Synergistic grain boundary engineering for achieving strength-ductility balance in ultrafine-grained high-Cr-bearing multicomponent alloys

•Multi-step thermomechanical process achieves ultrafine grains.•Submicron dual precipitates at grain boundaries are effectively regulated.•High-Cr-bearing multicomponent alloys exhibit good ductility-strength balance.•Dislocation entanglement and L-C lock networks aid uniform deformation.•L12 particles at grain boundary inhibit rapid crack propagation. Precipitation strengthening is a crucial strategy for ensuring the overall performance of conventional and multicomponent alloys to meet industrial demands. However, the mechanical properties of high-Cr-bearing alloys are often compromised by brittle Cr-rich precipitates at grain boundaries (GBs), leading to severe embrittlement. In this work, a multi-step thermomechanical process is employed to regulate discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) and static recrystallization, achieving an ultrafine-grained microstructure. This optimized approach simultaneously impedes the continuous precipitation of the ordered L12 nanocrystals within the matrix and actively encourages the synergistic discontinuous precipitations of submicron L12 and Cr-rich σ particles at GBs, thereby enhancing (yield) strength and high-temperature thermal stability. The ultrafine grains facilitate uniform plastic deformation, characterized by pronounced parallel dislocation slip and stacking faults (SFs) within face-centered cubic (fcc) grains, while second-direction slips, SFs, and Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks near GB precipitates greatly alleviate stress concentration. Critically, the submicron L12 particles enveloping σ precipitates at GBs also display plastic deformation via mechanical twinning and dislocations, effectively impeding rapid crack propagation along GBs. This research not only provides new insights into the ductility-strength balance in advanced alloys but also proposes a compelling route for optimizing biphasic precipitation, expanding the applicability of high-Cr multicomponent alloys. [Display omitted]