Additive manufacturing of an aluminum matrix composite reinforced with nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy particles

In the present work, a metal-metal composite consisting of aluminum-magnesium alloy AA5083 matrix and nanocrystalline CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy reinforcement particles in 12 vol% was successfully friction deposited in multiple layers. The layer interfaces or the reinforcement/matrix interfaces showed no brittle intermetallic formation - thanks to the inert nature as well as the high strength and hardness of the high entropy alloy reinforcement particles. The composite showed significantly higher tensile and compressive strengths as compared to standard wrought-processed alloy AA5083-H112 and offered a much better combination of strength and ductility when compared to conventional aluminum matrix composites reinforced with ceramic particles. The current study establishes friction deposition as a viable technique for additive manufacturing of novel high-performance composite materials.