Design and fabrication of multiphase TiVCrZrW films with superior wear resistance and corrosion resistance

Abstract

High entropy alloys (HEAs) have the potential to overcome the conflict between hardness and toughness by incorporating dual-phase or multiphase structures. Under unbalanced magnetron sputtering, HEA films with large atomic size differences tend to form non-monophasic structures. In this study, based on a phase diagram calculation simulation, a multiphase TiVCrZrW film with deposition temperature-induced phase separation was successfully designed. Interestingly, the TiVCrZrW film deposited at 600 °C exhibited a multiphase structure including a double body-centered cubic (BCC) phase and Laves phase by spinodal decomposition, realizing a balance between hardness and toughness. The tribological experiments showed that the multiphase TiVCrZrW film provided superior wear resistance, with a minimum wear rate of 2.63 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/(N·m). The electrochemical experiment demonstrated the outstanding corrosion resistance of the multiphase TiVCrZrW film, and the corrosive solution was effectively inhibited by the ZrO₂ and Cr₂O₃ oxides passive film formed on the surface. According to the results of this study, TiVCrZrW protective films have a wide range of potential applications in various fields of marine engineering.