Ni-Co-W-Zr(P) Quinary-based Medium Entropy Alloy Achieved by an Electrochemical Route and Its Properties

Abstract We report the novel synthesis of a quinary Ni-Co-W-Zr(P) medium entropy alloy employing an electroless deposition technique. This represents the first documented attempt to fabricate such a composition using this method, providing new insights into alloy development and synthesis processes. In this work, we examine how the microstructure and mechanical and electrochemical characteristics of the quinary medium entropy alloy NiCoWZr(P) relate to one another. The morphology, phase composition, and elemental content of the samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, which revealed their microstructure. The mechanical properties of the materials were assessed through scratch testing. The coefficient of friction rose sharply from 0.23 to 3.25 due to the presence of extra elements in the Ni(P) matrix. To evaluate the corrosion characteristics of deposits in a non-deaerated 3.5% wt. (NaCl) solution, polarization analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests were conducted. The results show that the corrosion potential exhibited a positive shift, and the corrosion current density decreased to 62.803 μA/cm² as the concentration of CoWZr components in the bath increased.