Abstract
Various PVD (physical vapor deposition) hard coatings including nitrides and metal-doped diamond-like carbons (Me-DLC) were applied in plastic injection and die-casting molds to improve wear resistance and reduce sticking. In this study, nitrides hcp-AlN (hexagonal close-packed AlN), Cr2N, (CrAl)2N) and Me-DLC (Si-DLC and Cr-DLC) coatings were prepared using a closed field unbalanced magnetron reactive sputtering system. The coatings were annealed in air for 2 h at various temperatures, after which the anti-sticking properties were assessed using water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The as-deposited hcp-AlN, Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings exhibit hydrophobic behavior and exhibit respective WCAs of 119°, 106° and 101°. The as-deposited Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings exhibit hydrophilic behavior and exhibit respective WCAs of 74° and 88°. The annealed Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings exhibit hydrophobic behavior with higher WCAs, while the annealed hcp-AlN, Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings are hydrophilic. The increased WCA of the annealed Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings is related to their crystal structure and increased roughness. The decreased WCA of the annealed hcp-AlN, Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings is related to their crystal structures and has little correlation with roughness.
Highlights
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes have long been widely used in the preparation of hard coatings due to their superior combined properties, such as high hardness and good resistance to wear, corrosion and oxidation [1,2,3,4,5]
The coating’s anti-sticking property is related to the polar components of surface energy, with lower polar components corresponding with increased water-repellency as well as higher water contact angle (WCA) [7]
This indicates the WCAs of the annealed Si-diamond-like carbon (DLC) and Cr-DLC coatings are related to the crystal structure and has little correlation with roughness
Summary
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes have long been widely used in the preparation of hard coatings due to their superior combined properties, such as high hardness and good resistance to wear, corrosion and oxidation [1,2,3,4,5]. Hard coatings must be selected carefully for use in plastic injection molds [6], and good release performance requires low surface energy [6,7]. PVD nitride and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings exhibit good wear and corrosion resistance [9,10,11,12]. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of as-deposited and annealed coatings were investigated and the relationship between the phase structures and their respective
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
