Search

Since the high entropy concept was proposed at the beginning of the millennium, the research focus of this alloy family has been wide ranging. The initial search for single-phase alloys has expanded with the aim of improving mechanical properties. This can be achieved by several strengthening mechanisms such as solid-solution hardening, hot and cold working and precipitation hardening. Both single- and multiphase high- and medium-entropy alloys can be optimized for mechanical strength via several processing routes, as is the case for conventional alloys with only one base element, such as steels or Ni-based superalloys. Graphical abstract

A new route to achieve high strength and high ductility compositions in the Cr-Co-Ni medium entropy alloys (MEAs) is proposed, by controlling the solid solution hardening parameter (Mean Square Atomic Displacement, MSAD) and twinning propensity parameter (Stacking Fault Energy, SFE), respectively. The MSAD is calculated to increase with the increase in the Cr content and with the increase in the Ni/Co ratio at high Cr concentrations, while the SFE is calculated to decrease with the increase in the Cr content and with the increase in the Co/Ni ratio at high Cr concentrations. In experiment, the strength at 0 K (derived from the temperature dependence of yield stress) increases as the Cr content increases and/or as the Ni content increases for a given high Cr content, so that a linear correlation is found between the yield strength at 0 K and MSAD. The SFE also decreases as the Cr content increases and as the Co content increases for a given high Cr content. However, while the tensile elongation increases with the decrease in SFE down to SFE values of 10–12 mJ/m2, it abruptly decreases once the SFE decreases below this value due to a change in major deformation mode from deformation twinning to deformation-induced ε-martensite transformation. Based on the established connection between the theoretical calculation and experimental measurement, outstanding combinations of strength and ductility are predicted and experimentally confirmed at high Cr compositions and at a bit Ni-rich side of the Co/Ni equi-composition line. The proposed composition (around 45Cr-20Co-35Ni) exhibits a greater 0 K strength and a superior 77 K tensile ductility by 32 % and 13 %, respectively, compared to those of the equiatomic Cr-Co-Ni alloy., 新規高強度高延性合金の開発に成功 --計算と実験の融合による合金設計法の確立--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-05-25.

The deformation behavior of single crystals of the sigma-phase compound FeCr with the tetragonal D8b structure has been investigated by micropillar compression at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size. In spite of the repeatedly reported brittleness, plastic flow is observed at room temperature for all loading axis orientations tested. Three slip systems, {100}[001], {100} and {111} are newly identified to be operative at room temperature depending on the loading axis, in addition to {110}[001] slip we previously identified. The CRSS values for all the identified slip systems are very high exceeding 1.3 GPa and decrease with increasing specimen size, following an inverse power-law relationship with a very small power-law exponent. Similarly to {110}[001] slip, {100}[001] slip is confirmed to be carried by the motion of [001] zonal dislocations through atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of their core structures. dislocations gliding on {100} are confirmed to dissociate into two collinear partial dislocations, while dislocations gliding on {111} to dissociate into three collinear partial dislocations. The fracture toughness values estimated by micro-cantilever bend tests of chevron-notched micro beam specimens are indeed very low, 1.6∼1.8 MPa·m1/2 (notch plane // (001) and (100)), indicating significant brittleness of sigma FeCr.

Atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)/scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) have been used correlatively to explore atomic-scale local structure and chemistry of the exactly same area in the vicinity of growth front of a long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase in a ternary Mg–Al–Gd alloy. It is proved for the first time that enrichment of Gd atoms in four consecutive (0001) atomic layers precedes enrichment of Al atoms so that the formation of Al6Gd8 clusters occurs only after sufficient Al atoms to form Al6Gd8 clusters diffuse into the relevant portions. Lateral growth of the LPSO phase is found to occur by ‘ledge’ mechanism with the growth habit plane either {1$$\overline{1}$$ 1 ¯ 00} or {11$$\overline{2}$$ 2 ¯ 0} planes. The motion of ledges that give rise to lateral growth of the LPSO phase is considered to be controlled by diffusion of Al atoms.

