Skip to main content

Molecular Foundry

HIGHLIGHTSDetermination of peak ordering in the CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy via nanoindentation
December 15, 2022

Scientific Achievement

(a) Energy-filtered electron diffraction of as-quenched and aged CrCoNi. The line profiles in (b,c) gives the intensity of the superlattice peaks from local ordering. (d) gives the cumulative probability distribution of nanoindentation pop-in load of quenched and aged samples.

Confirmed the universal existence of local order in CrCoNi in either quenched or aged forms and established the relationship between order and the nanomechanical properties of the material.

Significance and Impact

Established nanoindentation as a mechanical probe to study local order in a quantitative manner. In addition, this work identified the optimal heat treatment that gives maximum local order that amounts to a 20% increase in nanoindentation strength.

Research Details

  • Different degrees of local order was generated by splat quenching, water quenching, or aging CrCoNi at 600-1000ºC.
  • Nanoindentation and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy were performed to establish the relationship between local order and nanomechanical strength.
    M. Zhang, Q. Yu, C. Frey, F. Walsh, M.I. Payne, P. Kumar, D. Liu, T.M. Pollock, M.D. Asta, R.O. Ritchie, A.M. Minor, Acta Mater. (2022) doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118380

    Was this page useful?

    Send
    like not like