The laser remelting technique was applied to the surface modification of the Al0.65CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) to further advance its mechanical potential. The microstructure of the remelted layer was refined from coarse dendritic to submicron-scale basket weave compared with the as-cast substrate, resulting in a 1.8-time increase in Vickers microhardness. The nanoindentation tests indicated that the nanohardness of the remelted layer was higher than that of each phase in the substrate. Meanwhile, the remelted layer retained considerable plasticity, as evidenced by its high Wp/Wt ratio (0.763) and strain hardening exponent (0.302). Additionally, adhesive wear prevailed on the substrate, while only abrasive wear features were observed on the remelted layer. Accordingly, the average friction coefficient and the wear rate of the remelted layer were minimized by 23% and 80%, respectively, compared with the substrate. Our findings explored an industrialized method to enhance the surface properties of the Al0.65CoCrFeNi HEA and also provided some helpful references for its laser additive manufacturing.
Keywords: high-entropy alloy; laser remelting; nanoindentation; surface modification; tribological properties.