What is your thesis topic?
My thesis work focuses on the mechanical properties of high-entropy alloys (HEAs), including improving the ductility of body-centered-cubic (BCC) HEAs and enhancing the strengths of face-centered-cubic (FCC) HEAs. The first part involves utilizing the concept of phase-transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) to improve the tensile ductility in a TiZrHfNb refractory HEA system with BCC structures. The second part of my thesis work is to design and develop new FCC-structured HEAs that are enhanced by introducing nano-precipitates.
How is materials processing involved in your research?
To design and develop new HEAs, the first and foremost thing is the synthesis of metallic samples. Fabricating methods (e.g., arc-melting, drop-casting, and suction-casting) are usually used to combine four or more pure elements to form a single solid-solution phase. Moreover, thermomechanical processing (e.g., rolling, homogenization, annealing, and aging) is generally performed to further improve their mechanical properties. By combining different processing methods, our aim is to develop advanced structural materials and understand the relationship among processing-structure-properties.
Provide an example of where the material, process, or properties you are studying might find an application.
Similar to commercial Ni-based superalloys, HEAs with FCC structures are considered as promising alternatives for high-temperature applications due to their lower cost and better mechanical performance in a wide temperature range. By introducing ordered precipitates as the strengthening phase, the strength of the FCC-based HEAs can be potentially improved due to the dislocation-precipitates interactions, which hinder dislocation movement.