Structural, mechanical properties and corrosion performance of multilayer Ti doped-DLC/Ti films deposited on low-carbon steel

Abstract

In this work, the successful preparation of the multilayer Titanium doped diamond-like carbon/Ti (Ti-DLC/Ti) films deposited on low-carbon steel (CS) using hybrid magnetron sputtering (MS) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods has been reported. The Ti and Ti-DLC films were alternately deposited on the CS substrate of up to 4 stacks with an average deposition rate of 16.4±1.7 nm/min and 15.1±1.5 nm/min, respectively, yielding a total thickness of up to 1703 nm. Raman spectroscopic analysis revealed a gradual increase in the I D/I G ratio with an increase in Ti layer numbers. Both XPS and NEXAFS results indicate an increase in the C-sp 2 content by increasing the number of Ti layer, which may influence on the hardness reduction. The adhesive properties were found to be improved by adding the number of Ti interlayers between the CS substrate. Moreover, the thicker multilayer films exhibit progressive homogeneity resulting in better corrosion resistance.