Microstructural Control and Hydrogen Storage Performance of C14 and BCC - High Entropy Alloys Processed by High-Pressure Torsion

• Grant number: 25/04486-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: October 06, 2025
• End date: October 05, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Physical Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Floriano
• Grantee: Gaspar Andrade
• Supervisor: Kaveh Edalati
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas (FCA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Kyushu University, Japan
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/02216-2 - Studies of Metal-Hydrogen Reaction Mechanisms in Multicomponent Alloys for Solid-State Hydrogen Storage: Applications of in-situ X-ray Diffraction, BP.DR

Abstract

This project, in collaboration with the Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER) from the University of Kyushu, Japan, expects to explore new mechanical processing for High Entropy Alloys (HEAs) for enhance hydrogen storage capabilities, targeting operations at low temperatures and pressures for solid-state hydrogen storage systems. By focusing on multiphase BCC and C14 Laves multicomponent alloys, the project seeks to understand the effect of the mechanical mixture of pure BCC and C14-based HEAs using High-Pressure Torsion (HPT). The process can be precisely controlled towards the number of turns and the pressure imposed on the material, facing different levels of shear stress. The selected process parameters will be correlated to the microstructural changes and characteristics of the novel alloys. Also, a possible synergy between the two crystalline structures after the mixture and the impact on the hydrogen diffusion mechanisms will be investigated. By HPT, we aim to control the size, dispersion, and defect density and correlate these microstructural features with their hydrogen storage properties. The development of a new class of functionalized multicomponent alloys with superior hydrogen storage properties by the mechanical mixture of single-phase precursor alloys is expected with the conclusion of the BEPE project. (AU)