First-principles transition-state tensorial cluster expansion of vacancy diffusion in Ta-W beyond the kinetically-resolved activation approximation

Abstract

Predicting diffusion in chemically complex alloys remains challenging due to the strong dependence of migration barriers on local atomic environments. Migration barriers computed using density functional theory and nudged elastic band calculations are represented via a tensorial cluster expansion including transition states and deployed in on-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Applied to the Ta-W system, the framework captures nontrivial composition-dependent diffusion behavior arising from a crossover between solute trapping and percolated low-barrier transport pathways, yielding a maximum in the apparent activation energy near intermediate compositions. This approach establishes a general and scalable route for integrating first-principles transition-state energetics into mesoscale kinetic simulations, enabling predictive multiscale modeling of diffusion in chemically complex materials and providing a pathway for uncovering emergent transport phenomena.