Mechanisms of wear and corrosion resistance in amorphous TiZrNb-based high-entropy alloys film

This study presents the development of a series of TiZrNbHfNix amorphous high-entropy alloys (HEAs) films that demonstrate exceptional corrosion and wear resistance. An increase in nickel content results in greater lattice distortion, which is reflected by a shift of X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks towards higher angles. Notably, the transition in hydrophilicity observed in the samples is attributed to variations in surface roughness. The sample with x = 2.5 exhibited optimal corrosion resistance, characterized by an open circuit potential (Ecorr) of 0.49 V and a corrosion current density (Icorr) of 3.7 × 10^-8 A/cm². This enhanced performance can be ascribed to the formation of nickel oxides that effectively fill the pores generated by passive film dissolution, thereby improving the integrity of the film. In wear tests, the film with x = 2.0 displayed superior wear resistance, evidenced by a friction coefficient of 0.2 and a wear coefficient of 4.5 × 10^-11 Pa. This improvement is associated with a reduced shear transformation zone resulting from its high-entropy state, which diminishes the likelihood of initiating wear cracks. Overall, the design strategy employed for these amorphous high-entropy alloys represents a promising approach for developing high-performance protective coatings.