Unveiling the mechanisms of strength-ductility synergy in an additively manufactured nanolamellar high-entropy alloy

SB Gao and WM Ji and Q Zhu and A Jarlöv and XY Bai and XJ Shen and Y Liu and MLS Nai and HJ Gao and K Zhou, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 16, 9934 (2025).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64871-4

The combination of alloy design and advanced manufacturing techniques inspires solutions to critical engineering challenges, such as simultaneously achieving high strength and high ductility in structural alloys. Eutectic high-entropy alloys (EHEAs) are particularly promising for their integration of both strong and ductile phases. Here, using valence electron concentration as a criterion, we employ laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) to fabricate Al19Co20Fe20Ni41 EHEA with a nanolamellar microstructure, chosen specifically for its increased fraction of ductile face-centred cubic phase. The EHEA processed by L-PBF demonstrates a combination of high yield strength exceeding 1.3 GPa and large uniform elongation of 20%. This strength-ductility synergy arises from the coherent nanoprecipitates, nanolamellar structures, hierarchical microstructure heterogeneity, and deformation-induced nanovoids activated within the hard body-centred cubic lamellae. This study provides a pathway for designing high-performance alloys by integrating multiple deformation mechanisms, offering opportunities for advanced structural material development.

Return to Publications page