2026 Abrantes Modified HEA LPBF Review

This review compiles and analyzes the current state of the art of modified high entropy alloys (MHEAs) processed by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), establishing composition-processing-microstructure-property relationships that define their printability, structural integrity, and performance. After contextualizing HEA/MHEA concepts and LPBF-specific solidification phenomena, the review places particular emphasis on the modification strategies that tailor phase stability, melt-pool behavior, and processability. These include targeted alloying additions, principal-element ratio adjustments, and microalloying routes to stabilize FCC/BCC/B2 phase composition, mitigate cracking, and enable precipitation strengthening or microstructural refinement under LPBF’s rapid thermal cycles. A second major focus is the correlation between these compositional modifications and the resulting mechanical properties in both the as-built and post-processed conditions. The compiled data reveals distinct strength-ductility regimes across Cantor-type alloys, Al-containing dual-phase systems, and refractory BCC-based MHEAs, demonstrating how specific elemental additions, phase engineering strategies, and post-processing treatments modulate hardness, tensile behavior, elongation, and failure modes. The comparative analysis highlights the strong dependency of mechanical properties on controlled phase fractions, segregation behavior, precipitates distribution, and defects. Overall, this review shows that the successful deployment of LPBF-processed MHEAs critically depends on composition-aware process design, where alloy modification strategies and mechanical property requirements must be jointly optimized.