deformation twins are occasionally observed in regions filled with tangled dislocations and terminate in the B2 phase (red dashed circle in Fig. 4e). A magnified twin structure is shown in Fig. 4f, with the inset showing the corresponding SAED pattern. These synergistic deformation mechanisms activated in the HPHT-treated alloy have led to a less coherent FCC/B2 interface after fracture (see the HRTEM image in Fig. 4g), where dislocations are frequently identified on both sides of the interface (highlighted with yellow dashed circles in Fig. 4h). For comparison, the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) micrograph of the HRTEM image captured for the Ho alloy (Supplementary Fig. 17) only contains edge dislocations in the FCC phase. These results indicate that the uniform deformation of the HPHT-treated alloy is strongly related to the compatible deformation of the B2 phase, which is found to be associated with high-density dislocations after fracture (confirmed by the geometrical phase analysis in Fig. 4i).

The microstructure evolution of the HPHT-treated alloy has been summarized in Fig. 4j. Dislocations preferentially initiate in the softer FCC phase, and subsequently are allowed to transfer into the harder B2 phase due to the highly coherent interface, which effectively alleviates stress concentration at the interface and coordinates deformation between the two phases. With increasing strain, dislocation density increases in both phases, leading to the formation of microbands and high-density dislocation walls (HDDWs) near the interface, contributing to strain-hardening⁴⁴. The microbands can also transmit across the interface, further facilitating strain delocalization⁴⁵. At a later stage of deformation, as the coherency of the FCC/B2 interfaces decays, deformation twins are activated to further accommodate deformation, subdividing microbands and promoting mutual interactions between refined microbands. Meanwhile, the less coherent interfaces can act as strong barriers to dislocation motion⁴⁶ and pin the movement of refined microbands in both phases. Overall, the hierarchically patterned structure with the coherent interface (Fig. 1h–l) not only confines dislocation slip, but more importantly, it also provides a route to accommodate plasticity through the activation of multiple deformation mechanisms, including SFs, microbands and deformation twins (illustrated in Fig. 4j), thus endowing the alloy with excellent structural stability and strain-hardening capability.

In summary, we have demonstrated that HPHT treatment, typically adopted to study earth materials and synthesize superhard materials in industry, can be used to overcome the trade-off between strength and ductility in a eutectic high entropy alloy. The HPHT-treated alloy exhibits an exceptional combination of high strength and large uniform elongation without encountering interface-induced embrittlement and plastic instability frequently observed in eutectic high entropy alloys. The HPHT treatment modifies the microstructure and the interface structure, both playing a critical role in mediating strain delocalization and activating multiple deformation mechanisms. In view of the adjustable pressure, temperature, and chamber size of the self-designed hexahedron-anvil-press apparatus, the HPHT strategy can be generally applied to pure metal copper (Supplementary Fig. 22) and other alloy systems (Supplementary Fig. 23 and Supplementary Fig. 24), making it an appealing pathway to the design and fabrication of advanced structural materials with extraordinary mechanical properties.

Methods

Materials

Alloy with a nominal composition of Al_0.7CoCrFeNi (0.7 in molar ratio) was prepared by arc-melting with a purity higher than 99.95 (wt.%). The alloy was re-melted five times to promote homogeneity in a Ti-gettered high-purity argon atmosphere. The melted alloy was cast into a water-cooled copper mould to form a plate with a length of 85 mm, a width of 11 mm, and a thickness of 5 mm. The obtained as-cast alloy was denoted as the Ac alloy. To reduce micro-segregations from the casting process, the Ac alloy was homogenized at 1423 K for 8 h and then water-quenched to ambient temperature to obtain the Ho alloy.

