TY - JOUR
T1 - Dual-phase eutectic ceramics with improved hardness and toughness via nano-coherent high-entropy oxides
AU - Wang, Xu
AU - Zhong, Yujie
AU - Li, Huadong
AU - Yuan, Ye
AU - Huang, Xiangyu
AU - Zhou, Cui
AU - Wan, Detian
AU - Tian, Yuan
AU - Zhai, Xingyue
AU - Zhu, Jihong
AU - Moumni, Zied
AU - Lu, Jian
AU - Zhang, Weihong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026.
PY - 2026/12
Y1 - 2026/12
N2 - Alumina-based eutectic ceramics exhibited high high-temperature strength but their intrinsic brittleness constrained broad structural applications. Here, we broke this limitation by introducing high-entropy rare-earth aluminate (REAlO3, RE = Gd0.25Eu0.25Nd0.25Sm0.25) into the Al2O3 matrix via directional solidification. The resulting dual-phase eutectics exhibited a unique architecture where single-crystalline Al2O3 was interlocked with bicrystalline high-entropy REAlO3, forming nanoscale coherent grain boundaries (~57.5 nm) and semi-coherent phase boundaries (lattice misfit <5.1%). The tailored microstructure and orientation relationship enabled a synergistic enhancement of Vickers hardness (19.4 GPa) and fracture toughness (5.5 MPa·m1/2), outperforming all reported binary alumina-based counterparts. The property synergy originated from a cascaded strengthening mechanism that spanned atomic-scale lattice distortion to nanoscale coherent interfaces, coupled with multi-mode toughening via crack deflection, bifurcation, and bridging. Our work establishes a high-entropy eutectic design strategy for engineering ceramics with exceptional mechanical performance under extreme conditions.
AB - Alumina-based eutectic ceramics exhibited high high-temperature strength but their intrinsic brittleness constrained broad structural applications. Here, we broke this limitation by introducing high-entropy rare-earth aluminate (REAlO3, RE = Gd0.25Eu0.25Nd0.25Sm0.25) into the Al2O3 matrix via directional solidification. The resulting dual-phase eutectics exhibited a unique architecture where single-crystalline Al2O3 was interlocked with bicrystalline high-entropy REAlO3, forming nanoscale coherent grain boundaries (~57.5 nm) and semi-coherent phase boundaries (lattice misfit <5.1%). The tailored microstructure and orientation relationship enabled a synergistic enhancement of Vickers hardness (19.4 GPa) and fracture toughness (5.5 MPa·m1/2), outperforming all reported binary alumina-based counterparts. The property synergy originated from a cascaded strengthening mechanism that spanned atomic-scale lattice distortion to nanoscale coherent interfaces, coupled with multi-mode toughening via crack deflection, bifurcation, and bridging. Our work establishes a high-entropy eutectic design strategy for engineering ceramics with exceptional mechanical performance under extreme conditions.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105046083039
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-026-74505-y
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-74505-y
M3 - 文章
C2 - 42285971
AN - SCOPUS:105046083039
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 17
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 7494
ER -