A systematic study on wear behavior of TiCrNbTaW_x refractory high-entropy alloy: Inducing amorphization to achieve anti-wear

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) possess exceptional properties at elevated temperatures. However, their limited wear resistance at room temperature (RT) hinders their widespread application. In this work, based on compositional modulation and surface engineering strategies, two TiCrNbTaW_x (x = 0, 0.5) RHEAs were prepared using spark plasma sintering. The results show that the addition of W can effectively improve the hardness (10.3 GPa) and deformation resistance of the BCC matrix, alleviating the severe adhesion and the fracture behavior. In addition, the friction-induced oxidized amorphous layer with high hardness (12.3 GPa) can further improve the anti-wear properties. Because of these, the TiCrNbTaW_0.5 alloy has a low wear rate of 9 × 10⁻⁵ mm⁻³·N⁻¹·m⁻¹, which is 67 % lower than the pristine TiCrNbTa alloy. In conclusion, our design strategy provides a new idea for designing RT wear-resistant RHEAs.