{"title":"Nanostructured crystalline-amorphous FeCrCoNi-SiC high-entropy alloy thin film with a superior combination of strength and corrosion resistance","authors":"Zhenguang Gao, Shuqing Yuan, Xu Hou, Jinshu Xie, Wenqing Yang, K.C. Chan, Xu-Sheng Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.162091","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The advancement of ultra-strong and corrosion-resistant high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is pivotal for diverse engineering applications. In this work, magnetron co-sputtering is employed to construct a novel nanostructured crystalline-amorphous FeCrCoNi-SiC (NC C-A HEA-SiC) composite film, featuring FeCoNi-rich nanograins encapsulated by CrSiC-segregated amorphous grain boundaries (GBs). Results show that this nanocomposite film exhibits exceptional compressive yield stress (YS) of ∼3.5 GPa, significantly higher than ∼0.9 GPa in coarse-grained FeCrCoNi (CG HEA) bulk and ∼2.0 GPa in nanocrystalline FeCrCoNi (NC HEA) film. Detailed microstructural analyses unveil that ultrahigh strength with notable plasticity in nanocomposite film stems from co-deformation mechanisms involving initial preserved dislocation activities within nanograins and subsequent amorphous GB crystallization-induced grain coarsening. Additionally, the NC C-A HEA-SiC composite film shows lowest corrosion current density (i<sub>corr</sub>) of 2.98 × 10<sup>−8</sup> A/cm<sup>2</sup> in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, relative to 1.49 × 10<sup>−7</sup> A/cm<sup>2</sup> in CG HEA bulk and 5.80 × 10<sup>−8</sup> A/cm<sup>2</sup> in NC HEA film. The enhanced anti-corrosive performance primarily results from CrSiC-rich amorphous GBs that facilitate the formation of dense protective layer and balance corrosion potential between nanograins and GBs to foster a uniform corrosion process. This work provides valuable insights into designing innovative HEAs with superior mechanical-anticorrosion synergy.","PeriodicalId":247,"journal":{"name":"Applied Surface Science","volume":"73 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Surface Science","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.162091","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
Nanostructured crystalline-amorphous FeCrCoNi-SiC high-entropy alloy thin film with a superior combination of strength and corrosion resistance
The advancement of ultra-strong and corrosion-resistant high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is pivotal for diverse engineering applications. In this work, magnetron co-sputtering is employed to construct a novel nanostructured crystalline-amorphous FeCrCoNi-SiC (NC C-A HEA-SiC) composite film, featuring FeCoNi-rich nanograins encapsulated by CrSiC-segregated amorphous grain boundaries (GBs). Results show that this nanocomposite film exhibits exceptional compressive yield stress (YS) of ∼3.5 GPa, significantly higher than ∼0.9 GPa in coarse-grained FeCrCoNi (CG HEA) bulk and ∼2.0 GPa in nanocrystalline FeCrCoNi (NC HEA) film. Detailed microstructural analyses unveil that ultrahigh strength with notable plasticity in nanocomposite film stems from co-deformation mechanisms involving initial preserved dislocation activities within nanograins and subsequent amorphous GB crystallization-induced grain coarsening. Additionally, the NC C-A HEA-SiC composite film shows lowest corrosion current density (icorr) of 2.98 × 10−8 A/cm2 in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, relative to 1.49 × 10−7 A/cm2 in CG HEA bulk and 5.80 × 10−8 A/cm2 in NC HEA film. The enhanced anti-corrosive performance primarily results from CrSiC-rich amorphous GBs that facilitate the formation of dense protective layer and balance corrosion potential between nanograins and GBs to foster a uniform corrosion process. This work provides valuable insights into designing innovative HEAs with superior mechanical-anticorrosion synergy.
期刊介绍:
Applied Surface Science covers topics contributing to a better understanding of surfaces, interfaces, nanostructures and their applications. The journal is concerned with scientific research on the atomic and molecular level of material properties determined with specific surface analytical techniques and/or computational methods, as well as the processing of such structures.