Unusual deformation mechanisms evoked by hetero-zone interaction in a heterostructured FCC high-entropy alloy

Understanding the synergistic mechanical effects of heterostructured materials remains challenging due to the complexities in the underlying deformation mechanisms, which are usually diverse, activated at different length scales and possibly interacting. Here, we unravel a deformation fundamental for heterostructures: in addition to the direct contribution on strength, hetero-zone interaction and the development of long-range internal stress could assist in evoking extra plastic mechanisms that are difficult to activate in their homogeneous counterparts. Specifically, the deformation of a heterostructure in Al_0.1CoCrFeNi alloy, featuring nanostructured hard lamellae embedded in fine-grained soft matrix, is taken as an example for study. Drawing from experimental insights, the long-range internal stress buildup at elastoplastic transition stage due to intense dislocation pile-ups against hetero-zone boundary, which increases yield strength significantly, is theoretically analyzed. At the plastic stage, the high internal stress helps to activate phase transformation in the fine-grained zones, and the inter-zone constraint leads to form dispersed stable strain bands in the nanostructured zones. These extra mechanisms, together with enhanced deformation twinning, facilitate work hardening and coordinate the strain partitioning between zones, imparting improved ductility at high flow stress. These findings indicate a principle for heterostructural design: introducing strong hetero-zone interaction to enhance internal stress and thereby invoke new deformation mechanisms.