High-throughput design of a light and strong refractory eutectic medium entropy alloy with outstanding He-ion irradiation resistance.

Light, strong, and radiation-tolerant materials are essential for advanced nuclear systems and aerospace applications. However, the comprehensive properties of current radiation-tolerant materials are far from being satisfactory in harsh operating environments. In this study, a high-throughput-designed NbVTaSi refractory eutectic medium entropy alloy realizes the controllable formation of the β-NbSi phase with a high content and has outstanding comprehensive properties, i.

Sustainable high-entropy materials?

High-entropy materials (HEMs) show inspiring structural and functional properties due to their multi-elemental compositions. However, most HEMs are burdened by cost-, energy-, and carbon-intensive extraction, synthesis, and manufacturing protocols. Recycling and reusing HEMs are challenging because their design relies on high fractions of expensive and limited-supply elements in massive solid solutions.

Integrated design of aluminum-enriched high-entropy refractory B2 alloys with synergy of high strength and ductility.

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are promising high-temperature structural materials. Their large compositional space poses great design challenges for phase control and high strength-ductility synergy. The present research pioneers using integrated high-throughput machine learning with Monte Carlo simulations supplemented by ab initio calculations to effectively navigate phase selection and mechanical property predictions, developing single-phase ordered B2 aluminum-enriched RHEAs (Al-RHEAs) demonstrating high strength and ductility.

Local chemical order enables an ultrastrong and ductile high-entropy alloy in a cryogenic environment.

Owing to superior strength-ductility combination and great potential for applications in extreme conditions, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with the face-centered cubic (FCC) structure have drawn enormous attention. However, the FCC structure limits yield strength and makes the alloys unable to meet ever-increasing demands for exploring the universe. Here, we report a strategy to obtain FCC materials with outstanding mechanical properties in both ambient and cryogenic environments, via exploiting dynamic development of the interstitial-driven local chemical order (LCO).