MoSi2/Mo5Si3 eutectic composites have been considered as one of the promising candidates for ultra-high temperature structural applications owing to their high melting point, good oxidation resistance, and low mass density. Their mechanical properties can be improved by controlling the eutectic structure (i.e. script lamellar structure) in directional solidification. It is important to elucidate the dominant factors underlining the unique pattern formation. We conducted a comprehensive phase field study to examine the influence of various factors on the MoSi2/Mo5Si3 eutectic microstructure with complicated morphology. First, the inclined lamellae have been attributed to the minimization of elastic strain energy due to the lattice mismatch between MoSi2 and Mo5Si3, which are partially relaxed by forming semi-coherent phase boundaries. Second, the maze-like pattern on the horizontal cross-section appeared when a two-fold anisotropy of interfacial energy is superimposed on the MoSi2/Mo5Si3 boundary. Third, the random and intersected lamellae have been obtained by assuming the instability of the solid-liquid interface and introducing successive nucleation of Mo5Si3 phase. These findings provide guidance for manipulating the eutectic structure and act as footsteps for further theoretical investigation.

We report that in contrast to the anticipation, the macroscopic mechanical strength of single crystals of the face-centered-cubic single-phase equiatomic Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni high entropy alloy is not influenced by thermal annealing during which short-range ordering is expected to develop. Experimental evidence shows that hardness at room temperature, critical resolved shear stress at room temperature and at 77 K and activation volume values of the alloys do not significantly vary with the annealing temperature in the range from 900 to 1200°C. The stacking fault energies in the specimens deformed at 77 K following annealing at 1000 and 1200°C respectively are essentially identical to each other. These results clearly indicate that the impact of the formation of chemical short-range order on the macroscopic yield strength of the equiatomic Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni high entropy alloy is insignificant, even if it exists.

Micropillar compression tests of Ti5Si3 single crystals were conducted at room temperature as a function of loading axis orientation and specimen size in order to investigate their room temperature plastic deformation behavior. Plastic flow by the operation of three deformation modes, {1$${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}[0001], {2$${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 2} $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ $${\overline{3}}$$ 3 ¯ > and {1$${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 01} $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ $${\overline{3}}$$ 3 ¯ > slip were observed in [2$${\overline{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 05]-, [0001]- and [4$${\overline{3}}$$ 3 ¯ $${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 0]-oriented micropillar specimens deformed at room temperature, respectively. The CRSS values were evaluated to be very high above 2.7 GPa and were confirmed to increase up to about 6 GPa with the decrease in the specimen size. The fracture toughness values are evaluated to be 0.45 MPa m1/2 (notch plane // (0001)) and 0.73 MPa m1/2 (notch plane //(1$${\overline{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00)) based on the results of micro-cantilever bend tests of chevron-notched specimens. The fracture toughness values are considerably lower than those for D8l-Mo5SiB2 and D8l-Nb5Si3 evaluated by the same method, indicating the inherent brittleness of binary Ti5Si3 compared to the other transition-metal silicides of the TM5Si3 type (TM: transition-metal).

The plastic deformation behavior of commercially pure Ti single crystals has been investigated by uniaxial micropillar compression tests as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size at room temperature. {10 1 ¯ 1} (first-order) pyramidal c+a slip and prism a slip are activated in micropillar specimens with the [0001] and [2 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 0] orientations, respectively. {10 1 ¯ 1} pyramidal c+a slip has never been observed to operate as a major deformation mode in compression tests of ‘bulk’ single crystals at room temperature, in which {11 2 ¯ 2} 2 ¯ 3 ¯ > twinning is usually observed. The CRSS values for {10 1 ¯ 1} pyramidal c+a slip and prism a slip increase with the decrease in the specimen size, following an inverse power-law relationship with a power-law exponent of about 0.06 and 0.59, respectively. The extrapolation of the inverse power-law relationship up to the ‘bulk’ specimen size estimated from the CRSS values of prism a slip gives the ‘bulk’ CRSS value for {10 1 ¯ 1} pyramidal c+a slip to be 580-635 MPa, which is by far higher than those for any other deformation modes operative at room temperature.

Based on recent findings in ultrafine grained metals, we proposed a strategy for overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in structural metallic materials. Sequential nucleation of different deformation modes, such as unusual slip systems, deformation twinning, martensitic transformation, etc., would regenerate strain-hardening ability of the material, leading to high strength and large tensile ductility. For discussing the activation of different deformation modes in atomistic scales, the concept of plaston which considered local excitation of atoms under singular dynamic fields was proposed.