HPHT treatment

A multi-anvil apparatus was used for high-pressure and high temperature experiments. The schematic diagram of the high-pressure device in a large volume cubic press is shown in Fig. 1f. Six WC anvils are fixed on six pistons and simultaneously pushed by six hydraulic cylinders to operate the cubic press. The loading force acts on the six outer surfaces of the cubic assembly from six directions, squeezing the pyrophyllite pressure transmitting medium and establishing high pressure inside the chamber. The temperature was controlled by changing electrical power exerted on the graphite tube heater and measured by Type C W-Re thermocouples⁴⁷. The pressure was determined from previously determined calibration curves. The Ho alloy sample with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 5 mm was placed in the middle of the cubic assembly. After the cell was thoroughly clamped, the sample was subjected to a pressure of 6 GPa, heated up to 1473 K, and then maintained under the target pressure and temperature for 2 h. After that, the sample was cooled down to room temperature and the pressure was then released. Finally, the recovered HPHT-treated sample was removed from the pressure chamber. To study the temperature effect on the mechanical properties of the HPHT-treated EHEA, additional Ho alloy samples were treated at 1373 K and 1573 K for 2 h, which are denoted as HPHT-treated-1373K and HPHT-treated-1573K, respectively. Among these samples, the HPHT-treated alloy (treated at 1473 K) exhibits the optimal mechanical property, as shown in the main text. The HPHT-treated-1373K and the HPHT-treated-1573K samples were mainly used for comparison (see Supplementary Note 2, and Supplementary Fig. 9 for more details).

Mechanical property testing

Flat, dog-bone-shaped tensile samples with a gauge length of 4 mm, a width of 2 mm and a thickness of 1 mm were extracted from the HPHT-treated alloys by using electrical discharge machining. Before testing, the sides of the gauge section were carefully ground using SiC grinding papers. Uniaxial quasi-static tensile tests were conducted using a Zeptool S-5000 machine at a strain rate of 3 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ at room temperature. The strain was measured by a non-contact Linconst video extensometer. The tests were repeated two to three times for each type of sample. Fracture surfaces of the specimens after tensile tests were examined by a field-emission scanning electron microscope.

Microstructure characterization

EBSD and ECCI characterization were carried out by using a JEOL JSM-7900F instrument. The chemical homogeneity was studied using EDS. The specimens for EBSD and ECCI were prepared by electro-polishing in a solution of HNO₃ (20%) and C₂H₅OH (80%) with a voltage of 20 V at 233 K. EBSD measurements were carried out at 15 kV. The average GND density can be estimated by using the strain gradient theory⁴⁸: \({\rho }_{{GND}}=2\theta /{ub}\), where \({\rho }_{{GND}}\) is the GND density at the point of interest, θ is the local misorientation, b is the Burger’s vector calculated from the XRD pattern and u is the unit length (step size = 0.1 μm).

The ECCI technique was conducted at 30 kV using a backscattered electron (BSE) detector in the SEM (JSM-7900F). The X-ray diffraction was performed using Cu Kα radiation, and the diffraction patterns were recorded over a 2θ range from 20° to 100° with a scanning speed of 4°/min. The specimens for TEM were prepared using a focused ion beam (FIB, Thermo Scientific Scios 2) technique. The TEM analysis was conducted using an FEI Tecnai F30 operated at 300 kV fitted with a STEM-EDS detector. According to the Bramfitt lattice mismatch theory⁴⁹, the mismatch factor δ of FCC and BCC phase is calculated as: \(\delta=|{d}_{[{uvw}]m}-{d}_{[{uvw}]s}|/{d}_{[{uvw}]}\), where \({d}_{[{uvw}]}\) is the interatomic spacing along the direction with miller index of uvw; subscripts m and s represent the matrix phase and the second phase, respectively.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors on request.

