This study investigated the corrosion properties of a Fe ₅₀ Mn ₃₀ Co ₁₀ Cr ₁₀ dual-phase high-entropy alloy (DP-HEA) in 0.1 M H ₂ SO ₄ aqueous solution. The observed corrosion properties of the DP-HEA were compared with those of an equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA). Moreover, a passive film formed on the surface of the DP-HEA in an acidic environment was directly imaged and characterized for the first time through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Both alloys exhibited typical active–passive behaviors in the potentiodynamic polarization test and presented similar passive current densities. The HR-TEM results revealed that the anodic passive films formed on the surfaces of the two alloys had similar thicknesses (3–5 nm). However, potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that the DP-HEA had a higher corrosion current density and lower corrosion potential than did the HEA. XPS revealed that the anodic passive film formed on the DP-HEA contained a lower ratio of Cr ₂ O ₃ /Cr(OH) ₃ , which led to poor corrosion resistance properties, as demonstrated by the potentiodynamic polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Surface condition and corrosion resistance are major concerns when metallic materials are going to be utilized for applications. In this study, FeCoNiCr medium-entropy alloy (MEA) is first treated with a nitrogen atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and then coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) for the surface modification. The hydrophobicity of the FeCoNiCr MEA was effectively improved by OTS-coating treatment, APPJ treatment, or the combination of both treatments (OTS-coated APPJ-treated), which increased the water contact angle from 54.49° of the bare MEA to 70.56°, 93.94°, and 88.42°, respectively. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests demonstrate that the APPJ-treated FeCoNiCr MEA exhibits the best anti-corrosion properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that APPJ treatment at 700 °C oxidizes all the alloying elements in the FeCoNiCr MEA, which demonstrates that a short APPJ treatment of two-minute is effective in forming a metal oxide layer on the surface to improve the corrosion resistance of FeCoNiCr MEA. These results provide a convenient and rapid method for improving surface properties of FeCoNiCr MEA.