Mechanochemical synthesis and heating-induced transformations of a high-entropy Cr-Fe-Co-Ni-Al-Ti alloy

An amorphous-crystalline two-phase (amorphous phase + BCC solid solution) powder alloy has been produced by mechanochemical synthesis (MS): by grinding an equiatomic mixture of Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Al, and Ti metals in a Fritsch (P-7) ball mill at a powder-to-ball weight ratio of 1: 8. Using X-ray diffraction, X-ray microanalysis, and scanning electron microscopy, we have determined the sequence of reaction steps during milling of the mixture. In the early stages of milling (2 h), we observed the formation of an ordered phase (B2), Al + Ni → NiAl, and the CoHCP → CoFCC polymorphic transformation. Milling for 3 h led to the formation of a BCC solid solution. Further milling produced an amorphous phase (AP). In the range 6–25 h of milling, the percentage of the AP increased and that of the BCC solid solution decreased. The phase transformations induced by heating the alloy to 1200°C after MS have identified using differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction: $$MS (FCC + AP)\xrightarrow{{450^ \circ C}}(B2)\xrightarrow{{650^ \circ C}}(L2_1 + BCC)\xrightarrow{{850^ \circ C}}L2_1 + \sigma - phase$$ (FeCr structure). Prolonged milling has been shown to stabilize the metastable BCC solid solution at temperatures of ≃650°C.