Additive manufacturing of an aluminum matrix composite reinforced with nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy particles

In the present work, a metal-metal composite consisting of aluminum-magnesium alloy AA5083 matrix and nanocrystalline CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy reinforcement particles in 12 vol% was successfully friction deposited in multiple layers. The layer interfaces or the reinforcement/matrix interfaces showed no brittle intermetallic formation – thanks to the inert nature as well as the high strength and hardness of the high-entropy alloy reinforcement particles. The composite showed significantly higher tensile and compressive strengths as compared to standard wrought-processed alloy AA5083-H112 and offered a much better combination of strength and ductility when compared to conventional aluminum matrix composites reinforced with ceramic particles. The current study establishes friction deposition as a viable technique for additive manufacturing of novel high-performance composite materials.