| Abstract Scope |
The understanding that high entropy alloys (HEAs) are stable solid solutions has been widely accepted since the discovery of these materials. However, recent studies have shown that this is often untrue, as they have revealed phase formation at high annealing temperatures. This suggests the possibility for extensive transformations at lower temperature and leaves the door open for further exploration. Indeed, our 9-week aging investigation of a CrFeNiMn alloy revealed complex phase evolution at a relatively lower annealing temperature through characterization with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. More specifically, this alloy separated into nanoscale distributions of an L1<sub>0</sub> Ni-Mn phase, an FCC Fe-rich phase, and a BCC Cr-rich phase. This microstructure is believed to be a result of two competing growth mechanisms: homogeneous nucleation and discontinuous decomposition. The findings imply that the range of properties obtainable by HEAs can potentially be expanded through microstructure tailoring. |