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DOE OSTI · 3382449

Additively manufactured refractory high-entropy alloys with superior radiation resistance

Kim, Hyosim [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT)] (ORCID:0000000274731530)·Aydogan, Eda [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Supakul, Skye [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:000000018210621X)·Tripathi, Shalini [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000236129346)·Pena, Miguel [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000349157888)·Hatler, Caleb [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000268443911)·Curtis, Nathan [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)]·Chancey, Matthew Ryan [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000196893736)·Sun, Bochuan [Clemson Univ., SC (United States)]·Zhu, Pengcheng [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000222144203)·Kuo, Winson Chun Hsin [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT)] (ORCID:0000000328217909)·Martinez, Enrique [Clemson Univ., SC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000226902622)·Couet, Adrien [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000273305150)·Wang, Yongqiang [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000229385640)·Thoma, Dan J. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000158073219)·El Atwani, Osman [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000218627018)
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Abstract

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are promising candidates for next-generation nuclear and high-temperature applications. Among many approaches to manufacture RHEAs, additive manufacturing (AM) represents the most recent and advanced metal manufacturing method which allows near-net-shape manufacturing to reduce material waste and post-processing time. However, performance of AM RHEAs under complex irradiation conditions remains largely unexplored. Here, in this study, we demonstrate for the first time the response of directed energy deposition (DED) AM quaternary RHEAs (HfTaVW, CrTaVW) subjected to sequential dual-beam ion irradiation, consisting of helium pre-implantation followed by high-dose heavy ion bombardment. Compositions of DED AM RHEAs were selected using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations based on a cluster expansion (CE) Hamiltonian parameterized by density functional theory (DFT). Post-irradiation microstructural characterization revealed that the AM RHEA maintained remarkable stability, with suppressed helium bubble growth and reduced defect accumulation compared to conventional alloys. Even at high doses (∼100 dpa), the alloy exhibited no void swelling, a low density of dislocation loops, and no evidence of severe degradation. These results highlight the intrinsic ability of AM-derived microstructures and multicomponent chemistry to synergistically mitigate irradiation effects. Our findings establish AM RHEAs as a class of materials with superior resistance to radiation damage under conditions relevant to advanced fusion and fission environments and demonstrate the importance of sequential ion beam studies in evaluating their long-term performance.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCEDirected energy depositionDual-beam ion irradiationMicrostructural stabilityRefractory high-entropy alloys

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Kim, Hyosim [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT)] (ORCID:0000000274731530), Aydogan, Eda [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Supakul, Skye [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:000000018210621X), Tripathi, Shalini [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000236129346), Pena, Miguel [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000349157888), Hatler, Caleb [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000268443911), Curtis, Nathan [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)], Chancey, Matthew Ryan [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000196893736), Sun, Bochuan [Clemson Univ., SC (United States)], Zhu, Pengcheng [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000222144203), Kuo, Winson Chun Hsin [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT)] (ORCID:0000000328217909), Martinez, Enrique [Clemson Univ., SC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000226902622), Couet, Adrien [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000273305150), Wang, Yongqiang [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000229385640), Thoma, Dan J. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000158073219), El Atwani, Osman [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000218627018). 2026-08-01. Additively manufactured refractory high-entropy alloys with superior radiation resistance. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2026.102831

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