The properties of a material are sensitive to chemically-ordered structure in multi-element alloys. Understanding the effects of chemical short-range order (SRO) on magnetic and mechanical properties is important. In this work, we use the Monte Carlo method in combination with density functional theory to investigate atomic nearest neighbor distribution, magnetic moment and elastic modulus in FeCoNi (AlSi)_x alloys. It is found that the prominent feature of the FeCoNi (AlSi)_x alloys is the change of SRO parameters: the SRO parameters are positive between Al-Al, Al-Si, Si-Si pairs and negative between Ni-Al, Co-Si, Fe-Co, Ni-Si and Fe-Si pairs. The Al and Si elements tend to bond with Fe, Co, Ni elements to form an SRO structure. The change of the atomic nearest neighbor environment leads to a reduction in the atomic magnetic moments of magnetic elements. The calculated saturation magnetizations by considering the effect of SRO are in good accord with the experimental values. We further show that SRO leads to an increase of the elastic modulus, by sacrificing ductility and isotropy. In the study of the structure and properties of high entropy alloys, the effect of SRO should not be ignored.

High-entropy Al_xCoCrFe_2.7MoNi (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0) alloy coatings were prepared on pure iron by laser cladding. The effects of Al content on the microstructure, hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the coatings were studied. The results showed that the crystal phases of the Al_xCoCrFe_2.7MoNi coatings changed from Mo-rich BCC1 + FCC to (Al, Ni)-rich BCC2 + Mo-rich BCC1 when x increased from 0 to 0.5, and the phase changed to an (Al, Ni)-rich BCC2 + (Mo, Cr)-rich σ phase as x increased further. The hardness of the coatings increased as the Al content increased. The Al_2.0CoCrFe_2.7MoNi coating exhibit best wear resistance. Addition of Al increased the corrosion potential in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, and the coating with x = 1.0 exhibited the highest corrosion resistance.