Materials can be subjected to severe wear and corrosion due to high temperature, high pressure and mechanical loads when used in components for the production of geothermal power. In an effort to increase the lifetime of these components and thus decrease cost due to maintenance High-Entropy Alloy Coatings (HEACs) were developed with different coating techniques for anti-wear properties. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of CoCrFeNiMo_x (at% x = 20, 27) HEACs deposited by three different technologies—high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF), laser cladding (LC) and electro-spark deposition (ESD)—are presented in this study. The relationship between surface morphology and microstructural properties of the as-deposited coatings and their friction and wear behavior is assessed to evaluate their candidacy as coatings for the geothermal environment. The wear rates were lower for the HVOF coatings compared to LC and ESD-produced coatings. Similarly, a higher hardness (445 ± 51 HV) was observed for the HVOF HEACs. The mixed FCC, BCC structure and the extent of σ + µ nano precipitates are considered responsible for the increased hardness and improved tribological performance of the HEACs. The findings from the study are valuable for the development of wear-resistant HEAC for geothermal energy industry applications where high wear is encountered.

In this work, a CoCrFeNiMo high-entropy alloy (HEA) material was prepared by the vacuum arc melting (VAM) method and used for electro-spark deposition (ESD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the phase evolution and microstructure of the CoCrFeNiMo HEA as as-cast and electro-spark-deposited (ESD) coating to assess its suitability for corrosvie environments encountered in geothermal energy production. The composition, morphology, and structure of the bulk material and the coating were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The hardness of the bulk material was measured to access the mechanical properties when preselecting the composition to be pursued for the ESD coating technique. For the same purpose, electrochemical corrosion tests were performed in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution on the bulk material. The results showed the VAM CoCrFeNiMo HEA material had high hardness (593 HV) and low corrosion rates (0.0072 mm/year), which is promising for the high wear and corrosion resistance needed in the harsh geothermal environment. The results from the phase evolution, chemical composition, and microstructural analysis showed an adherent and dense coating with the ESD technique, but with some variance in the distribution of elements in the coating. The crystal structure of the as-cast electrode CoCrFeNiMo material was identified as face centered cubic with XRD, but additional BCC and potentially σ phase was formed for the CoCrFeNiMo coating.

High-entropy alloys could provide a solution for corrosion resistance due to their impressive properties. Solid-state processing of high purity Co, Cr, Fe, Ni and Mo metallic powders and consolidation resulted in a bulk material that was further machined into electro spark deposition electrodes. After the stainless steel substrate surface preparation, thin successive layers of the high-entropy alloy were deposited and Pull-Off testing was performed on the newly obtained coating, for a better understanding of the adhesion efficiency of this technique. Good adhesion of the coating to the substrate was proved by the test and no cracks or exfoliations were present. Corrosion resistance testing was performed in a liquid solution of 3.5 wt.% NaCl for 6 h at room temperature and the results obtained validated our hypothesis that CoCrFeNiMo_0.85 high-entropy alloys could provide corrosion resistance when coating a stainless steel substrate.

The aim of the present paper is to investigate an innovative high corrosion resistance coating realized by electrospark deposition. The coating material was fabricated from HfNbTaTiZr high-entropy alloy. HEA was produced by the mechanical alloying of Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, and Zr high-purity powders in a planetary ball mill, achieving a good homogenization and a high alloying degree, followed by spark plasma sintering consolidation. The electrodes for electrospark deposition were cut and machined from the bulk material. Stainless steel specimens were coated and electrochemically tested for corrosion resistance in a 3.5% NaCl saline solution.

A compositionally complex alloy (CCA) was developed in powder form and applied as a coating onto a carbon steels substrate by using thermal spray. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of microstructural modification induced by using two different powder production methods, mechanical alloying and gas atomisation, onto the corrosion resistance of the coatings for a CoCrFeMo_0.85Ni composition. The evolution of microstructure from powders to coatings was analysed using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. In order to evaluate the corrosion performance of the coatings, electrochemical corrosion tests were performed in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution at pH = 4. The study demonstrates that the powder production method has a significant influence on the phase composition and, in turn, corrosion behaviour of the resulting coating, with the gas atomising route imparting better corrosion resistance properties. Nevertheless, the appearance of the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase characteristic of the CoCrFeMo_0.85Ni alloy within the coating produced from the mechanically alloyed powder, opens the possibility for this powder manufacturing technique to effectively produce compositionally complex alloys.

In the last years high entropy alloys have been investigated due to their high hardness, high temperature stability and unusual properties that make these alloys to have significant interest. In comparison with traditional alloys that are based on two or three major elements, this new generation alloys consists at least of 5 principal elements, with the concentration between 5 and 35 at.%. The present paper reports synthesis of high entropy alloys (HEA) and high entropy composites (HEC) synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA). The equiatomic AlCrFeNiMn matrix was used for creating the HEA matrix, starting from elemental powders and as reinforcing material for composites was used pure graphite. The mechanical alloying process was carried out at different duration, in a high energy planetary ball mill, under argon atmosphere. The elemental powders alloying began after '5 hours of milling and was complete after 40 hours. The mechanical alloyed matrix and composite was pressed and heat treated under argon protection. The elemental powers were investigated for physical - technological properties, and by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Phase pressing operation was realized with a hydraulic press and the applied pressure was progressive. The sintering process was carried out at 850°C for 2 h. The X-ray diffraction revealed that the MA process resulted in solid solutions formation and also revealed body- centred cubic (BCC) and face-centred cubic (FCC) structures with average grain size around 40 nm. In addition, nanoscale particles were highlighted by scanning electron microscopy, as well as the homogeneity of the chemical composition of the matrix and composite that was confirmed by EDX microanalysis. It was noted that HEA matrix and HEA composites were processed with a high degree of compaction and with a quite large capacity of mixed powder densification (around 70%).