The room-temperature plastic deformation behavior of 6H–SiC single crystals has been investigated by uniaxial compression of micropillar specimens as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size. Plastic flow is observed even at room temperature by basal and prism slip, latter of which have never been observed in the bulk. The CRSS values for basal and prism slip are as high as above 5 and 6 GPa at the specimen size of 5 μm, respectively, each of which increases with decreasing specimen size, following an inverse power-law relationship with a relatively small power-law exponent of ∼0.10 and ∼0.21, respectively. The CRSS values for basal slip are not virtually affected by the existence of basal dislocations introduced at 1300 °C prior to micropillar compression tests at room temperature. The majority of basal dislocations observed after micropillar compression are perfect (undissociated) screw dislocations, and they are considered to be introduced in the shuffle-set plane during micropillar testing, unlike widely dissociated dislocations introduced in the glide-set plane in the bulk during high-temperature deformation. Prism dislocations are observed also to glide as perfect (undissociated) dislocations and tend to align strongly along their screw orientation. The fracture toughness values are estimated to be 1.37 ± 0.13 and 1.57 ± 0.13 MPa m1/2 by three-point bend tests for chevron-notched single crystalline specimens with a notch plane being parallel to (0001) and { 01 1 ¯ 0 } planes, respectively.

The effects of Ni and Ta additions on the mechanical properties in the L1$_{2}$ compound Co$_{3}$(Al,W), the strengthening phase of Co-based superalloys, have been investigated by compression tests between room temperature and 1000 °C, in order to elucidate the effects of stability of the L1$_{2}$ phase on the mechanical properties. The additions of Ni and Ta, both of which are L1$_{2}$-stabilizers that increase the L1$_{2}$ solvus temperature, increase the yield strength at intermediate and high temperatures. The strength increase is shown to be more significant as the amount of additions of these elements and thereby the stability of the L1$_{2}$ phase increases. Two factors account for the strength increase at intermediate temperatures: The reduction of the onset temperature of yield stress anomaly (YSA-onset) due to the increased complex stacking fault (CSF) energy and the increase in both the base strength and the intensity of the yield stress anomaly associated with an increased anti-phase boundary (APB) energy on (111) planes. The strength increase at high temperatures, on the other hand, arises from the increase in the peak temperature due to the increased L1$_{2}$ solvus temperatures. The increased strength of the L1$_{2}$ phase due to a higher phase stability thus partly accounts for the improved creep strength of Co-based superalloys upon alloying with Ni and Ta.

The concept of ‘plaston’ that involves cooperative atom motion under shear stress is discussed as a deformation carrier that nucleates and moves in the deformation front under shear stress in many different materials in general. The selection of a plaston of a particular type among many different plastons depends on stress level/state, crystallographic orientation, specimen size (grain size) and so on. The importance of the understanding of the activation of various plastons is discussed for the improvement of mechanical properties of existing structural materials and the development of new structural materials with high strength and high ductility.

Advanced structural materials are required to show both high strength and large ductility/toughness, but we have not yet acquired the guiding principle for that. The bulk nanostructured metals are polycrystalline metallic materials having bulky dimensions and average grain sizes smaller than 1 μm. Bulk nanostructured metals show very high strength compared with that of the coarse-grained counterparts, but usually exhibit limited tensile ductility, especially small uniform elongation below a few %, due to the early plastic instability. On the other hand, we have recently found that particular bulk nanostructured metals can manage high strength and large tensile ductility. In such bulk nanostructured metals, unusual deformation modes different from normal dislocation slips were unexpectedly activated. Unusual dislocations, deformation twins with nano-scale thickness, and deformation-induced martensite nucleated from grain boundaries in the bulk nanostructured Mg alloy, high-Mn austenitic steel, and Ni-C metastable austenitic steel, respectively. Those unexpected deformation modes enhanced strain hardening of the materials, leading to high strength and large tensile ductility. It was considered that the nucleation of such unusual deformation modes was attributed to the scarcity of dislocations and dislocation sources in each recrystallized ultrafine grain, which also induced discontinuous yielding with clear yield drop universally recognized in bulk nanostructured metals having recrystallized structures. For discussing the nucleation of different deformation modes in atomistic scales, the new concept of plaston which considered local excitation of atoms under singular dynamic fields was proposed. Based on the findings in bulk nanostructured metals and the concept of plaston, we proposed a strategy for overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in structural metallic materials. Sequential nucleation of different deformation modes would regenerate the strain-hardening ability of the material, leading to high strength and large tensile ductility. The strategy could be a guiding principle for realizing advanced structural materials that manage both high strength and large tensile ductility.

