On the energetics of the cubic-to-hexagonal transformations in TiAl+Mo alloys

Diffusionless transformations allow access to metastable phases and enrich the materials design portfolio. They are well suited for atomistic modeling; nonetheless, they are challenging when involving disordered systems or alloys with complex compositions. This work presents a comprehensive study of transformation energetics between bcc and hcp ordered and disordered phases in the TiAl+Mo model alloy system. By employing two complementary techniques I. VASP-SQS, and II. EMTO-CPA, we can show that chemical disorder flattens the energy landscape but may introduce a small barrier. Unlike that, the energetics of ordered phases are barrier-less and hence would suggest a spontaneous transformation. Finally, we show that Mo stabilizes the bcc phases, leading to a barrier-less transformation hcp→bcc for both ordered and disordered states when Mo content exceeds ≈12 at.%.