Local lattice distortions in a HfNbTaTiZr refractory high entropy alloys

Increasing the high temperature performance of materials is critical in order to achieve higher efficiencies in e.g. thermal energy processes. Refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs), which consist of several refractory (high melting point) elements in roughly equal proportion, have shown potential to outperform traditional alloys in high temperature applications. A particular feature of these materials is the complexity on the atomic scale arising from the mixing of many different elements. As a result, local distortions of the atomic arrangement is believed to play a crucial role for both mechanical properties and thermal stability of the alloys. The proposed experiment is aimed at accurately measuring the local distortions in a candidate RHEA (HfNbTaTiZr), in order to understand the effects on the material properties.