Z. Tang

Bio: Z. Tang is an academic researcher from University of Tennessee. The author has contributed to research in topics: High entropy alloys & Microstructure. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 21 publications receiving 5107 citations. Previous affiliations of Z. Tang include Virginia Tech & University of Science and Technology Beijing.

Deviation from high-entropy configurations in the atomic distributions of a multi-principal-element alloy

Abstract: The alloy-design strategy of combining multiple elements in near-equimolar ratios has shown great potential for producing exceptional engineering materials, often known as 'high-entropy alloys'. Understanding the elemental distribution, and, thus, the evolution of the configurational entropy during solidification, is undertaken in the present study using the Al₁.₃CoCrCuFeNi model alloy. Here we show that, even when the material undergoes elemental segregation, precipitation, chemical ordering and spinodal decomposition, a significant amount of disorder remains, due to the distributions of multiple elements in the major phases. The results suggest that the high-entropy alloy-design strategy may be applied to a wide range of complex materials, and should not be limited to the goal of creating single-phase solid solutions.

Aluminum Alloying Effects on Lattice Types, Microstructures, and Mechanical Behavior of High-Entropy Alloys Systems

Abstract: The crystal lattice type is one of the dominant factors for controlling the mechanical behavior of high-entropy alloys (HEAs). For example, the yield strength at room temperature varies from 300 MPa for the face-centered-cubic (fcc) structured alloys, such as the CoCrCuFeNiTix system, to about 3,000 MPa for the body-centered-cubic (bcc) structured alloys, such as the AlCoCrFeNiTix system. The values of Vickers hardness range from 100 to 900, depending on lattice types and microstructures. As in conventional alloys with one or two principal elements, the addition of minor alloying elements to HEAs can further alter their mechanical properties, such as strength, plasticity, hardness, etc. Excessive alloying may even result in the change of lattice types of HEAs. In this report, we first review alloying effects on lattice types and properties of HEAs in five Al-containing HEA systems: AlxCoCrCuFeNi, AlxCoCrFeNi, AlxCrFe1.5MnNi0.5, AlxCoCrFeNiTi, and AlxCrCuFeNi2. It is found that Al acts as a strong bcc stabilizer, and its addition enhances the strength of the alloy at the cost of reduced ductility. The origins of such effects are then qualitatively discussed from the viewpoints of lattice-strain energies and electronic bonds. Quantification of the interaction between Al and 3d transition metals in fcc, bcc, and intermetallic compounds is illustrated in the thermodynamic modeling using the CALculation of PHAse Diagram method.

Metastable high-entropy dual-phase alloys overcome the strength–ductility trade-off

Abstract: Metals have been mankind's most essential materials for thousands of years; however, their use is affected by ecological and economical concerns Alloys with higher strength and ductility could alleviate some of these concerns by reducing weight and improving energy efficiency However, most metallurgical mechanisms for increasing strength lead to ductility loss, an effect referred to as the strength-ductility trade-off Here we present a metastability-engineering strategy in which we design nanostructured, bulk high-entropy alloys with multiple compositionally equivalent high-entropy phases High-entropy alloys were originally proposed to benefit from phase stabilization through entropy maximization Yet here, motivated by recent work that relaxes the strict restrictions on high-entropy alloy compositions by demonstrating the weakness of this connection, the concept is overturned We decrease phase stability to achieve two key benefits: interface hardening due to a dual-phase microstructure (resulting from reduced thermal stability of the high-temperature phase); and transformation-induced hardening (resulting from the reduced mechanical stability of the room-temperature phase) This combines the best of two worlds: extensive hardening due to the decreased phase stability known from advanced steels and massive solid-solution strengthening of high-entropy alloys In our transformation-induced plasticity-assisted, dual-phase high-entropy alloy (TRIP-DP-HEA), these two contributions lead respectively to enhanced trans-grain and inter-grain slip resistance, and hence, increased strength Moreover, the increased strain hardening capacity that is enabled by dislocation hardening of the stable phase and transformation-induced hardening of the metastable phase produces increased ductility This combined increase in strength and ductility distinguishes the TRIP-DP-HEA alloy from other recently developed structural materials This metastability-engineering strategy should thus usefully guide design in the near-infinite compositional space of high-entropy alloys

High-entropy alloys

Abstract: Alloying has long been used to confer desirable properties to materials. Typically, it involves the addition of relatively small amounts of secondary elements to a primary element. For the past decade and a half, however, a new alloying strategy that involves the combination of multiple principal elements in high concentrations to create new materials called high-entropy alloys has been in vogue. The multi-dimensional compositional space that can be tackled with this approach is practically limitless, and only tiny regions have been investigated so far. Nevertheless, a few high-entropy alloys have already been shown to possess exceptional properties, exceeding those of conventional alloys, and other outstanding high-entropy alloys are likely to be discovered in the future. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the salient features of high-entropy alloys. Model alloys whose behaviour has been carefully investigated are highlighted and their fundamental properties and underlying elementary mechanisms discussed. We also address the vast compositional space that remains to be explored and outline fruitful ways to identify regions within this space where high-entropy alloys with potentially interesting properties may be lurking. High-entropy alloys have greatly expanded the compositional space for alloy design. In this Review, the authors discuss model high-entropy alloys with interesting properties, the physical mechanisms responsible for their behaviour and fruitful ways to probe and discover new materials in the vast compositional space that remains to be explored.