Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies

Shanshan Liu; Tongtong Sun; Zongde Kou; Xiaoliang Han; Qingwei Gao; Jiyao Zhang; Xiaoming Liu; Lai Chang Zhang; Jiri Orava; Kaikai Song; Lijun Xiao; Jürgen Eckert; Weidong Song

doi:10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358

Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies

Shanshan Liu, Tongtong Sun, Zongde Kou, Xiaoliang Han, Qingwei Gao, Jiyao Zhang, Xiaoming Liu, Lai Chang Zhang, Jiri Orava, Kaikai Song^*, Lijun Xiao^*, Jürgen Eckert, Weidong Song^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Emerging chemically complex alloys (CCAs) with medium-to-high stacking fault energies (SFEs) offer significant potential as advanced materials, yet achieving the balance between strength and ductility remains challenging. This study explores the strategic control of partial recrystallization in Al8.3Co16.7Cr13.3Fe16.7Ni41.7V3.3 CCAs to engineer micron-scale heterogeneous structures featuring unevenly distributed L12 nanoprecipitates. The optimized microstructure comprises finely recrystallized regions with high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), coarsely unrecrystallized regions with low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), and deformation-defect-rich transition (DDRT) zones where both grain boundary types coexist. This architecture enables synergistic strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening, resulting in an exceptional yield strength of up to 1623 MPa. During plastic deformation, the dislocation pile-up and accumulation aided by interactions with nanoprecipitates and GBs balance strain softening caused by shear band propagation, leading to relatively low but steady work-hardening rates (WHRs). As deformation progresses, increasingly complex interactions further promote the formation of pronounced dislocation pile-ups, multiplication, SFs, Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks, and the 9R phase transformation within DDRT zones, collectively contributing to continuous WHRs. As a result of these synergistic mechanisms, the material achieves an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1700 MPa and a total elongation of ∼17.2 %, demonstrating enhanced ductility without sacrificing strength. This work highlights the potential of localized DDRT zones to enable controlled phase transformations in CCAs with medium-to-high SFEs, providing a promising pathway for designing high-performance materials.

Original language	English
Article number	104358
Journal	International Journal of Plasticity
Volume	190
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358
Publication status	Published - Jul 2025
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

9R phase
Chemically complex alloys
Microstructure
Precipitation strengthening
Twins

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10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358

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Liu, S., Sun, T., Kou, Z., Han, X., Gao, Q., Zhang, J., Liu, X., Zhang, L. C., Orava, J., Song, K., Xiao, L., Eckert, J., & Song, W. (2025). Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies. International Journal of Plasticity, 190, Article 104358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358

@article{9359109a8ac44ba2825ded1e70d76b9d,

title = "Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies",

abstract = "Emerging chemically complex alloys (CCAs) with medium-to-high stacking fault energies (SFEs) offer significant potential as advanced materials, yet achieving the balance between strength and ductility remains challenging. This study explores the strategic control of partial recrystallization in Al8.3Co16.7Cr13.3Fe16.7Ni41.7V3.3 CCAs to engineer micron-scale heterogeneous structures featuring unevenly distributed L12 nanoprecipitates. The optimized microstructure comprises finely recrystallized regions with high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), coarsely unrecrystallized regions with low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), and deformation-defect-rich transition (DDRT) zones where both grain boundary types coexist. This architecture enables synergistic strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening, resulting in an exceptional yield strength of up to 1623 MPa. During plastic deformation, the dislocation pile-up and accumulation aided by interactions with nanoprecipitates and GBs balance strain softening caused by shear band propagation, leading to relatively low but steady work-hardening rates (WHRs). As deformation progresses, increasingly complex interactions further promote the formation of pronounced dislocation pile-ups, multiplication, SFs, Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks, and the 9R phase transformation within DDRT zones, collectively contributing to continuous WHRs. As a result of these synergistic mechanisms, the material achieves an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1700 MPa and a total elongation of ∼17.2 \%, demonstrating enhanced ductility without sacrificing strength. This work highlights the potential of localized DDRT zones to enable controlled phase transformations in CCAs with medium-to-high SFEs, providing a promising pathway for designing high-performance materials.",

keywords = "9R phase, Chemically complex alloys, Microstructure, Precipitation strengthening, Twins",

author = "Shanshan Liu and Tongtong Sun and Zongde Kou and Xiaoliang Han and Qingwei Gao and Jiyao Zhang and Xiaoming Liu and Zhang, \{Lai Chang\} and Jiri Orava and Kaikai Song and Lijun Xiao and J{\"u}rgen Eckert and Weidong Song",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.",

year = "2025",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358",

language = "English",

volume = "190",

journal = "International Journal of Plasticity",

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T1 - Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies

