Cr-Based Sputtered Decorative Coatings for Automotive Industry.

Edgar Carneiro,Jorge Ferreira,Sandra Carvalho,Todor Vuchkov,Martin Andritschky,Nuno M G Parreira,Albano Cavaleiro

doi:10.3390/ma14195527

Edgar Carneiro, Jorge Ferreira + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14195527

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Journal: Materials	Publication Date: Sep 24, 2021
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Minho, University of Coimbra

Abstract

The present work aims to study the impact of O and N addition on Cr-sputtered coatings on plastic (polycarbonate, PC) used in automobile parts, as a promisor alternative for auto part metallization, while eliminating the usage of toxic hexavalent chromium. The coatings were deposited using DC magnetron sputtering from a single pure Cr target in a reactive atmosphere (N2 and/or O2). The deposition of the coatings was performed maintaining the total pressure constant and close to 1 Pa by tuning Ar pressure while reactive gases were added. The target current density was kept at JW = 20 mA·cm−2. Structural characterization revealed a mixture of α-Cr, δ-Cr, β-Cr2N, and CrN crystalline structures as well as amorphous oxides. The coating hardness ranged from 9 GPa for the CrON coating to 15 GPa for the CrN coating. All deposited coatings showed a particularly good interface adhesion; adjusting the amount of O and N made it possible to tune the optical properties of the Cr-based coatings as desired. The promising results open future industrialization of sputtered Cr-based coatings for automotive industries.

Highlights

Many objects found daily in automobile or decorative industries are metal-coated plastic parts that replace traditional metallic materials
We showed the possibility of tuning the color of Cr-based coatings deposited via sputtering onto polycarbonate substrates, and the good adhesion that we were able to achieve for most of these coatings
The results presented in this work are part of a study to develop environmentally rates, which is different from other tribological studies

Summary

Introduction

Many objects found daily in automobile or decorative industries are metal-coated plastic parts that replace traditional metallic materials The benefits of these metallized plastics are the combination of low density, flexibility, design versatility, and low production cost of the plastics, while maintaining the shiny finish, high reflectivity, and conductivity of metals [1,2]. Most of these parts are manufactured using injection molding and are subsequently metallized using electroplating and electroless methods [3].

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