Magnetic Phase Transition, Elastic and Thermodynamic Properties of L12-(Ni,Cu)3(Al,Fe,Cr) in 3d High-Entropy Alloys

The phase stability and elastic properties of paramagnetic (PM), ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases in L12-(Ni,Cu)3(Al,Fe,Cr) alloy are first investigated using the exact muffin-tin orbitals (EMTO) method in combination with the coherent potential approximation (CPA). The result shows the AFM structure phase of the three is the most stable in the ground state. Calculated elastic constants show that all the phases are mechanically stable, and have uncovered that L12-(Ni,Cu)3(Al,Fe,Cr) can achieve good strength and ductility simultaneously. Then, crucial thermal properties are described satisfactorily using the Debye–Grüneisen model, showing heat capacity, Gibbs free energy G, the competitive contribution of entropy −TS and enthalpy H exhibiting significant temperature dependences. Moreover, the magnetic phase transition thermodynamics was studied, which suggests that −TS has a primary contribution to Gibbs free energy and may play a key role in the phase transition. The present results can benefit the understanding of the mechanical, thermodynamic and magnetic properties of the L12 structure phase in 3d high-entropy alloys.