Spectroscopy study of composite coating created by a new method of active screen plasma nitriding on pure aluminum

Abstract

In this study, the Active Screen Plasma Nitriding (ASPN) method was used to create a nitride layer on the aluminum Al1050. The goal of the study was to investigate the mechanism of formation of composite nitride coating (AlN/Fe2-3N) on an aluminum substrate and carry out a spectroscopic examination on this coating. For this purpose, the specimens of Al1050 were subjected to the ASPN process at temperatures of 450 and 500 °C for 5 and 10 h with constant conditions of 20%H2 + 80%N2 atmosphere, 80% duty cycle, and 10 kHz frequency. Coating characterization was performed by Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Glow-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The results showed that the ASPN method can be used to form a composite nitride layer on an aluminum substrate. Based on the results, the paper also proposes a new mechanism for the formation of the composite layer, in which this layer is divided into two sections: a surface section made up of nitride particles and a sub-surface section consisting of diffusive layer.