Influence of Aluminum and Molybdenum on the Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Thermally Sprayed High-Entropy Alloy Coatings

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have shown a wide range of promising structural and functional properties. By the application of coating technology, an economical exploitation can be achieved. The high wear and corrosion resistance of HEAs make them particularly interesting for the application as protective coatings. Especially for alloys with a high chromium content, a high corrosion resistance has been revealed. For the current investigations, the equimolar HEA CrFeCoNi with a single-phase face centered cubic structure is considered as a base alloy system. To increase the corrosion resistance as well as the hardness and strength, the influence of the alloying elements aluminum and molybdenum is analyzed. For the current investigations, the high kinetic process high-velocity oxygen fuel thermal spraying (HVOF) has been considered to produce coatings with a low porosity and oxide content. Feedstock is produced by inert gas atomization. The influence of the alloy composition on the microstructure, phase formation and resulting property profile is studied in detail. A detailed analysis of the corrosion resistance and underlying mechanisms is conducted. The pitting and passivation behavior are investigated by potentiodynamic polarization measurements in NaCl and H2SO4 electrolyte. A distinct improvement of the corrosion resistance can be achieved for the alloy Al0.3CrFeCoNiMo0.2.