Is there a limit on how many different metals can be mixed into an alloy, and what would the results of alloying many different metals together be?
In: 52
There is a field of research on this called High Entropy Alloys/Multi-Principal Element Alloys. I did my thesis on it.
Cantor did work on it about 15-20 years ago where he shoved 20ish elements into a system.
Long story short, theoretically you can mix as many elements as you want into a system, but it comes down to if a stable solid solution phase will form with no secondary phases, and if the alloy will actually have properties you are looking for.
There is this really basic heuristic called the “cocktail effect,” where the finalized alloy will have properties from every constituent element, but that isn’t 100% the case and ignores microscopic effects like precipitation hardening and the such.
Latest Answers