A diffusion multiple approach for the accelerated design of structural materials

A diffusion multiple is an assembly of three or more different metal blocks, in intimate Interfacial contact, that is subjected to a high temperature to allow thermal interdiffusion. The power of using a diffusion multiple approach in the efficient mapping of phase diagrams and materials properties for multicomponent alloy systems is illustrated in this article using several examples. It is now possible to map phase diagrams and materials properties at an efficiency some 3 orders of magnitude higher than the conventional one-alloy-at-a-time approach. With this high efficiency, many critical materials data that otherwise would be too time-consuming and expensive to acquire can be obtained and employed to accelerate our understanding of a system's materials physics and chemistry. It is postulated that coupling the diffusion multiple approach with the CALPHAD (calculation of phase diagrams) method will have a significant impact on the computational design of materials.