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In this study, the addition of the rare earth oxide CeO2 was investigated to alter the microstructural properties of the nano-WC-reinforced Ni-based composite coatings. The reinforced composite was prepared on the 42CrMo steel surface using a semiconductor laser. The morphology and microstructure of coatings were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Further, the digital microhardness tester and high-temperature friction and wear tester were used to observe the mechanical properties. The results indicated that the addition of CeO2 eliminated the cracks from the surface of the coatings and effectively reduced the number of pores. The phases were mainly observed as γ-Ni(Fe) in a solid solution, and some residual WC and W2C phases were observed. In addition, Fe3C, Cr23C6, M6C (M = W, Fe, and Ni), SiC and Cr7C3 composite carbides, Si2W and NiW tungsten compounds, and CeFe2- and CeNi2-containing Ce complex compounds were formed on the coating. The rare earth oxide CeO2 composite-modified coating mainly comprised dendrites, crystal cells, strips, and massive microstructures. The reinforced phases of the modified coating presented uniform dispersion distribution with the addition of 1% CeO2, and the structures were significantly refined. The maximum microhardness of the modified coating was approximately 1560 HV0.2, which was approximately 20% higher than that of the unmodified composite coating. The minimum wear loss of the modified coating was 6.1 mg and the minimum frictional coefficient was approximately 0.23, which were better than those of the unmodified coating. The wear mechanism of the nano-WC-reinforced Ni-based coating was primarily adhesive, whereas that of the CeO2 composite modified coating was mainly abrasive particle wear, which accompanied adhesive wear.

Ni-Mo and Ni-Mo-W coatings were electrodeposited on a stainless steel sheet, and then were annealed at 200, 400, and 600 °C. The effect of annealing heat treatment on the microstructure of Ni-Mo and Ni-Mo-W electrodepositions, their nano-hardness, and tribological properties were investigated. It was revealed that the average crystalline are refined and phase separation are promoted with formation of Mo-W related intermetallic precipitates at temperature exceed 400 °C on account of the co-existence of Mo-W elements within Ni-Mo-W coatings. Annealing heat treatment leads to hardening, and the hardness and elastic module increase significantly. The grain boundary (GB) relaxation and hard precipitated intermetallic particles are responsible for the annealing-induced hardening for ≤400 °C annealed and 600 °C annealed Ni-Mo-W coatings, respectively. In addition, both adhesive wear and abrasive wear are observed for coatings, and abrasive wear becomes predominant when annealing temperature up to 600 °C. The wear resistance of coatings is improved eventually by formation of a mixture of lubricated oxides upon annealing at 600 °C and the enhancement of H/E ratio for ≤400 °C annealed Ni-Mo-W coatings.

Due to its unique single-phase multivariate alloy characteristics and good low-temperature mechanical properties, CoCrFeNiMn high entropy alloy (HEA) has attracted the interest of many researchers in recent years. In this paper, to improve the wear resistance of Q235 alloy steel surface, CoCrFeNiMnSnx HEA coatings were prepared on the surface of Q235 steel via laser cladding. X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometry were used to determine the microstructure and chemical composition. The research findings revealed that the CoCrFeNiMn HEA coatings were formed from a single FCC phase. As the Sn content in the coating increased, a new MnNi2Sn phase formed. Microhardness and friction and wear results showed that when the mole content of Sn was 0.2, the hardness of the CoCrFeNiMn HEA coating was increased by approximately 45%, the friction coefficient decreased by 0.168, and the wear loss decreased by 16.6%. Three-dimensional noncontact morphology and SEM results revealed that the wear mechanisms of CoCrFeNiMn HEA coatings were abrasive wear, delamination wear and a small amount of oxidative wear under dry friction conditions, whereas the friction mechanisms of CoCrFeNiMnSn0.2 HEA coatings were primarily abrasive wear and oxidative wear.

To enhance the friction and wear properties of 40Cr steel’s surface, CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings with various Ti contents were prepared using laser cladding. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the phase composition, microstructure, and chemical composition of the samples. The findings demonstrated that the CoCrFeMnNiTix HEA coatings formed a single FCC phase. Fe2Ti, Ni3Ti, and Co2Ti intermetallic compounds were discovered in the coatings when the molar ratio of Ti content was greater than 0.5. The EDS findings indicated that Cr and Co/Ni/Ti were primarily enriched in the dendrite and interdendrite, respectively. Ti addition can effectively enhance the coating’s mechanical properties. The hardness test findings showed that when the molar ratio of Ti was 0.75, the coating’s microhardness was 511 HV0.5, which was 1.9 times the hardness of the 40Cr (256 HV0.5) substrate and 1.46 times the hardness of the CrCrFeMnNi HEA coating (348 HV0.5). The friction and wear findings demonstrated that the addition of Ti can substantially reduce the coating’s friction coefficient and wear rate. The coating’s wear resistance was the best when the molar ratio of Ti was 0.75, the friction coefficient was 0.296, and the wear amount was 0.001 g. SEM and 3D morphology test results demonstrated that the coating’s wear mechanism changed from adhesive wear and abrasive wear to fatigue wear and abrasive wear with the increase in Ti content.