Design Engineering: Chaos theory: Creating nanostructured high entropy alloys

One of the biggest challenges was narrowing down the elements that would be most suitable for research on high entropy alloys. (Photos courtesy of Michel Haché.)

Nanostructured high entropy alloys have shown a lot of potential for applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. These metals, created from a mix several different elements, have shown impressive strength and stability at high temperatures when compared to regular metals. The challenge with the production of these alloys is that they are energy intensive and expensive to produce. However, researchers from University of Toronto have been working with the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan to find less costly methods for the creation of these allows, which could generate opportunities for commercial applications.

A group of researchers from the University of Toronto have confirmed that these alloys could be created through the use of electrodeposition, the same process used for the production of chrome-plated metal parts. When comprised of a combination of metals—nickel, iron, cobalt, tungsten, and molybdenum—these alloys could withstand temperatures up to 500ºC, compared with 270ºC for pure nickel, and had increased durability.

This article originally featured in Design Engineering Magazine. Read the full version here.