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of two transition-metal diborides, ZrB2 and TiB2 with the AlB2 structure has been investigated at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size by micropillar compression tests. Although plastic flow is not observed at all for their bulk single crystals at room temperature, plastic flow is successfully observed at room temperature by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> in ZrB2 and by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00} and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> in TiB2. Critical resolve shear stress values at room temperature are very high, exceeding 1 GPa for all observed slip systems; 3.01 GPa for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> slip in ZrB2 and 1.72 GPa and 5.17 GPa, respectively for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00} and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> slip in TiB2. The identified operative slip systems and their CRSS values are discussed in comparison with those identified in the corresponding bulk single crystals at high temperatures and those inferred from micro-hardness anisotropy in the early studies.

Laser surface melting (LSM) of a single-crystal substrate of a MoSi2-Mo5Si3 eutectic composite has been performed to check the feasibility of mechanical property improvement through microstructure refinement and seeded growth of the eutectic composite on top of the seed composite single crystal by additive manufacturing processes using scanned laser beam. LSM is proved to be capable of obtaining a eutectic composite maintaining the eutectic script-lamellar microstructure as well as crystallographic orientations of the substrate single crystal. The eutectic script-lamellar microstructure is considerably refined from several micrometers (the substrate) to several tenths nanometers (43 ± 7 nm) after LSM processing while maintaining the orientation relationship. Due to the microstructure refinement, the hardness increases by about 38% from 11.60 ± 0.04 GPa (substrate) to 15.96 ± 0.42 GPa (LSMed region) and the fracture toughness increases by about 34% from 3.8 ± 0.3 MPa m1/2 (substrate) to 5.1 ± 1.5 MPa m1/2 (LSMed region).

Phase equilibria among the η-Fe2Al5 phase and its higher-ordered phases with the η framework structure were determined experimentally. The solubility range of the η phase at elevated temperature does not differ remarkably from that in previous studies, but this phase is found to undergo complicated phase transformations upon cooling. Four phases are present, namely η’, η”, η”’ and ηm, with higher-order atomic orderings in the c-axis chain sites of the orthorhombic crystal structure of the parent η phase. The η” and η”’ phases form on the Al-poor and Al-rich sides, respectively, in equilibrium with the ζ-FeAl2 phase below ~415°C and θ-Fe4Al13 phase below ~405°C. The η’ and ηm phases become stable below 312°C and 343°C with the peritectoid reactions η’ → ηm + η”’ and ηm → η + η”, respectively. The η phase is not stable below 331°C with the eutectoid reaction of ηm + η”’ → η. On the basis of these findings, we unraveled the phase equilibria among the η-Fe2Al5 phase and its higher-ordered phases with the η framework structure., Graphical abstract

