Abstract
Spark-anodization of titanium can produce adherent and wear-resistant TiO2 film on the surface, but the spark-anodized titanium has lots of surface micro-pores, resulting in an unstable and high friction coefficient against many counterparts. In this study, the diamond-like carbon (DLC) was introduced into the micro-pores of spark-anodized titanium by the magnetron sputtering technique and a TiO2/DLC composite coating was fabricated. The microstructure and tribological properties of TiO2/DLC composite coating were investigated and compared with the anodic TiO2 mono-film and DLC mono-film. Results show that the DLC deposition significantly decreased the surface roughness and porosity of spark-anodized titanium. The fabricated TiO2/DLC composite coating exhibited a more stable and much lower friction coefficient than anodic TiO2 mono-film. Although the friction coefficient of the composite coating and the DLC mono-film was similar under both light load and heavy load conditions, the wear life of the composite coating was about 43% longer than that of DLC mono-film under heavy load condition. The wear rate of titanium with protective composite coating was much lower than that of titanium with DLC mono-film. The superior low friction coefficient and wear rate of the TiO2/DLC composite coating make it a good candidate as protective coating on titanium alloys.
Highlights
Titanium and its alloys are widely used as structural material in the aerospace, navigation and biomedicine industries due to their excellent properties such as high specific strength, corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility [1]
They often show poor wear resistance, characterized by a high friction coefficient, weak self-lubricating property and severe adhesive wear when used in the machinery and drive system, affecting the safety and reliability of titanium alloy components [1,2,3]
The anodized titanium often takes on high surface roughness and porosity, especially in the case of the spark-anodized titanium
Summary
Titanium and its alloys are widely used as structural material in the aerospace, navigation and biomedicine industries due to their excellent properties such as high specific strength, corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility [1]. They often show poor wear resistance, characterized by a high friction coefficient, weak self-lubricating property and severe adhesive wear when used in the machinery and drive system, affecting the safety and reliability of titanium alloy components [1,2,3]. The anodized titanium often takes on high surface roughness and porosity, especially in the case of the spark-anodized titanium This is because the spark-anodization treatment of titanium is performed at a voltage higher than the breakdown voltage
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