Evaluation of Tribological and Electrochemical Properties of Multiphase CoCuFeNiNb High Entropy Alloy

Abstract

Recent research has heavily focused on high entropy alloys (HEAs) due to their promising potential for diverse industrial applications. This study investigates the CoCuFeNiNb alloy, analyzing its structural, tribological, and electrochemical characteristics. The alloy was synthesized using vacuum arc melting in an argon environment and was subsequently examined through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), wear testing, and corrosion analysis. The tribological and electrochemical performances were assessed through wear and corrosion experiments. The results reveal that the alloy contains FCC, BCC, and Laves phases. The coefficient of friction for the CoCuFeNiNb high entropy alloy increased to 0.28, 0.5, and 0.78 under loads of 0.25 MPa, 0.5 MPa, and 1 MPa, respectively. Observations of the wear surface showed abrasion wear at low pressure, delamination layers at medium pressure, and plastic deformation zones at high pressure. In a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the alloy exhibited a corrosion potential of -0.236 V and a corrosion current density of 1.89×10⁻⁵ A/cm².