Paracrystalline property of high-entropy alloys

Atomic structure models of six-component high-entropy alloys with body-centered cubic structure are successfully built according to the principle of maximum entropy for the first time. The lattice distortion parameters g of seven typical high-entropy alloys are calculated. From the optimized lattice configuration of high-entropy alloys, we show that these alloys are ideal three-dimensional paracrystals. The formation mechanism, structural feature, mechanical property, and application prospect of high-entropy alloys are discussed in comparison with the traditional alloys. The novel properties of body-centered cubic high-entropy alloys are attributed to the failure of dislocation deformation mechanism and the difficulty of directed particle diffusion. (C) 2013 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.