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Pressure-stabilized dual-BCC polymorphism in a rhenium-based high-entropy alloy

Raimundas Sereika*, Andrew D. Pope, Hunter Kantelis, Caleb M. Knight, Kallol Chakrabarty, and Yogesh K. Vohra

  • *Contact author: rsereika@uab.edu
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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 043602 – Published 24 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8smt-nygp

Abstract

Accessing metastable structural states in high-entropy alloys (HEAs) offers a promising route to tailor material properties, yet the use of high pressure to engineer such states remains underexplored. Here, we report the pressure-driven synthesis of a unique metastable dual-BCC microstructure in a near-equimolar ReNbTiZrHf alloy. Starting from an ambient two-phase mixture of hexagonal (C14-derived) and body-centered cubic (BCC) phases, compression induces a selective, diffusionless transformation of the hexagonal constituent into a second, crystallographically distinct BCC polymorph, while the original BCC phase remains stable. Upon decompression, the pressure-induced BCC phase is kinetically trapped, yielding a dual-BCC state that is inaccessible via conventional thermal processing. The pressure-stabilized BCC polymorph is Re-enriched and inherits the exceptional stiffness of its hexagonal parent (bulk modulus ∼290 GPa), creating a composite microstructure with pronounced elastic and mechanical contrast relative to the softer original BCC matrix (∼180 GPa). These findings demonstrate that pressure can effectively navigate the flat free-energy landscapes of chemically complex alloys, establishing a robust pathway for polymorph engineering and metastable phase design in refractory HEAs.

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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 043602– Published 24 April, 2026
  • Received 3 February 2026
  • Accepted 2 April 2026
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