Structural Characterization of High Entropy Alloy (FeCoCrNiMn) Synthesized by Mechanical Alloying

High entropy alloys (HEAs) which usually contain five or more elements with equal or near equal atomic ratios, were proposed recently at the start of this century [1,2]. It opens up the possibility of creating new metallic alloys with good mechanical properties, especially at elevated temperatures. In these alloys, the entropy term may dominate over enthalpy, preventing the occurrence of chemical ordering [3,4]. Mechanical alloying (MA) process is described by the repeated welding and fracturing of powder particles entrapped between milling media, the extent of which depends on the mechanical attributes of powder constituents. MA offers the advantage of extended solid solubility even in immiscible systems. It can be attributed to the enhanced diffusion rates due to nanosize of powder components before alloying. Therefore, besides increased configurational entropy, MA lends enhanced stability to solid solution phases in HEAs [5].