Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying

Liquid metal dealloying (LMD) is a selective extraction method wherein miscible elements are removed from a precursor alloy to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected structure. This study presents a novel application of this method to fabricate heterostructured materials from a CoCrFeMnNi hi...

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Main Authors: Munsu Choi, Gang Hee Gu, Jongun Moon, Jae Wung Bae, Hidemi Kato, Seung Zeon Han, Hyoung Seop Kim, Yongseok Choi, Soo-Hyun Joo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Materials Research and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425018162
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author Munsu Choi
Gang Hee Gu
Jongun Moon
Jae Wung Bae
Hidemi Kato
Seung Zeon Han
Hyoung Seop Kim
Yongseok Choi
Soo-Hyun Joo
author_facet Munsu Choi
Gang Hee Gu
Jongun Moon
Jae Wung Bae
Hidemi Kato
Seung Zeon Han
Hyoung Seop Kim
Yongseok Choi
Soo-Hyun Joo
author_sort Munsu Choi
collection DOAJ
description Liquid metal dealloying (LMD) is a selective extraction method wherein miscible elements are removed from a precursor alloy to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected structure. This study presents a novel application of this method to fabricate heterostructured materials from a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (CoCrFeMnNi HEA) precursor immersed in molten Cu at 1095 °C, and it elucidates complex dealloying and mutual alloying processes. Of the five constituent elements of the HEA precursor, Mn and Ni preferentially dissolved in the Cu melt, and interconnected Cu-rich melt channels were formed in the precursor. Simultaneously, Cu diffused into the CoCrFe-rich solid ligaments. The resulting heterostructured material, formed under local equilibrium conditions, comprised dual face-centered cubic (fcc) phases that were characterized by refined grain sizes and high interconnectivity. The transformation from precursor fcc grains to CoCrFe-rich fcc ligaments followed uncommon orientation relationships based on non-close-packed planes. Increases of 7 % and 82 % were observed in the hardness and electrical conductivity of the dual fcc heterostructured HEA, respectively, and they are attributed to the HEA's unique 3D interconnected microstructure. Density functional theory calculations indicated that effective multicomponent mixing contributed significantly to the observed electrical performance, which was superior to that of Cu-containing medium-entropy alloys with conventional microstructures. A key structural factor was the continuous Cu-rich fcc phase, which formed an extensive 3D conductive network to provide exceptional conductivity through the synergistic “cocktail effect.” These results highlight the potential of LMD to help achieve multifunctionality in HEA systems via the formation of heterogeneous microstructures.
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spelling doaj-art-b44fc89526514911bc95f474e79562dc2025-08-20T03:56:41ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-07-01375672568510.1016/j.jmrt.2025.07.158Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloyingMunsu Choi0Gang Hee Gu1Jongun Moon2Jae Wung Bae3Hidemi Kato4Seung Zeon Han5Hyoung Seop Kim6Yongseok Choi7Soo-Hyun Joo8Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dankook University, Cheonan, 31116, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology(POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of KoreaDivision of Advanced Materials Engineering, Center for Advanced Powder Materials and Parts, Kongju National University, Cheonan, 31080, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author.Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of KoreaInstitute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Sendai, 980-8577, JapanExtreme Materials Research Institute, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon, 51508, Republic of KoreaGraduate Institute of Ferrous & Eco Materials Technology, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea; Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea; Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, JapanDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Dankook University, Cheonan, 31116, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Dankook University, Cheonan, 31116, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author.Liquid metal dealloying (LMD) is a selective extraction method wherein miscible elements are removed from a precursor alloy to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected structure. This study presents a novel application of this method to fabricate heterostructured materials from a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (CoCrFeMnNi HEA) precursor immersed in molten Cu at 1095 °C, and it elucidates complex dealloying and mutual alloying processes. Of the five constituent elements of the HEA precursor, Mn and Ni preferentially dissolved in the Cu melt, and interconnected Cu-rich melt channels were formed in the precursor. Simultaneously, Cu diffused into the CoCrFe-rich solid ligaments. The resulting heterostructured material, formed under local equilibrium conditions, comprised dual face-centered cubic (fcc) phases that were characterized by refined grain sizes and high interconnectivity. The transformation from precursor fcc grains to CoCrFe-rich fcc ligaments followed uncommon orientation relationships based on non-close-packed planes. Increases of 7 % and 82 % were observed in the hardness and electrical conductivity of the dual fcc heterostructured HEA, respectively, and they are attributed to the HEA's unique 3D interconnected microstructure. Density functional theory calculations indicated that effective multicomponent mixing contributed significantly to the observed electrical performance, which was superior to that of Cu-containing medium-entropy alloys with conventional microstructures. A key structural factor was the continuous Cu-rich fcc phase, which formed an extensive 3D conductive network to provide exceptional conductivity through the synergistic “cocktail effect.” These results highlight the potential of LMD to help achieve multifunctionality in HEA systems via the formation of heterogeneous microstructures.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425018162Liquid metal dealloyingHeterostructured materialHigh-entropy alloy3D interconnected composite
spellingShingle Munsu Choi
Gang Hee Gu
Jongun Moon
Jae Wung Bae
Hidemi Kato
Seung Zeon Han
Hyoung Seop Kim
Yongseok Choi
Soo-Hyun Joo
Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Liquid metal dealloying
Heterostructured material
High-entropy alloy
3D interconnected composite
title Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
title_full Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
title_fullStr Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
title_full_unstemmed Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
title_short Development of 3D interconnected heterogeneous high-entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
title_sort development of 3d interconnected heterogeneous high entropy alloy composites with enhanced multifunctionality via liquid metal dealloying
topic Liquid metal dealloying
Heterostructured material
High-entropy alloy
3D interconnected composite
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425018162
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