Scientists at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) have developed a corrosion-resistant coating based on high-entropy alloys reinforced with refractory particles. Owing to its increased corrosion resistance, wear resistance and ductility, the coating can be used in the chemical industry and the energy sector.
NSTU-NETI together with the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS investigated composite coatings based on high-entropy alloys reinforced with refractory particles. We are talking about a new generation of alloys consisting of at least five different elements reinforced with particles of carbides and borides. Such materials have special properties. These have high corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and thermal stability, which means that they can be used in the energy, chemical, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries.
According to Ivan Bataev, head of the Research Laboratory of Physico-chemical Technologies and Functional Materials, Professor of the Department of Materials Science in Mechanical Engineering at NSTU-NETI, we are talking about chemical industries where materials with high resistance to corrosion and oxidation are needed.
"Recently, there has been an explosive interest in high-entropy alloys. Such materials usually contain at least five different elements — for example, cobalt, chromium, iron, nickel, and manganese; besides them, we also add particles of carbides or borides, which make the coating even more wear—resistant and durable at high temperatures," said Ivan Bataev.
For NSTU-NETI researchers, high-entropy alloys, the research of which was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, are of interest from the point of view of fundamental science. As a rule, mixing several elements leads to the formation of very complex crystal structures in materials, but these is not the case in. The crystal lattice of high-entropy alloys is quite simple, which was an unexpected result from the point of view of materials science.
"When developing the first multi-element alloys, it was expected that the structure would be complex and the alloy itself brittle, but in fact it turned out the opposite. The simple structure of high—entropy alloys ensures their high ductility, resistance to corrosion, and high-temperature oxidation," the scientist noted.
These properties will be of interest to many branches of the domestic industry, the development of which is aimed at establishing technological sovereignty and reducing dependence on imports.