Coupling heterogeneous architecture with L1₂ precipitates for self-amplifying strengthening in a high-entropy alloy.

Authors

Hongchao Li, Jun Wang, Wenyuan Zhang, Dongpeng Hua, Junhua Luan, Jinshan Li, M W Fu

Published in

Materials horizons. Nov 11, 2026. Epub Nov 11, 2026.

Abstract

Designing heterostructured alloys with coordinated deformation and sustained strain hardening is essential for achieving exceptional strength-ductility synergy. Here, we develop an island-like heterostructured high-entropy alloy in which recrystallized (RX) and non-recrystallized (NRX) domains are coupled with dynamically functional L1₂ precipitates to enable cooperative deformation and self-amplifying strengthening. The alloy consists of discontinuous NRX islands embedded within a continuous RX matrix, with coherent nanoscale L1₂ precipitates uniformly distributed in both regions. Beyond conventional precipitation strengthening, elemental partitioning associated with L1₂ precipitation reduces the thermodynamic stability of the surrounding face-centered cubic (FCC) matrix relative to the body-centered cubic (BCC) phase, rendering it metastable and susceptible to deformation-induced transformation. During plastic flow, the metastable FCC matrix undergoes FCC-to-BCC transformation, while the ordered L1₂ precipitates develop stacking faults, providing additional deformation-induced strengthening. Meanwhile, the island-like RX/NRX architecture coupled with dynamically responsive L1₂ precipitates enables sequential deformation activation, where initial plastic deformation in the RX regions generates hetero-deformation-induced hardening and L1₂-mediated local strengthening, progressively reducing the mechanical mismatch and promoting subsequent plastic deformation in the NRX regions. This synergistic coupling establishes a self-amplifying strengthening pathway, delivering an ultimate tensile strength of 2032 MPa together with a tensile elongation of 33.6%. This work offers a design strategy for structural alloys by coupling heterogeneous architectures with deformation-responsive precipitates, enabling mutual reinforcement during deformation and achieving superior strength-ductility synergy.

PMID:
43012679
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Nov 2026.

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