High‐Temperature Wetting and Interfacial Evolution of Multicomponent Transition‐Metal Solid‐Solution Carbides by Ni Melt

Abstract

The high‐temperature wetting of Ni on transition‐metal carbides governs the processing and interfacial reliability of Ni‐bonded composites, yet its compositional dependence across the full spectrum from low‐ to high‐entropy carbides remains unresolved. Here, the wetting of 2‐ to 9‐component transition‐metal solid‐solution carbides by liquid Ni was investigated at 1470°C in Ar–10%H2 using a modified sessile‐drop method, combined with microstructural characterization, thermodynamic analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Ni exhibited excellent wettability on all substrates, but the spreading mode varied with composition, evolving from sustained or two‐stage spreading to infiltration‐dominated, non‐monotonic behavior. All interfaces underwent selective dissolution and reprecipitation. Cr, V, Mo, and W emerged as the principal wetting‐promoting species owing to their high solubility in liquid Ni and strong interfacial enrichment tendency, whereas Ti, Zr, and Hf contributed little to wetting enhancement. These findings establish composition–wetting correlations that provide mechanistic guidance for the compositional design and fabrication of Ni‐based multicomponent carbide composites.