Role of Cu in Nanostructural Relationship Between Phase Separation and Deformation-Induced Twinning in Heavily Drawn Non-Equiatomic High-Entropy Alloy Wire

This study investigates the influence of Cu addition on the nanostructural evolution and mechanical performance of a heavily drawn non-equiatomic CoCu1.71FeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) wire. Through systematic microstructural and compositional analysis, we examine how Cu constituent affects phase separation behavior and promotes deformation-induced nano-twinning in another phase counterpart. The designed HEA wire exhibits an elongated ultrafine dual face-centered cubic (fcc) lamella structure (i.e., Co-Fe-rich and Cu-rich phases) that emerges through compositional segregation by spontaneous phase separation from the as-cast state. High-resolution electron microscopy reveals the dislocation wall boundaries stabilized by nanoscale phase interfaces. The cold-drawn CoCu1.71FeMnNi wire features an impressive combination of strength and ductility, as well as an ultimate tensile strength of nearly ~2 GPa with an elongation of over ~6%. These findings highlight the critical role of compositional tuning in controlling the ultrafine lamella structure stabilized by spinodal-like phase decomposition, offering a pathway to engineering high-performance HEA wires for advanced structural applications.