Corrosion Resistance of AlxCoCrFeNiM (M = Ti, V, Si, Mn, Cu) High Entropy Alloys in NaCl and H2SO4 Solutions

The electrochemical behavior of as-cast AlxCoCrFeNiM (M = Ti, V, Si, Mn, Cu) high entropy alloys (HEAs) in 1 M NaCl and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions is studied. Polarization measurements were carried out in a standard three-electrode electrochemical cell with a platinum auxiliary electrode using a P-30J potentiostat device. The potentials were measured relative to a saturated silver chloride reference electrode EVL-1M3 at room temperature (25 degrees C) with a sweep rate of 5 mV/s. It is shown that despite a wide passivation region, Al0.5CoCrFeNi1.6Ti0.7 HEA undergoes significant corrosion in both sodium chloride and sulfuric acid solutions and exhibits low corrosion potential and current density. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed that Ti-containing eutectic areas are the most susceptible regions to corrosion. Intergranular corrosion was found in Al0.25CoCrFeNiMn and Al0.25CoCrFeNiCu HEAs. Moreover, Al0.25CoCrFeNiCu possesses the smallest passivation interval Delta E among all the investigated HEAs. For samples with Ti, Mn, and Cu, a protective film layer is not formed on the surface of the phases enriched in these elements, or it is brittle and crumbles. For samples with Si and V, a passivating film is formed. Thus, Al0.45CoCrFeNiSi0.45 and Al0.25CoCrFeNiV HEAs exhibited the highest resistance in 1 M NaCl and 0.5 M H2SO4 corrosive environments, respectively.