Formation, stability and ultrahigh strength of novel nanostructured alloys by partial crystallization of high-entropy (Fe0.25Co0.25Ni0.25Cr0.125Mo0.125)86‒89B11‒14 amorphous phase

Heating-induced crystallization of high-entropy (HE) (Fe_0.25Co_0.25Ni_0.25Cr_0.125Mo_0.125)_86‒89B_11‒14 amorphous (am) alloys is examined to develop new structural materials with low B contents. The crystallization of 11B alloy occurs in three stages: first nanoscale bcc precipitates form in the amorphous matrix, second nanoscale fcc precipitates form, and the residual amorphous phase disappears in the third stage which yields borides in addition to the bcc and fcc phases. Crystallization of 14B alloy is the same, except that the order of appearance of bcc and fcc is reversed. The bcc and fcc particle diameters are 5–15 nm and remain almost unchanged up to ∼960 K. On annealing, ultrahigh hardness of 1500–1550 (unprecedented for boride-free structures) is attained just before the third crystallization stage. This hardening and the thermal stability of the novel [am + bcc + fcc] structures are remarkable at such low boron content and encouraging for development as ultrahigh-strength alloys. The results are interpreted in terms of the nature and extent of partitioning of elemental components between the bcc/fcc phases and the amorphous matrix, and the size and defect structures of the bcc and fcc precipitates. The magnetic flux density at room temperature increases by precipitation of bcc and decreases by appearance of fcc. Slower quenching of the 11B alloy shows a pseudo-polymorphic crystallization that may be characteristic of multicomponent HE systems.