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DOE OSTI · 2588770

Unravelling Microstructure Selection in an Additively Manufactured Eutectic High‐Entropy Alloy

Zhang, Shengbiao [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)]·Li, Chenyang [University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY (United States)]·Mooraj, Shahryar [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)]·Lai, Yicheng [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)]·Patel, Raj Sanjaykumar [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)]·Wu, Margaret [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]·Zhang, Yanming [National University of Singapore (Singapore)]·Ren, Jie [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)]·Guan, Shuai [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)]·Perron, Aurelien [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]·Yan, Wentao [National University of Singapore (Singapore)]·McKeown, Joseph T. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]·Xie, Kelvin Y. [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)]·Voisin, Thomas [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]·Chen, Wei [University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY (United States)]·Chen, Wen [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320481107)
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Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are promising candidates for advanced structural applications due to their excellent mechanical properties. Additive manufacturing (AM), with its rapid solidification conditions, enables the creation of unique nonequilibrium microstructures. To fully leverage the synergy between AM and HEAs, understanding how processing affects structure and properties is essential. Here, how solidification rate influences microstructure evolution and phase transformation pathway in laser additively manufactured AlCrFe2Ni2 eutectic HEAs is investigated. By increasing the laser scan speed and hence the solidification rate, distinct solidification modes evolving from coupled eutectic to anomalous eutectic and eventually to single-phase solidification are revealed. These transitions result in distinct microstructures and a wide range of mechanical properties. Thermodynamic modeling and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that low cooling rates allow for sufficient atomic diffusion and phase separation, facilitating coupled eutectic growth. In contrast, rapid cooling suppresses diffusion and destabilizes the solid–liquid interface, promoting anomalous or single-phase solidification. This integrated experimental and computational approach provides a multiscale understanding of solidification mechanisms in HEAs and underscores how kinetic effects can over-ride thermodynamic predictions under nonequilibrium conditions. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that AM can serve as a powerful tool to design HEAs with tailored microstructures and properties.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCEAdditive ManufacturingAtomistic simulationHigh-entropy alloyMechanical PropertiesMicrostructurePhase transformationThermodynamic modeling

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Zhang, Shengbiao [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)], Li, Chenyang [University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY (United States)], Mooraj, Shahryar [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)], Lai, Yicheng [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)], Patel, Raj Sanjaykumar [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)], Wu, Margaret [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Zhang, Yanming [National University of Singapore (Singapore)], Ren, Jie [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)], Guan, Shuai [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)], Perron, Aurelien [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Yan, Wentao [National University of Singapore (Singapore)], McKeown, Joseph T. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Xie, Kelvin Y. [Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (United States)], Voisin, Thomas [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Chen, Wei [University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY (United States)], Chen, Wen [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320481107). 2025-08-27. Unravelling Microstructure Selection in an Additively Manufactured Eutectic High‐Entropy Alloy. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202508659

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