Abstract
Hexagonal boron-nitride nanoparticle coating was deposited on AISI 1045 steel surface. The deposition process included a transformation of B-containing thin organic film into nanocrystalline BN using two methods: thermal annealing at 450–850 °C and reactive ion etching in Ar/N2 plasma. The film structure, phases, and film morphology of deposited nanoparticles of boron nitride on AISI 1045 steel were characterized by XPS, XRD, and EDS. Post-annealing at 450 °C does not lead to the formation of a BN phase in the layer. A non-stoichiometric BN phase with nitrogen deficiency appears at 650 °C. At 850 °C annealing, the formed BN phase is completely stoichiometric. The effects of deposited and incorporated BN on the friction and hardness properties of AISI 1045 steel were also studied. The post-annealing process improved the hardness from 5.35 to 11.4 GPa, showing a pronounced linear temperature dependence. An original approach was adopted to quantify the energy-dependent growth constants based on the indentation load-discharge curves measured on samples treated under different conditions. Those constants describe the rate of the reactions and the type of interdiffusion process characteristic for each material used. This approach can partially fulfill the role of the Rutherford backscattering spectrometry profile, which is an expensive and time-consuming process, mainly when light elements such as boron and nitrogen are used.
Highlights
Solid lubricants, such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) and MoS2 coatings, present a wide range of favorable tribological behavior, as their friction coefficients suggest that they can help reduce the friction and wear on mechanical parts, such as in an engine, and significantly save costs
Following the same procedure for the c-BN phase for the samples annealed at 650 ◦ C, we found a = 3.65 Å, which is closer to the original state, 3.62 Å
We present elemental maps for both treated samples with different mathematical filters applied, such as backscattered-electroncomposition (BEC) images to distinguish heavier elements from lighter elements; secondaryelectron images (SEI), where morphology appears clearly; and a serial peripheral interface (SPI), which both detectors perform at the same time, with one half observing back-reflected electrons and the other observing secondary electrons
Summary
Solid lubricants, such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) and MoS2 coatings, present a wide range of favorable tribological behavior, as their friction coefficients suggest that they can help reduce the friction and wear on mechanical parts, such as in an engine, and significantly save costs. Boron nitride is a carbon isoelectronic material with two phases: hexagonal and cubic, which is similar to a diamond-like phase Other advantages of this allotropic material include its remarkable thermal stability, as well as its mechanical, optical, and electrical properties, such as hardness, chemical inertness, lubricity, and high thermal conductivity. The h-BN crystals offer remarkable mechanical strength [9], chemical stability [10], and thermal conductivity [11] due to their covalent bonds in the basal planes This soft material with a low friction coefficient (FC) is a lubricant at high and low temperatures [12], an electrical insulator, and thermally conductive, plus has very good corrosion-resistance properties. Differences in the surface tension between the substrate and the deposited film often result in weak adhesion and subsequent peeling of the layer
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