Quantifying short-range order using atom probe tomography

Medium- and high-entropy alloys are an emerging class of materials that can exhibit outstanding combinations of strength and ductility for engineering applications. Computational simulations have suggested the presence of short-range order (SRO) in these alloys, and recent experimental evidence is also beginning to emerge. Unfortunately, the difficulty in quantifying the SRO under different heat treatment conditions has generated much debate on the atomic preferencing and implications of SRO on mechanical properties. Here we develop an approach to measure SRO using atom probe tomography. This method balances the limitations of atom probe tomography with the threshold values of SRO to map the regimes where the required atomistic neighbourhood information is preserved and where it is not. We demonstrate the method with a case study of the CoCrNi alloy and use this to monitor SRO changes induced by heat treatments. These species-specific SRO measurements enable the generation of computational simulations of atomic neighbourhood models that are equivalent to the experiment and can contribute to the further understanding and design of medium- and high-entropy alloys and other materials systems where SRO may occur.