High‐Performance Microwave‐Derived Multi‐Principal Element Alloy Coatings for Tribological Application

The authors report the development of Al_xCoCrFeNi (x = 0.1 to 3) high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings using a simple and straightforward microwave technique. The microstructure of the developed coatings is composed of a cellular structure and diffused interface with the substrate. The microstructure of the HEA coatings varies as a direct function of Al content. An increase in Al fraction shows structural transformation from FCC to BCC along with the evolution of σ and B₂ as the major secondary phases. The diffusion of Mo from the substrate enhances the mixing entropy and promotes σ‐phase formation. The HEA coatings show significantly high hardness compared to SS316L substrate steel (227 HV) with a maximum value of 726 HV observed for three‐molar composition. The fracture toughness exhibits an inverse correlation with the Al fraction with the highest value of around 49 MPa m^1/2 observed for Al_0.1CoCrFeNi coating. The equimolar coating composition shows lowest erosion rates among all the tested samples due to optimum combination of the mechanical properties. The erosion resistance of the equimolar coating is 2 to 5 times higher than steel substrate and around 1.5 times higher than the non‐equimolar counterparts depending upon the impingement angles.