Achieved strength-plastic trade-off in HfMoNbTaTi refractory high-entropy alloy via powder metallurgy process

The practical application of refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) has been limited by their brittleness at room temperature. This study prepared fine-grained HfMoNbTaTi refractory high-entropy alloys using a powder metallurgy process combining mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). This method effectively addresses the issue of room temperature brittleness and achieves a favorable balance between strength and plasticity. The resulting sintered alloy comprises two body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution matrices and a range of nanoprecipitates, including the γ-phase, σ-phase, and α-phase. With increasing sintering temperature, the average grain size increased from 0.45 μm (at 1400 °C) to 4.56 μm (at 1700 °C). Simultaneously, the content of the γ-phase gradually decreases due to the greater influence of mixing entropy. Under quasi-static loading, the fine-grained multiphase structure not only benefits from grain boundary strengthening and precipitation strengthening effects, but also enhances the deformation uniformity, ultimately improving both the strength and plasticity. At 1450 °C, the sintered alloy exhibited a compressive yield strength of 2325 ± 8.40 MPa and a plastic strain of 26.44 ± 1.17 %. These values represent a 35.73 % increase in yield strength and a 120.33 % increase in plastic strain compared to those of the as-cast alloy. The deformation process at room temperature is mainly governed by the multiplication of screw dislocations and cross-slips. In the middle and late stages of deformation, the grains exhibit a preferred orientation, further enhancing the plastic strain. In summary, this study presents a practical approach for overcoming the issue of room temperature embrittlement in RHEAs.