Synthesis of High-Entropy Alloy AlTiZrVNb by Aluminothermic Reaction

The possibility of using the aluminothermic method for the reduction of metals from oxides in the synthesis of high-entropy alloys is shown. The features of the aluminothermal production of a high-entropy AlTiZrVNb alloy in a resistance furnace, where the structure is formed during the interaction of oxides of transitional refractory rare metals with aluminum at high temperatures, have been experimentally studied. The resulting products have been studied by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It has been found that the interaction of Al with a mixture of TiO2, ZrO2, V2O5, and Nb2O5 oxides proceeds with a very good separation of the oxide and metal phases. According to the SEM results, the microstructure of the alloy is a solid solution with Al2O3 impurity inclusions.