Microstructure evolution and performance of TiMoCrWxTay refractory high-entropy alloy coatings prepared using laser cladding

Refractory high entropy alloy (RHEA) coatings containing W and Ta elements at the same time usually have excellent performance at high temperature, which are promising candidate materials for high temperature protective coating materials. In this work, the effects of W and Ta on the microstructure and performance evolution of TiMoCrWxTay RHEA coatings have been investigated. Experimentally, TiMoCrWxTay coatings are mainly composed of BCC phase, Laves phase and Ti-rich phase, with W and Ta atoms preferably dissolved in BCC phase. The W atoms promote the formation of dendrites and the growth of rod-like and equiaxed crystals and the Ta atoms promote the formation of cellular crystals and produce the effect of fine crystal strengthening. W and Ta atoms have significant influence on the tribological properties of TiMoCrWxTay coatings. The tribological properties of TiMoCrWxTay coatings at 800 °C are better than those at room temperature. TiMoCrWxTay RHEA coatings follow near-linear oxidation kinetics during the oxidation of 50 h at 800 °C.The oxidation resistance of the coatings first increases and then decreases with the increase of Ta content. Ta2O5, TiO2 and other oxides may have a shielding effect on the oxidation of W. In particular, The W0.3Ta0.5 shows the best tribological properties and oxidation resistance, and the mass gain of W0.3Ta0.5 is only 13.4 mg/cm2 after the oxidation test for 50 h. It indicates that TiMoCrWxTay coatings can obtain good high temperature performance by optimizing the content of W and Ta in RHEA coatings. This work can provide guidance for the research and application of TiMoCrWxTay RHEA coatings.