References

Ritchie, R. O. The conflicts between strength and toughness. Nat. Mater. 10, 817–822 (2011).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Wei, Y. et al. Evading the strength–ductility trade-off dilemma in steel through gradient hierarchical nanotwins. Nat. Commun. 5, 3580 (2014).
Article ADS PubMed Google Scholar
Antolovich, S. D. & Armstrong, R. W. Plastic strain localization in metals: origins and consequences. Prog. Mater. Sci. 59, 1–160 (2014).
Article Google Scholar
Irifune, T., Kurio, A., Sakamoto, S., Inoue, T. & Sumiya, H. Ultrahard polycrystalline diamond from graphite. Nature 421, 599–600 (2003).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Tang, H. et al. Synthesis of paracrystalline diamond. Nature 599, 605–610 (2021).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Zhang, J. et al. Plastic deformation in silicon nitride ceramics via bond switching at coherent interfaces. Science 378, 371–376 (2022).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Liebermann, R. C. Multi-anvil, high pressure apparatus: a half-century of development and progress. High. Press. Res. 31, 493–532 (2011).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Kunimoto, T., Irifune, T., Tange, Y. & Wada, K. Pressure generation to 50 GPa in Kawai-type multianvil apparatus using newly developed tungsten carbide anvils. High. Press. Res. 36, 97–104 (2016).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Zhilyaev, A. P. & Langdon, T. G. Using high-pressure torsion for metal processing: Fundamentals and applications. Prog. Mater. Sci. 53, 893–979 (2008).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Dong, W. Q. et al. Applications of High-Pressure Technology for High-Entropy Alloys: A Review. Metals 9, 867 (2019).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Sauvage, X., Wilde, G., Divinski, S. V., Horita, Z. & Valiev, R. Z. Grain boundaries in ultrafine grained materials processed by severe plastic deformation and related phenomena. Mater. Sci. Eng. 540, 1–12 (2012).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Zhou, X. et al. High-pressure strengthening in ultrafine-grained metals. Nature 579, 67–72 (2020).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Tiwary, C. S. et al. Five decades of research on the development of eutectic as engineering materials. Prog. Mater. Sci. 123, 100793 (2022).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Shi, P. et al. Multistage work hardening assisted by multi-type twinning in ultrafine-grained heterostructural eutectic high-entropy alloys. Mater. Today 41, 62–71 (2020).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Pan, Q. S. et al. Gradient cell-structured high-entropy alloy with exceptional strength and ductility. Science 374, 984–989 (2021).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Yang, Y. M., Jeng, S. M., Bain, K. & Amato, R. A. Microstructure and mechanical behavior of in-situ directional solidified NiAl/Cr(Mo) eutectic composite. Acta Mater. 45, 295–308 (1997).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Wu, Q. et al. Phase-selective recrystallization makes eutectic high-entropy alloys ultra-ductile. Nat. Commun. 13, 4697 (2022).
Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Rao, J. C. et al. Secondary phases in Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys: An in-situ TEM heating study and thermodynamic appraisal. Acta Mater. 131, 206–220 (2017).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
**ong, T. et al. Faceted Kurdjumov-Sachs interface-induced slip continuity in the eutectic high-entropy alloy, AlCoCrFeNi_2.1. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 65, 216–227 (2021).
Article Google Scholar
Bae, J. W. et al. Exceptional phase-transformation strengthening of ferrous medium-entropy alloys at cryogenic temperatures. Acta Mater. 161, 388–399 (2018).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Liu, W. H. et al. Effects of Nb additions on the microstructure and mechanical property of CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys. Intermetallics 60, 1–8 (2015).
Article Google Scholar
Zheng, H. et al. Phase separation of AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 eutectic high-entropy alloy during directional solidification and their effect on tensile properties. Intermetallics 113, 106569 (2019).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Ma, L., Wang, J. & **, P. Microstructure and mechanical properties variation with Ni content in Al_0.8CoCr_0.6Fe_0.7Ni_x (x = 1.1, 1.5, 1.8, 2.0) eutectic high-entropy alloy system. Mater. Res. Express 7, 016566 (2020).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
**, X. et al. A new CrFeNi₂Al eutectic high entropy alloy system with excellent mechanical properties. J. Alloy. Compd. 770, 655–661 (2019).
Article CAS Google Scholar
**, X., Liang, Y., Bi, J. & Li, B. Enhanced strength and ductility of Al_0.9CoCrNi_2.1 eutectic high entropy alloy by thermomechanical processing. Materialia 10, 100639 (2020).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Wang, T., Komarasamy, M., Shukla, S. & Mishra, R. S. Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility in an AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 eutectic high-entropy alloy via friction stir processing. J. Alloy. Compd. 766, 312–317 (2018).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Lu, Y. et al. A promising new class of high-temperature alloys: eutectic high-entropy alloys. Sci. Rep. 4, 6200 (2014).
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
