1：Experimental Design and Method Selection

Laser cladding process was conducted on Ti6Al4V plates using a LC system containing a 10.0 kW fiber laser. The mixed Ti and AlB2 powder (4:1 weight ratio) was produced by a ball milling process.

2：Sample Selection and Data Sources

Ti6Al4V plates (300 × 150 × 15 mm) were used as substrates. The mixed powder was nearly spherical and its size distribution was not very homogeneous.

3：List of Experimental Equipment and Materials

10.0 kW fiber laser (IPG YLS-10000), SEM (Mira 3, TESCAN), TEM (JEM-2100F), XRD (D8 ADVANCE Da Vinci), Vickers microhardness tester (Zwick/Roell ZHl), box resistance furnace, pin-on-disk device, confocal laser scanning microscope (OLS4000).

4：Experimental Procedures and Operational Workflow

Prior to cladding, the Ti6Al4V surface was sanded and cleaned by acetone. The powders were dried at 120 °C for 60 minutes. The powders were fed through a coaxial nozzle and the LC parameters were laser power of 1.5 kW, laser scanning speed of 2 mm/s, and powder feeding rate of 8 g/min. Argon flow was utilized to protect the molten pool.

5：Data Analysis Methods

The microstructure was characterized by SEM and TEM. Phase structures were analyzed by XRD. The microhardness of the coating was conducted on a Vickers microhardness tester. The weight gains of the oxidized samples were measured and the microstructures of the oxidation layer were observed by SEM and EBSD.