The boronizing treatment has been an effective way to strengthen and enhance the lubrication performance of alloys. However, the traditional power-pack boronizing method has been limited due to its time-consuming. Improving the boronizing efficiency is highly demanded for the strengthening and industry application of the high-entropy alloys (HEAs). In this study, the electrochemical boronizing strategy was applied to improve the surface hardness and self-lubrication performance of AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 eutectic HEA (EHEA). The microstructure, phase formation and hardness of boronized alloys were studied. Results confirm the high efficiency of electrochemical boronizing to form a boronized layer with a thickness of about 35 μm in 30 min. The surface hardness of the boronized AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 HEA reached to about 18 GPa due to the presence of NiB, FeB and Cr₃B₄ in the boronized layer. Tribological tests reveal that the self-lubrication property of AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 HEA in water condition was significantly enhanced by the electrochemical boronizing treatment, e.g., the friction and wear reductions reach to about 25% and 80%, respectively. Lubrication mechanism investigation by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed the formation of a H₃BO₃ tribofilm on the sliding surface during the friction process, which effectively reduce friction and wear. This study provided a novel and fast approach for surface hardening and self-lubrication enhancement of HEA systems using the electrochemical boronizing strategy.

渗硼处理一直是强化和提高合金润滑性能的有效途径。然而，传统的动力包硼化方法由于其耗时而受到限制。提高渗硼效率是高熵合金（HEAs）的强化和工业应用的迫切需要。本研究采用电化学渗硼策略提高 AlCoCrFeNi _2.1共晶 HEA (EHEA) 的表面硬度和自润滑性能。研究了渗硼合金的显微组织、相形成和硬度。结果证实了电化学渗硼在30分钟内形成厚度约为35μm的渗硼层的效率很高。硼化AlCoCrFeNi的表面硬度_2.1由于硼化层中存在NiB、FeB和Cr ₃ B ₄ ， HEA达到约18 GPa 。摩擦学测试表明，经过电化学渗硼处理后，AlCoCrFeNi _2.1 HEA 在水条件下的自润滑性能显着提高，例如，摩擦和磨损减少量分别达到约 25% 和 80%。通过 X 射线光电子能谱 (XPS) 分析的润滑机理研究表明形成了 H ₃ BO ₃摩擦过程中滑动面上的摩擦膜，有效减少摩擦和磨损。该研究为使用电化学渗硼策略的 HEA 系统的表面硬化和自润滑增强提供了一种新的、快速的方法。