**, X., Zhou, Y., Zhang, L., Du, X. & Li, B. A new pseudo binary strategy to design eutectic high entropy alloys using mixing enthalpy and valence electron concentration. Mater. Des. 143, 49–55 (2018).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Lu, Y. et al. Directly cast bulk eutectic and near-eutectic high entropy alloys with balanced strength and ductility in a wide temperature range. Acta Mater. 124, 143–150 (2017).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Jiang, H. et al. Tensile deformation behavior and mechanical properties of a bulk cast Al_0.9CoFeNi₂ eutectic high-entropy alloy. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 61, 119–124 (2021).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Gwalani, B. et al. Influence of ordered L1₂ precipitation on strain-rate dependent mechanical behavior in a eutectic high entropy alloy. Sci. Rep. 9, 6371 (2019).
Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar
Wani, I. S. et al. Ultrafine-Grained AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 Eutectic High-Entropy Alloy. Mater. Res. Lett. 4, 174–179 (2016).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
**, X., Zhou, Y., Zhang, L., Du, X. & Li, B. A novel Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₄₁Al₁₉ eutectic high entropy alloy with excellent tensile properties. Mater. Lett. 216, 144–146 (2018).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Yang, Z. et al. Enhancing the mechanical properties of casting eutectic high entropy alloys with Mo addition. Appl. Phys. A 125, 208 (2019).
Bhattacharjee, T. et al. Effect of low temperature on tensile properties of AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 eutectic high entropy alloy. Mater. Chem. Phys. 210, 207–212 (2018).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Wani, I. S. et al. Tailoring nanostructures and mechanical properties of AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 eutectic high entropy alloy using thermo-mechanical processing. Mater. Sci. Eng. 675, 99–109 (2016).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Shi, P. J. et al. Hierarchical crack buffering triples ductility in eutectic herringbone high-entropy alloys. Science 373, 912–918 (2021).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Ren, J. et al. Strong yet ductile nanolamellar high-entropy alloys by additive manufacturing. Nature 608, 62–68 (2022).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Ateba Betanda, Y. et al. Measurement of stored energy in Fe–48%Ni alloys strongly cold-rolled using three approaches: Neutron diffraction, Dillamore and KAM approaches. Mater. Sci. Eng. 614, 193–198 (2014).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Calcagnotto, M., Ponge, D., Demir, E. & Raabe, D. Orientation gradients and geometrically necessary dislocations in ultrafine grained dual-phase steels studied by 2D and 3D EBSD. Mater. Sci. Eng. 527, 2738–2746 (2010).
Article Google Scholar
Choudhuri, D., Banerjee, R. & Srinivasan, S. G. Uniaxial deformation of face-centered-cubic(Ni)-ordered B2(NiAl) bicrystals: atomistic mechanisms near a Kurdjumov-Sachs interface. J. Mater. Sci. 53, 5684–5695 (2018).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Yang, T. et al. Multicomponent intermetallic nanoparticles and superb mechanical behaviors of complex alloys. Science 362, 933–937 (2018).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Zhao, Y. L. et al. Anomalous precipitate-size-dependent ductility in multicomponent high-entropy alloys with dense nanoscale precipitates. Acta Mater. 223, 117480 (2022).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Ma, B., Li, C., Zheng, J., Song, Y. & Han, Y. Strain hardening behavior and deformation substructure of Fe–20/27Mn–4Al–0.3C non-magnetic steels. Mater. Des. 92, 313–321 (2016).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Gutierrez-Urrutia, I. & Raabe, D. Microbanding mechanism in an Fe–Mn–C high-Mn twinning-induced plasticity steel. Scr. Mater. 69, 53–56 (2013).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Li, H. et al. Uniting tensile ductility with ultrahigh strength via composition undulation. Nature 604, 273–279 (2022).
Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Wang, H. K. et al. Quantitative measurements of pressure gradients for the pyrophyllite and magnesium oxide pressure-transmitting mediums to 8 GPa in a large-volume cubic cell. High. Press. Res. 31, 581–591 (2011).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
Kubin, L. P. & Mortensen, A. Geometrically necessary dislocations and strain-gradient plasticity: a few critical issues. Scr. Mater. 48, 119–125 (2003).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Yang, C. et al. Bimodal titanium alloys with ultrafine lamellar eutectic structure fabricated by semi-solid sintering. Acta Mater. 132, 491–502 (2017).
Article ADS CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

