Abstract
High-entropy alloys are a newly developed family of multi-component alloys that comprise various major alloying elements. Each element in the alloy system is present in between 5 and 35 at.%. The crystal structures and physical properties of high-entropy alloys differ completely from those of conventional alloys. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) of the Al x CrFe 1.5 MnNi 0.5 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5) alloys, obtained in 0.1 M HCl solution, clearly revealed that the corrosion resistance values were determined to increase from 21 to 34 Ωcm 2 as the aluminum content increased from 0 to 0.5 mol, and were markedly lower than that of 304 stainless steel (243 Ωcm 2 ). At passive potential, the corresponding current declined with the anodizing time accounting, causing passivity by the growth of the multi-component anodized film in H 2 SO 4 solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed that the surface of anodized Al 0.3 CrFe 1.5 MnNi 0.5 alloy formed aluminum and chromium oxide film which was the main passivating compound on the alloy. This anodic treatment increased the corrosion resistance in the EIS measurements of the CrFe 1.5 MnNi 0.5 and Al 0.3 CrFe 1.5 MnNi 0.5 alloys by two orders of magnitude. Accordingly, the anodic treatment of the Al x CrFe 1.5 MnNi 0.5 alloys optimized their surface structures and minimized their susceptibility to pitting corrosion. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.