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Lattice distortions in high-entropy alloys

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Abstract

One of the founding concepts of the high-entropy alloy (HEA) field was that the lattice structures of multicomponent solid solution phases are highly distorted. The displacement of the constituent atoms, away from their ideal locations (local lattice strain), has been widely cited as the reason for a number of the observed physical and mechanical properties. However, very little data directly characterizing these lattice distortions exist and, thus, the validity of this hypothesis remains an open question. Here, the concept is reviewed by considering the underlying principles of the lattice distortions, the suitability of different assessment methods, and the direct experimental data currently available. It is found that, at present, there is no clear evidence that the lattice distortions in HEAs are significantly greater than those of conventional alloys. However, so few alloys have been appropriately characterized that this conclusion cannot be considered overarching and further research is required.

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Notes

  1. In the HEA literature, the term lattice is used as a synonym for structure. Crystallographically, a lattice is an array of points that defines identical sites in the structure. Therefore, technically, a lattice cannot be distorted. However, this review has been written in keeping with the terminology widely used within the HEA community.

  2. It should be noted that interstitial solute atoms can produce asymmetric distortions in the host lattice and, therefore, the associated strain fields can have both hydrostatic and deviatoric components.

  3. Generally atomic displacements, u, are quoted as root mean square average of the individual displacements of all the atoms in a system. These can be calculated from the Debye–Waller factor, U, by u = √U.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank K.A. Christofidou and D. Johnstone for useful discussions and acknowledge the EPSRC/Rolls-Royce Strategic Partnership for support under EP/M005607/1.

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  1. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK

    Lewis Robert Owen & Nicholas Gwilym Jones

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Owen, L.R., Jones, N.G. Lattice distortions in high-entropy alloys. Journal of Materials Research 33, 2954–2969 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2018.322

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