Formation of hard coatings for tribological and corrosion protection by dynamic ion mixing

Abstract

Abstract Hard coatings have been produced by combining a physical vapor deposition method with simultaneous ion bombardment using a high-energy ion beam (100–400 keV) called dynamic ion mixing (DIM). One of the most important features of this technique is to produce interface mixing at room temperature which results in a broad interface of graded composition with excellent adhesion. Different types of hard coatings: TiB2, SiC, NiTi(N) have been produced on various substrates and their structure, adhesion wear and corrosion resistance was studied. For all these coatings, the enhancement of crystallization and densification, as well as increased adhesion, surface protection and tribological properties were commonly observed features. The structure modifications and improved properties are discussed in relation with the mixing effects in collision cascades, particularly the adhesion increase can be explained on the basis of a recent model demonstrating the important effect of interface mixing on shear stress relaxation.