Research Projects

Refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with body-centered cubic (BCC) structures have shown excellent formability and tensile ductility at room/ambient temperature, making them potential for high-temperature applications. However, these alloys lack normal hardening mechanisms like strain-hardening and grain-refinement strengthening. Non-equiatomic Ti-rich BCC-HEAs, designed using the bond order (Bo)-mean d-orbital energy level (Md) approach, have shown high strain-hardening and ductility due to martensitic transformation during tensile deformation. The main objective of this research proposal is to improve yield strength and strain-hardening of metastable BCC-HEAs without compromising ductility, considering the molybdenum-equivalence (Moeq.) parameter. The proposed approach will involve screening alloys using the bond order (Bo)-mean d-orbital energy level (Md) approach, fabricating various metastable BCC-HEAs with different molybdenum-equivalence values, and thermo-mechanically processing the obtained alloys. Designing a material with high strength and ductility would not only interest the scientific community but also industrial sectors like automobiles and constructions, which could protect human lives from accidents and natural disasters. Following this approach would reduce risk factors such as grain boundary sliding and creep at elevated temperatures. Additionally, the novel nature of the severe lattice distortion effect of HEAs might crossover with molybdenum equivalence, resulting in unique phase transformation characteristics during deformation. Unfortunately, studies relevant to this research plan have never been reported before.