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of α-Nb5Si3 with the tetragonal D8l structure has been investigated by micropillar compression at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size. Three slip systems, (001), {110} and {01ˉ1}, are found to be operative in micropillar specimens of α-Nb5Si3 single crystals at room temperature, as in the case of isostructural Mo5SiB2. The CRSS values obtained for the three slip systems are extremely high above 2.0 GPa and exhibit the ‘smaller is stronger’ trend, which can be approximated by the inverse power-law relationship. The fracture toughness evaluated by single-cantilever bend testing of a chevron-notched micro-beam specimen is 1.79 MPa m1/2, which is considerably lower than that (2.43 MPa m1/2) reported for isostructural Mo5SiB2. The selection for the dissociation schemes and possible glide planes for dislocations of the three slip systems is discussed based on generalized stacking fault energy (GSFE) curves theoretically calculated by first-principles calculations., GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of Fe3Ge with the L12 structure has been investigated at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation by micropillar compression tests. In addition to slip on (010), slip on (111) is observed to occur in Fe3Ge for the first time. The CRSS (critical resolved shear stress) for (111)[10‾1] slip, estimated by extrapolating the size-dependent strength variation to the ‘bulk’ size, is ~240 MPa, which is almost 6 times that (~40 MPa) for (010)[101] slip similarly estimated. The dissociation scheme for the superlattice dislocation with b=[10‾1] is confirmed to be of the APB (anti-phase boundary)-type both on (010) and on (111), in contrast to the previous prediction for the SISF (superlattice intrinsic stacking fault) scheme on (111) because of the expected APB instability. While superlattice dislocations do not have any preferential directions to align when gliding on (010) (indicative of low frictional stress at room temperature), the alignment of superlattice dislocations along their screw orientation is observed when gliding on (111). This is proved to be due to thermally-activated cross-slip to form Kear-Wilsdorf locks, indicative of the occurrence of yield stress anomaly that is observed in many other L12 compounds such as Ni3Al. Some important deformation characteristics expected to occur in Fe3Ge (such as the absence of SISF-couple dissociation and the occurrence of yield stress anomaly) will be discussed in the light of the experimental results obtained (APB energies on (111) and (010) and CRSS values for slip on (111) and (010)).

Dislocation glide to carry plastic deformation in simple metals and alloys is a well-understood process, but the process in materials with complex crystal structures is not yet understood completely as it can be very complicated often involving multiple atomic planes during dislocation glide. The zonal dislocation is one of the examples predicted to operate in complex materials, and during glide it involves multiple atomic planes called shear zone, in which non-uniform atom shuffling occurs. We report direct observation made by Z-contrast atomic-resolution microscopy of the zonal dislocation in the σ phase FeCr. The result confirms the zonal dislocation indeed operates in this material. Knowledge gained on the dislocation core structure will lead to improved understanding of deformation mechanisms in this and other complex crystal structures and provide ways to improve the brittleness of these complex materials.

Micropillar compression tests of Ti5Si3 single crystals were conducted at room temperature as a function of loading axis orientation and specimen size in order to investigate their room temperature plastic deformation behavior. Plastic flow by the operation of three deformation modes, {1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯00}[0001], {2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯2} and {1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯01} slip were observed in [2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{2}}$$\end{document}2¯05]-, [0001]- and [4\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{3}}$$\end{document}3¯\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯0]-oriented micropillar specimens deformed at room temperature, respectively. The CRSS values were evaluated to be very high above 2.7 GPa and were confirmed to increase up to about 6 GPa with the decrease in the specimen size. The fracture toughness values are evaluated to be 0.45 MPa m1/2 (notch plane // (0001)) and 0.73 MPa m1/2 (notch plane //(1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\overline{1}}$$\end{document}1¯00)) based on the results of micro-cantilever bend tests of chevron-notched specimens. The fracture toughness values are considerably lower than those for D8l-Mo5SiB2 and D8l-Nb5Si3 evaluated by the same method, indicating the inherent brittleness of binary Ti5Si3 compared to the other transition-metal silicides of the TM5Si3 type (TM: transition-metal).

We report that in contrast to the anticipation, the macroscopic mechanical strength of single crystals of the face-centered-cubic (FCC) single-phase equiatomic Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni high entropy alloy (HEA) is not influenced by thermal annealing during which short-range ordering (SRO) is expected to develop. Experimental evidence shows that hardness at room temperature, critical resolved shear stress at room temperature and at 77 K and activation volume values of the alloys do not significantly vary with the annealing temperature in the range from 900 to1200°C. The stacking fault energies (SFEs) in the specimens deformed at 77 K following annealing at 1000 and 1200°C respectively are essentially identical to each other. These results clearly indicate that the impact of the formation of SRO on the macroscopic yield strength of the equiatomic Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni HEA is insignificant, even if it exists.