AU - Liu, Shanshan

AU - Sun, Tongtong

AU - Kou, Zongde

AU - Han, Xiaoliang

AU - Gao, Qingwei

AU - Zhang, Jiyao

AU - Liu, Xiaoming

AU - Zhang, Lai Chang

AU - Orava, Jiri

AU - Song, Kaikai

AU - Xiao, Lijun

AU - Eckert, Jürgen

AU - Song, Weidong

PY - 2025/7

Y1 - 2025/7

N2 - Emerging chemically complex alloys (CCAs) with medium-to-high stacking fault energies (SFEs) offer significant potential as advanced materials, yet achieving the balance between strength and ductility remains challenging. This study explores the strategic control of partial recrystallization in Al8.3Co16.7Cr13.3Fe16.7Ni41.7V3.3 CCAs to engineer micron-scale heterogeneous structures featuring unevenly distributed L12 nanoprecipitates. The optimized microstructure comprises finely recrystallized regions with high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), coarsely unrecrystallized regions with low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), and deformation-defect-rich transition (DDRT) zones where both grain boundary types coexist. This architecture enables synergistic strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening, resulting in an exceptional yield strength of up to 1623 MPa. During plastic deformation, the dislocation pile-up and accumulation aided by interactions with nanoprecipitates and GBs balance strain softening caused by shear band propagation, leading to relatively low but steady work-hardening rates (WHRs). As deformation progresses, increasingly complex interactions further promote the formation of pronounced dislocation pile-ups, multiplication, SFs, Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks, and the 9R phase transformation within DDRT zones, collectively contributing to continuous WHRs. As a result of these synergistic mechanisms, the material achieves an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1700 MPa and a total elongation of ∼17.2 %, demonstrating enhanced ductility without sacrificing strength. This work highlights the potential of localized DDRT zones to enable controlled phase transformations in CCAs with medium-to-high SFEs, providing a promising pathway for designing high-performance materials.

AB - Emerging chemically complex alloys (CCAs) with medium-to-high stacking fault energies (SFEs) offer significant potential as advanced materials, yet achieving the balance between strength and ductility remains challenging. This study explores the strategic control of partial recrystallization in Al8.3Co16.7Cr13.3Fe16.7Ni41.7V3.3 CCAs to engineer micron-scale heterogeneous structures featuring unevenly distributed L12 nanoprecipitates. The optimized microstructure comprises finely recrystallized regions with high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), coarsely unrecrystallized regions with low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), and deformation-defect-rich transition (DDRT) zones where both grain boundary types coexist. This architecture enables synergistic strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening, resulting in an exceptional yield strength of up to 1623 MPa. During plastic deformation, the dislocation pile-up and accumulation aided by interactions with nanoprecipitates and GBs balance strain softening caused by shear band propagation, leading to relatively low but steady work-hardening rates (WHRs). As deformation progresses, increasingly complex interactions further promote the formation of pronounced dislocation pile-ups, multiplication, SFs, Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks, and the 9R phase transformation within DDRT zones, collectively contributing to continuous WHRs. As a result of these synergistic mechanisms, the material achieves an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1700 MPa and a total elongation of ∼17.2 %, demonstrating enhanced ductility without sacrificing strength. This work highlights the potential of localized DDRT zones to enable controlled phase transformations in CCAs with medium-to-high SFEs, providing a promising pathway for designing high-performance materials.

KW - 9R phase

KW - Chemically complex alloys

KW - Microstructure

KW - Precipitation strengthening

KW - Twins

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DO - 10.1016/j.ijplas.2025.104358

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105008490868

SN - 0749-6419

VL - 190

JO - International Journal of Plasticity

JF - International Journal of Plasticity

M1 - 104358

ER -

Promising pathways for balancing strength and ductility in chemically complex alloys with medium-to-high stacking fault energies

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Keywords

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