Y.T. acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12202381) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M712758). H.Z. acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12222210, 12172324) and Zhejiang University K. P. Chao’s High Technology Development Foundation. H.W. acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52073254). H.G. acknowledges a start-up grant from Nanyang Technological University and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). We thank N.R. Kwesi, X. Wu, Z.L. Zhang, G.G. Tang and Y.C. Wu for their experimental assistance. We thank L. Lu for discussions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Center for High Pressure Science and Technology, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Yao Tang, Haikuo Wang, ** Ouyang, Chao Wang, Zhiqiang Hou, Jiakun Wu, Zhicai Zhang, Hao Li & Yikan Yang
State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Center for X-Mechanics, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Yao Tang, Qishan Huang, Qingkun Zhao, Wei Yang & Haofei Zhou
School of Materials Science and Engineering, ** Ouyang
Institute of Metals, College of Material Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
**aochun Liu
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
Qi Zhu & Huajian Gao
Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR, Singapore, 138632, Singapore
Huajian Gao
Mechano-X Institute, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, 100084, Bei**g, China
Huajian Gao

Authors

Yao Tang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Haikuo Wang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
** Ouyang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Chao Wang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Qishan Huang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Qingkun Zhao
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
**aochun Liu
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Qi Zhu
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Zhiqiang Hou
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Jiakun Wu
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Zhicai Zhang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Hao Li
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Yikan Yang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Wei Yang
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Huajian Gao
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Haofei Zhou
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Y.T. and H.F.Z. proposed the idea. H.F.Z., H.J.G. and H.K.W. directed the project. Y.T., H.F.Z. and H.K.W. designed the experimental programme. Y.T. carried out the main experiments. H.K.W., Y.T., C.W., Z.Q.H., J.K.W., Z.C.Z., H.L. and Y.K.Y. constructed the multi-anvil apparatus for high-pressure and high temperature experiments. Y.T. and C.W. performed the SEM microstructure characterization and mechanical testing. Y.T. analyzed EBSD patterns for the calculation of GND. Y.T. and X.C.L. conducted the ECCI characterization and analyzed the data. Y.T. and H.F.Z. performed the TEM characterization and analyses. Y.T., H.F.Z., H.J.G., H.K.W., X.P.O.Y., Q.S.H., Q.K.Z., Q.Z. and W.Y. discussed the results. Y.T., H.F.Z. and H.J.G. wrote the manuscript. All co-authors contributed to the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Haikuo Wang, ** Ouyang, Huajian Gao or Haofei Zhou.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Communications thanks Chinh Nguyen and the other, anonymous, reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Peer Review File

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tang, Y., Wang, H., Ouyang, X. et al. Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment. Nat Commun 15, 3932 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48435-6

Download citation

Received: 01 October 2023
Accepted: 26 April 2024
Published: 10 May 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48435-6
Springer Nature Limited

Associated content

Materials science and chemistry

Focus 26 January 2021

Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment

From

Abstract

Similar content being viewed by others

Strength–Ductility Synergy in High Entropy Alloys by Tuning the Thermo-Mechanical Process Parameters: A Comprehensive Review

Strong and Ductile Non-equiatomic High-Entropy Alloys: Design, Processing, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties

Enhanced strength–ductility synergy in ultrafine-grained eutectic high-entropy alloys by inheriting microstructural lamellae

Introduction

Results

Discussion

Methods

Materials

HPHT treatment

Mechanical property testing

Microstructure characterization

Data availability

References

Acknowledgements

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Contributions

Corresponding authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Peer review

Peer review information

Additional information

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Peer Review File

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Materials science and chemistry

Navigation

Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment

From

Abstract

Similar content being viewed by others

Strength–Ductility Synergy in High Entropy Alloys by Tuning the Thermo-Mechanical Process Parameters: A Comprehensive Review

Strong and Ductile Non-equiatomic High-Entropy Alloys: Design, Processing, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties

Enhanced strength–ductility synergy in ultrafine-grained eutectic high-entropy alloys by inheriting microstructural lamellae

Introduction

Results

Discussion

Methods

Materials

HPHT treatment

Mechanical property testing

Microstructure characterization

Data availability

References

Acknowledgements

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Contributions

Corresponding authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Peer review

Peer review information

Additional information

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Peer Review File

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Share this article

Search

Navigation