Effects of deposition temperature on materials properties of magnetron sputtered titanium nitride coatings on mild steel substrates with Ni interlayer

Abstract

Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings were prepared on mild steel (MS) substrates by the direct current reactive magnetron sputtering. With the aim of improving the adhesion of TiN layer, an additional nickel interlayer was brush plated on the MS substrates before TiN coating formation. The phase has been identified with X-ray diffraction analysis and the results show that the prominent peaks observed in the diffraction patterns correspond to the (111), (200) and (222) planes of TiN. Cross-sectional SEM indicated the presence of columnar structure. The mechanical properties such as modulus and hardness of these films were characterised by the nanoindentation technique.