Impacts of elemental contents and components on APB energy and its role in precipitation-strengthened multi-principal component alloys

QJ Wang and YX Zhu and LJ Zhou and KN Han and CW Wang and L Zhao and S Liang and MS Huang and ZH Li, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 1018, 179266 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179266

Precipitation-strengthened multi-principal component alloys, characterized by cubic L12-structured precipitate phases embedded within FCC-structured matrixes, have attracted significant attention due to their exceptional strength and thermal stability. Antiphase boundary (APB) forms when dislocations penetrate the L12 precipitates, playing a critical role in strengthening these materials. This study systematically explored the effects of elemental content and component variations on the APB energy in a precipitation-strengthened multi- principal component alloy, with a focus on their role in enhancing the alloy's strength. By quantitatively calculating the critical shear stress required for a dislocation to penetrate the L12 precipitate, the order strengthening associated with APB formation was assessed. The results reveal that APB energy generally decreases with increasing Co, Cr or Fe contents in most ternary, quaternary and quinary alloys. Additionally, a higher number of alloying components typically leads to in a reduction in the APB energy. However, the addition of Co mitigates this reduction. Variations in the APB energy are strongly correlated with the changes of the ordering energy in those alloys. Notably, order- strengthening accounts for approximately 30 % of the total strength in ternary, quaternary and quinary systems, underscoring the significant role of APB in strengthening the alloys. The findings offer valuable insights for tailoring the components and contents of precipitation- strengthened multi-principal component alloys to advance high- performance materials for high-temperature applications.

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