Investigation of surface hardness, thermostability, tribo-corrosion, and microstructural morphological properties of microwave-synthesized high entropy alloy FeCoNiMnCu coating claddings on steel

Shubham Sharma; Shashi Prakash Dwivedi; Kahtan A Mohammed; Abhinav Kumar; Fuad A Awwad; M Ijaz Khan; Emad A A Ismail

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-55331-y

Investigation of surface hardness, thermostability, tribo-corrosion, and microstructural morphological properties of microwave-synthesized high entropy alloy FeCoNiMnCu coating claddings on steel

Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 2;14(1):5160. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55331-y.

Authors

Shubham Sharma^{1

2

3}, Shashi Prakash Dwivedi⁴, Kahtan A Mohammed^{5

6}, Abhinav Kumar⁷, Fuad A Awwad⁸, M Ijaz Khan^{9

10}, Emad A A Ismail¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, 140401, India. shubham543sharma@gmail.com.
² School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, China. shubham543sharma@gmail.com.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese American University, Kraytem, Beirut, 1102-2801, Lebanon. shubham543sharma@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lloyd Institute of Engineering & Technology, Knowledge Park II, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201306, India. spdglb@gmail.com.
⁵ Faculty of Pharmacy, Jabir Ibn Hayyan Medical University, Najaf, Iraq.
⁶ Department of Medical Physics, Hilla University College, Babylon, Iraq.
⁷ Department of Nuclear and Renewable Energy, Ural Federal University Named After the First President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, 19 Mira Street, 620002, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
⁸ Department of Quantitative Analysis, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, P.O. Box 71115, 11587, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. fawwad@ksu.edu.sa.
⁹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese American University, Kraytem, Beirut, 1102-2801, Lebanon.
¹⁰ Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
¹¹ Department of Quantitative Analysis, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, P.O. Box 71115, 11587, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Deposition of high entropy alloy FeCoNiMnCu on SS-304 was carried out by microwave energy for application in "solid oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) interconnects". The ball-milling has been performed by taking "Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu" in equal 20 wt. % of before deposited on SS-304 substrate. The deposited steel with 20% Fe 20% Co 20% Ni 20% Mn 20% Cu high entropy alloy (HEA) was exposed to thermal-exposure in the air for up to 10 weeks at 800 °C. The uniform cladding distribution of 20% Fe 20% Co 20% Ni 20% Mn 20% Cu HEA particles can be apparently observed on SS-304 substrate by utilizing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Optical microscopy analysis. Homogeneity in the interfacial layer was evident by employing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) characterization. Results have indicated that after the thermal exposure of deposited steel with 20% Fe 20% Co 20% Ni 20% Mn 20% Cu in the air for up to ten weeks at 800 °C, a "protective Cr₂O₃ layer", and "high-entropy spinel coating" of (Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, Cu)₃O₄ have been formed. During microwave cladding, the emergence of harder-phases has contributed to the raised hardness. The wear behavior after coating of 20% Fe 20% Co 20% Ni 20% Mn 20% Cu HEA on SS-304 substrate has significantly enhanced due to the strengthened wear resistance and hardness of the coatings. Findings have exhibited that the formation of (Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, Cu)₃O₄ phase is a potential coating material for "SOFC interconnects" applications. Moreover, the cladding of SS304 with a composition of 20% Fe, 20% Co, 20% Ni, 20% Mn, and 20% Cu has demonstrated remarkable stability under thermal expansion studies. As the findings have revealed that the composite cladding has efficiently withstand significant variations in volume when subjected to elevated temperatures for a prolonged period of time, thus, exhibiting its superior thermal stability for SOFC-interconnect applications. Furthermore, the SEM images of the cladding surface, surface hardness, and tribocorrosion behavior of the coated material have been observed to identify the 20% Fe 20% Co 20% Ni 20% Mn 20% Cu HEA coating effect on SS-304 steel-substrate.

Keywords: Cladding layer; Cladding surface; High entropy alloy; Microwave energy; SOFC interconnects.