Investigation of the Microstructure and Properties of CoCrFeNiMo High-Entropy Alloy Coating Prepared through High-Speed Laser Cladding

Abstract

High-speed laser cladding was introduced to prepare a CoCrFeNiMo high-entropy alloy (HEA) coating. The microstructure, composition distribution, micromechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the CoCrFeNiMo coating were characterized. As a result, the coating exhibited a dual FCC- and BCC-phase structure, and the grain size of the coating prepared through high-speed laser cladding was only 2~5 μm. The upper and lower parts of the coating were composed of equiaxed cellular crystals and slender columnar crystals, respectively. The interdendritic structure was a Mo-rich phase that was distributed in a network-like pattern. The nanoindentation tests revealed that the interdendritic BCC phase had high hardness and an elastic modulus as well as excellent resistance to deformation, while the intradendritic FCC phase possessed superior crack propagation resistance. In addition, the two phases could generate cooperative elastic deformation during the elastic deformation stage. The electrochemical performance of the coating was tested in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, and the corrosion potential Ecorr and corrosion current density Icorr of the coating were −0.362 V and 3.69 × 10−6 A/cm2, respectively. The high-speed laser cladding CoCrFeNiMo HEA coating had excellent corrosion resistance thanks to the presence of the easily passivating element Mo and grain refinement.