Microstructure Evolution and Hardness of AlCrFeNixMo0.2 High Entropy Alloy

The microstructures, phase composition and hardness of the AlCrFeNixMo0.2 high entropy alloy (x=0.5, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.5, the x values refer to molar ratio) were reported. When the value of x was smaller than 1.2, the alloys consisted of BCC and B2 structures. The BCC and B2 phases were identified to be (Cr, αFe) solid solution and NiAl intermetallic compound, respectively. With the increase of x from 0.5 to 1.2, the microstructure transformed from dendrite/inter-dendrite to eutectic microstructures. When the x was equal to 1.5, besides BCC and B2 phases, another CrFe2.32MoNi phases formed and Net-like (Cr, αFe) phases distributed in the NiAl intermetallic compound matrix. The hardness first decreased then increased with the increase of Ni content. Generally, Ni element is a FCC stabilizer. However, in AlCrFeNixMo0.2 alloys, Ni element promoted the formation of B2 and CrFe2.32MoNi phases. The influence mechanism of Ni element was discussed systematically.