Microstructural evolution and corrosion behavior of directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloy

The FeCoNiCrAl alloys have many potential applications in the fields of structural materials, but few attempts were made to characterize the directional solidification of high entropy alloys. In the present research, the microstructure and corrosion behavior of FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloy have been investigated under directional solidification. The results show that with increasing solidification rate, the interface morphology of the alloy evolves from planar to cellular and dendritic. The electrochemical experiment results demonstrate that the corrosion products of both non-directionally and directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloys appear as rectangular blocks in phases which Cr and Fe are enriched, while Al and Ni are depleted, suggesting that Al and Ni are dissolved into the NaCl solution. Comparison of the potentiodynamic polarization behaviors between the two differently solidified FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloys in a 3.5%NaCl solution shows that the corrosion resistance of directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloy is superior to that of the non-directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloy.