Nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy (CoCrFeNiAl0.3) thin-film coating by magnetron sputtering

Publication date: 30 September 2017
Source:Thin Solid Films, Volume 638
Author(s): Weibing Liao, Si Lan, Libo Gao, Hongti Zhang, Shang Xu, Jian Song, Xunli Wang, Yang Lu
High-entropy CoCrFeNiAl0.3 alloy thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering technique. The thin film surface was very smooth and homogeneous. The synchrotron X-ray experiment confirmed that (111) type of texture existed in the thin film, and the structure was face-centered cubic nanocrystals with a minor content of ordered NiAl-type body-centered cubic structures. Interestingly, the elastic modulus of the thin film was nearly the same to the bulk single-crystal counterpart, however, the nanohardness is about four times of the bulk single-crystal counterpart. It was found that the high hardness was due to the formation of nanocrystal structure inside the thin films and the preferred growth orientation, which could be promising for applications in micro fabrication and advanced coating technologies.