Effect of multiple laser remelting on microstructure and corrosion resistance of Fe0.5CoCrNi1.5Nb0.68Mo0.3 high entropy alloy coatings

High entropy alloy (HEA) coatings of FeCoCrNiNbMo was prepared on 304 stainless steel using laser cladding and subsequently remelted multiple times. The effects of multiple thermal cycles on the phase composition, grain size, microstructure evolution, and corrosion resistance of the coatings are thoroughly investigated. The original coating consisted of face-centered cubic (FCC), Laves, and NbC phases, and the phase composition does not change obviously, but the distribution and microstructure of the phase change significantly after multiple remelting. As the number of remelting times increased, the bar-like eutectic structure decreased while the lamellar eutectic structure became more prominent. Laser remelting induced dynamic recrystallization in the coating, resulting in a transformation from columnar grains to equiaxed grains, and then back to columnar grains. The grain size also changes significantly with different remelting times. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impact spectroscopy measurements were conducted in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the coating. The results revealed both the original coating and the once-remelted coating exhibited lower corrosion current density and higher corrosion potential, but the latter had a higher Faraday impedance. Additionally, immersion tests were performed in 10 wt% FeCl solution, which demonstrated that the once-remelted coating displayed fine and uniform corrosion pits with shallow depth. This study provides theoretical support for the regulation of microstructure and the optimization of coating performance. Furthermore, the microstructure evolution law discovered in this research is also applicable to additive manufacturing.