Wear-resistant CoCrNi multi-principal element alloy at cryogenic temperature

Traditional high strength engineering alloys suffer from serious surface brittleness and inferior wear performance when servicing under sliding contact at cryogenic temperature. Here, we report that the recently emerging CoCrNi multi-principal element alloy defies this trend and presents dramatically enhanced wear resistance when temperature decreases from 273 to 153 K, surpassing those of cryogenic austenitic steels. The temperature-dependent structure characteristics and deformation mechanisms influencing the cryogenic wear resistance of CoCrNi are clarified through microscopic observation and atomistic simulation. It is found that sliding-induced subsurface structures show distinct scenarios at different deformation temperatures. At cryogenic condition, significant grain refinement and a deep plastic zone give rise to an extended microstructural gradient below the surface, which can accommodate massive sliding deformation, in direct contrast to the strain localization and delamination at 273 K. Meanwhile, the temperature-dependent cryogenic deformation mechanisms (stacking fault networks and phase transformation) also provide additional strengthening and toughening of the subsurface material. These features make the CoCrNi alloy particularly wear resistant at cryogenic conditions and an excellent candidate for safety–critical applications.