Corrosion and tribological properties of ta-C/ta-C: Ta coatings: Analysis of the influence of Ta-O/Ta-C ratio

Abstract

Multilayer ta-C/ta-C: Ta coatings with varying total thicknesses (300, 600, and 1000 nm) and layer thickness ratios (1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2) between the ta-C layer and ta-C: Ta layer were prepared. The study investigated the static corrosion resistance and tribological properties of the coatings in the NaCl solution. The static corrosion resistance positive correlation depended on the coating surface's Ta-O/Ta-C ratio. The lowest friction coefficient of 0.05 was obtained from the coating with a total thickness of 1000 nm due to the formation of the graphitized transfer film on the counterpart surface. A decreased sp2/sp3 ratio and the formation of tantalum oxide on the wear scar contributed to the lowest corrosion current, corrosive defect density, and wear rate.