The room-temperature deformation behavior of single crystals of transition-metal (TM) disilicides with the tetragonal C11b (TM=Mo) and hexagonal C40 (TM = V, Cr, Nb and Ta) structures has been investigated by micropillar compression as a function of specimen size, paying special attention to the deformation behavior of the equivalent slip ({110} 1 ¯ 11> and (0001) 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 0>, respectively for the two structures). In contrast to bulk single crystals, in which high temperature at least exceeding 400 °C is usually needed for the operation of the equivalent slip, plastic flow is observed by the operation of the equivalent slip at room temperature for all these TM disilicides in the micropillar form. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) value exhibits the ‘smaller is stronger’ behavior following an inverse power-law relationship for all these TM disilicides. The bulk CRSS values at room temperature estimated from the specimen size dependence are 620 ± 40, 240 ± 20, 1,440 ± 10, 640 ± 20 and 1,300 ± 30 MPa for MoSi2, VSi2, CrSi2, NbSi2 and TaSi2, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the equivalent slip at room temperature occurs by a conventional shear mechanism for all TM disilicides, indicating the change in deformation mechanism from synchroshear in bulk to conventional shear in micropillars occurs in CrSi2 with decreasing temperature.

The equiatomic Cr-Co-Ni medium-entropy alloy has the face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. Bulk single crystals of this alloy were grown and tested in tension and compression between 14 K and 1373 K with the loading axis parallel to [ 1 ¯ 23]. At room temperature, the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) for {111} 1 ¯ 0> slip is 65 ± 5 MPa and does not exhibit a tension-compression asymmetry. It does, however, increase significantly as the test temperature decreases. A dulling of this temperature dependence occurs below 50 K, which may be due to the inertia effect. When the measured values above 50 K are extrapolated to lower temperatures, a value of 225 MPa is estimated for the CRSS at 0 K. This is larger than that (168 MPa) previously determined for the equiatomic Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni high-entropy alloy using a similar procedure. The stacking fault energy of the present Cr-Co-Ni is estimated to be about 14 mJm-2, which is sufficiently low to account for deformation twinning both at 77 K and room temperature. Twinning at 77 K occurs on conjugate ( 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 1) planes at an onset shear stress of 482 MPa after primary slip and propagates in the form of Luders deformation. At room temperature, twinning occurs uniformly throughout the gauge section on primary (111) planes at an onset shear stress of 381 MPa after primary and subsequent conjugate slip. Thin layers with the hexagonal close-packed stacking are observed in association with twinning both at 77 K and room temperature.

In our present study, AlB12 and SiB6 plate specimens prepared by spark plasma sintering AlB12 and SiB6 powders, respectively, and their tribological properties were investigated in the temperature range of 25°C to 1000°C in air. Also, the micro Vickers hardness of the AlB12 and SiB6 plate specimens were evaluated in the temperature range of 25°C to 1000°C in an Ar gas atmosphere. It was found that both the steady friction coefficients of the AlB12 and SiB6 plate specimens were as low as 0.07 to 0.08 at 1000°C. According to XPS analyses, it was found that Al2O3 and B2O3 films were observed on the worn surfaces of the AlB12 plate specimens after sliding at 1000°C. On the other hand, SiO2 and B2O3 films were observed on the worn surfaces of the SiB6 plate specimens after sliding at the same temperature. It was also found that both the boride plate specimens exhibited micro Vickers hardness as high as 20 GPa in the temperature range of 25°C to 1000°C.

The anisotropic deformation behavior of single crystals of Ti3SiC2 has been investigated at room temperature as a function of loading axis orientation and specimen size by micropillar compression tests. Basal slip is found to be only the operative slip system at room temperature. The a/3[1 2 ¯ 10] basal dislocation responsible for basal slip dissociates into two partial dislocations of the Shockley-type and glides between Ti1 and Si atomic layers, as confirmed both experimentally and theoretically. The CRSS value for basal slip increases with the decrease in the specimen size, following an inverse power-law relationship with a very large power-law exponent of about 1.0, which is almost the upper limit of those reported for FCC metals. When the loading axis is parallel to the basal plane, kink band formation occurs only after the occurrence of basal-plane delamination and the subsequent activation of a-dislocations gliding on the basal plane. Kink bands consists of a/3[1 2 ¯ 10] basal edge dislocations of the same sign, each of which had glided between Ti1 and Si atomic layers. These results indicates that the kink formation can simply be interpreted by the classical dislocation-based kink-formation model.