| Abstract Scope |
Whereas metallic alloys are commonly designed to manipulate secondary-phase formation and microstructure to tailor mechanical behavior, this strategy is rarely used for ceramic materials. Yet recent studies have demonstrated that entropy stabilized oxides (ESOs) exhibit significant dislocation activity, and secondary-phase formation can be precisely controlled through carefully designed heat treatments and selection of ESO chemistry. However, the effect of oxide chemistry and secondary-phase formation on mechanical behavior has not yet been well characterized. In this study, we investigate the effect on mechanical behavior of adding aliovalent dopants, specifically Cr-, Fe-, Mn-, and Ti-oxides, into (Co,Cu,Mg,Ni,Zn)O. Conventional sintering and subsequent heat treatments are used to form bulk samples with multi-phase microstructures. X-ray diffraction and secondary electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used to characterize the multi-phase ESOs. Mechanical testing, including methods such as nanoindentation and nanoscratch testing are used to investigate the effect of dopants on the mechanical behavior of (Co,Cu,Mg,Ni,Zn)O. |