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Elemental Distribution in CrNbTaTiW-C High Entropy Alloy Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2019

Deodatta Shinde ,
Stefan Fritze ,
Mattias Thuvander Open the ORCID record for Mattias Thuvander [Opens in a new window] ,
Paulius Malinovskis ,
Lars Riekehr ,
Ulf Jansson  and
Krystyna Stiller
Deodatta Shinde*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
Stefan Fritze
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Uppsala University, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Mattias Thuvander*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
Paulius Malinovskis
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Uppsala University, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Lars Riekehr
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Uppsala University, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Ulf Jansson
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Uppsala University, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Krystyna Stiller
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
*
*Authors for correspondence: Deodatta Shinde, E-mail: deodatta.shinde@chalmers.se; Mattias Thuvander, E-mail: mattias.thuvander@chalmers.se
*Authors for correspondence: Deodatta Shinde, E-mail: deodatta.shinde@chalmers.se; Mattias Thuvander, E-mail: mattias.thuvander@chalmers.se
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Abstract

The microstructure and distribution of the elements have been studied in thin films of a near-equimolar CrNbTaTiW high entropy alloy (HEA) and films with 8 at.% carbon added to the alloy. The films were deposited by magnetron sputtering at 300°C. X-ray diffraction shows that the near-equimolar metallic film crystallizes in a single-phase body centered cubic (bcc) structure with a strong (110) texture. However, more detailed analyses with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) show a strong segregation of Ti to the grain boundaries forming a very thin Ti–Cr rich interfacial layer. The effect can be explained by the large negative formation enthalpy of Ti–Cr compounds and shows that CrNbTaTiW is not a true HEA at lower temperatures. The addition of 8 at.% carbon leads to the formation of an amorphous structure, which can be explained by the limited solubility of carbon in bcc alloys. TEM energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that all metallic elements are randomly distributed in the film. The APT investigation, however, revealed that carbide-like clusters are present in the amorphous film.

Keywords

atom probe tomographycarbon clusteringhigh entropy alloysegregationthin film
Type
Materials Science: Metals
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 25 , Special Issue 2: Atom Probe Tomography and Microscopy APT&M 2018 , April 2019 , pp. 489 - 500
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2019 

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