Recommendations for simplified yet robust assessments of atomic mobilities and diffusion coefficients of ternary and multicomponent solid solutions

Abstract This study extends a 1-parameter Z-Z-Z binary diffusion coefficient model to ternary and multicomponent systems. The cross-binary and ternary interaction parameters in atomic mobility (diffusion coefficient) assessments were systematically tested on 4 ternary solid solutions: fcc Ag-Au-Cu, fcc Co-Fe-Ni, fcc Cu-Fe-Ni, and bcc Nb-Ti-V. A simple combination of the Z-Z-Z binary model parameters without any additional fitting parameters already provides impressive predictions of the ternary diffusion coefficients when the 3 cross-binary parameters are set to be the corresponding binary Z-Z-Z model interaction parameters, leading to a robust Z-Z-ternary diffusion model. Employment of 3 independent cross-binary fitting parameters leads to an even better binary and cross-binary parameters only (BCBPO) model. Recommendations are rendered based upon the amount of available experimental ternary diffusion coefficients. These recommendations will substantially reduce the number of fitting parameters and improve the robustness of the resultant atomic mobility and diffusion coefficient databases for computational materials design.