Effect of carbon fiber on microstructure evolution and surface properties of FeCoCrNiCu high-entropy alloy coatings

FeCoCrNiCu and C-f/FeCoCrNiCu high-entropy alloy coatings are prepared by laser cladding to study the effects of carbon fiber on the microstructure and surface properties of the FeCoCrNiCu alloy. It is found that the addition of carbon fiber has little effect on the phase structure of the FeCoCrNiCu alloy coating. However, an interesting finding is that the addition of carbon fiber could decrease the segregation of Cu-element along the grain boundaries in the FeCoCrNiCu coating. In addition, the addition of carbon fiber can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the FeCoCrNiCu alloy coating. It can also reduce the intergranular corrosion in the coating. Moreover, the addition of carbon fiber has positive effects on the improvement in the hardness and wear resistance of the high-entropy alloys (HEAs) coatings. The decreased segregation of Cu-element along the grain boundaries is mainly attributed to the significant improvement in surface properties of the HEA coatings.