Influence of Re addition amount on structure, mechanical, oxidation as well as corrosion behaviors of WC-15Co cemented carbide

Various contents of rhenium (Re) were successfully doped into WC-15Co hard alloys. After that, some professional analytical instruments such as SEM, XRD, hardness tester, muffle furnace, and electrochemical workstation were chosen to appraise their microstructures and properties. By comparison, rhenium doping could greatly change the high-temperature hardness and high-temperature antioxidant capacity of WC-15Co hard alloys. With the increase of rhenium doping, the high-temperature hardness and high-temperature antioxidant capacity of WC-15Co hard alloys continue to improve. In the meantime, the KIC revealed a max of 14.57 MPa·m1/2 and the flexural strength reached up to 3367 MPa at rhenium doping of 4.5 wt%. Moreover, the icorr of hard alloys in acid and alkaline environments first decreased and then increased as the increase of rhenium doping, indicating that the optimal rhenium doping was within the range of 1.5%–4.5%.Thus, an appropriate amount of rhenium doping was a good additive for optimizing the overall performance of hard alloys.