Tribological properties of nanostructured TiC coatings deposited on steel and silicon substrates using pulse laser deposition technique

Abstract

Thin coatings of nanostructured titanium carbide (TiC) were deposited on silicon (Si) and stainless steel (AISI 304LN SS) substrates using pulse laser deposition technique. In these experiments, the deposition parameters were kept constant except deposition pressure. Change in the deposition partial pressure of CH4 gas did not significantly influence the morphology and phase constituents of TiC coatings. In this regard, the tribological properties of these coatings were found to be almost similar. Coating thickness and surface roughness were found to alter with the type of substrate used. The tribological properties of these thin coatings were evaluated as a function of the different sliding counter bodies. The tribological properties were also studied on Si and SiO2 to find out the role of substrate on friction and wear. The contact deformations as well as the morphologies of wear scars were found to influence the coefficient of friction.