Effect of Nb Addition on the Corrosion and Wear Resistance of Laser Clad AlCr2FeCoNi High-Entropy Alloy Coatings

Laser clad AlCr2FeCoNiNbx (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, with x values in molar ratio) high-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings were fabricated on Q345 carbon steel. This study delves into the impact of Nb incorporation on the reciprocating sliding wear resistance of these laser clad coatings against a Φ6 mm silicon nitride ball. The microstructure of the as-clad AlCr2FeCoNiNbx coatings transformed from a single Face-Centered Cubic (FCC) solid solution (when x = 0) to the hypoeutectic state (when x = 0.5) and progressed to the hypereutectic state (when x ≥ 1.0). This evolution was marked by an increase in the Laves phase and a decrease in FCC. Consequently, the HEA coatings exhibited a gradually increasing Vickers hardness, reaching a peak at HV 820. Despite a decline in corrosion resistance, there was a notable enhancement in wear resistance, and the friction of the HEA coating could be reduced by Nb addition. The phase evolution induced by Nb addition led to a shift in the predominant wear mechanism from delamination wear to abrasive wear. The wear rate of Nb0.5 was impressively low, at 6.2 × 10−6 mm N−1 m−1 when reciprocating sliding under 20 N in air. In comparison to Nb0, Nb0.5 showcased 3.6, 7.2, and 6.5 times higher wear resistance at 5 N, 10 N, and 20 N, respectively. Under all applied loads, Nb1.5 has the lowest wear rate among all HEA coatings. This substantiates that the subtle introduction of Laves phase-forming elements to modulate hardness and oxidation ability proves to be an effective strategy for improving the wear resistance of HEA coatings.