Determination of the local structural effects in the High Entropy Alloy system AlVCrMnFe

Since their inception, High entropy alloys have become one of the most studied and rapidly expanding fields in metallurgy, opening a new compositional space for alloy design. Many of their beneficial properties are thought to be linked to the founding principles of the field. These principles are fundamentally based on local structural effects, making an understanding of the local-structure property links essential if such materials are to be successful industrially employed, or tailored and tuned for purpose. Owing to their potentially promising radiation damage tolerance properties, the atomic energy sector is keen to explore this compositional space further. The system AlVCrMnFe has been proposed as a potential candidate, owing to the short active life of the constituent elements.

In this experiment, we will use total scattering to understand the local structure in AlVCrMnFe and compositional related simpler materials. Our previous work has demonstrated a method for determining local static distortions experimentally using total scattering in HEAs, and has been key in challenging one of the core principles, that these materials are necessarily highly strained. By conducting variable temperature experiments, the relative magnitude of static and dynamic displacements in this system may be separated. This will provide an understanding of the level of distortion within the structure, and identify any short-range order occurring within these industrially important materials.