Microstructure Modification and Ductility Improvement for TaMoNbZrTiAl Refractory High Entropy Alloys via Increasing Ti Content

Here, the composition of TaMoNbZrTiAl refractory high entropy alloy (RHEA) is optimized by increasing Ti content to improve its mechanical property especially the ductility, through comparing two RHEAs with different Ti content. The RHEAs contain two body-centered-cubic (BCC) phases. The BCC phase in the dendritic region is rich in Ta, Mo and Nb, and the BCC phase in the interdendritic region is enriched in Zr, Ti and Al. The as-cast RHEA with a higher Ti content remains dendritic microstructures, and Ti is mainly enriched in the interdendritic region. After annealing treatment at 1300 °C for 48 h, the dendritic microstructures change into equiaxed-grain morphology, accompanied by needle-like micron precipitates at grain boundaries in the RHEA with higher Ti content. For the as-cast RHEAs, the fracture strain increases by ~ 6.6% and the uniform plastic strain increases by ~ 5.9% at the compression test due to the increase of Ti content. Our work offers a reference for the composition design of RHEAs and makes a preliminary exploration of the optimization of the microstructures and mechanical properties.