A Fe-rich Co-free high entropy alloy with excellent mechanical and anti-bacterial properties in cold-rolled state

Abstract

• A novel Fe-rich Co-free anti-bacterial HEA was produced by casting and cold-rolling. • It has fully FCC structure with segregation of Cu, Cr and Fe. • It combines excellent mechanical properties and high anti-bacterial rate. In this work, a novel cold-rolled Fe 1.3 CrNiCu 0.7 Si 0.2 high entropy alloy (HEA) was designed and fabricated, and its microstructure, mechanical properties and anti-bacterial properties were systematically investigated. The results show that, this cold-rolled HEA is composed of FCC phase with significant segregation of Fe, Cr and Cu. Moreover, it has high anti-bacterial rate of ∼98% against E. coli , and exhibits excellent ultimate tensile strength of ∼1100 MPa and good plasticity of over 10%. This work provides a new approach for designing low-cost HEAs with superb comprehensive properties combining high mechanical properties and anti-bacterial properties, which is beneficial for the development of this series of HEAs.