Multi-arc Ion Plating Technique Research Articles

Critical processing parameters optimization and characterization of CrAlSiWN coating by industrial arc ion plating

CrAlSiWN coating has been deposited on SKH-51 steel by multi-arc ion plating technique. An orthogonal experimental approach is employed to optimize the processing parameters, including current, bias voltage, rotating stand speed, and duty cycle. The coating exhibits superior comprehensive properties under the following conditions: 150 An of current, −50 V to −200 V of bias voltage, 2 r/min of speed, and 80 % duty cycle. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance have been investigated. The results indicate that the CrAlSiWN coating consists of an fcc-(Cr, Al) N solid solution. The hardness is approximately four times that of the substrate (3827 HV) and the adhesion strength between the coating and substrate reaches 89.20 N. Wear mechanisms primarily involve abrasive and oxidation wear with a friction coefficient of 0.478. Additionally, CrAlSiWN coating exhibits excellent thermodynamic stability until 1100 °C when annealed under vacuum conditions and a remarkable oxidation resistance with a low oxidation weight growth rate of 0.08 mg/mm2 at temperatures up to 1100 °C.

Effect of nitrogen/argon ratios on structures and properties of high-entropy (ZrTiNbV)N nitride films by multi-arc ion plating

The multi-arc ion plating technique has been used to prepare high-entropy (ZrTiNbV)N ceramic films. Meanwhile, the effects of different nitrogen/argon ratios of RN on film microstructures, mechanical properties, tribological properties and corrosion resistance are systematically investigated. The high-entropy (ZrTiNbV)N ceramic films with face-centered cubic structure are fabricated when the RN exceeded the critical value of RN = 1. Additionally, the films form dense structures and bond tightly to the substrate under all RN conditions. Compared with other films, the films deposited at RN = 3 have the best mechanical and tribological properties. The hardness up to 31.70 ± 1.67 GPa, and the wear rate is as low as (3.39 ± 0.18) × 10−6 mm3/N−1m−1. Moreover, the corrosion current density in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution is only 1.119 × 10−7A/cm2, showing excellent corrosion resistance.

Microstructure and oxidation behavior of CrCN/TiSiCN nano-multilayer coatings on Zircaloy in high-temperature steam

CrCN/TiSiCN nano-multilayer coatings with different C/N composition ratios were prepared on Zircaloy by hybrid multi-arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering technique, and the microstructures and oxidation behaviors of the coatings in 1000 °C steam were investigated. At the C/N ratio of 1.0, the coating structure changed from a quasi-bicrystalline layer periodic arrangement to a crystalline/amorphous layer arrangement. Increasing C/N ratio inhibited the generation and mobility of N2 bubbles in the coatings during oxidation, avoiding crack generation and coating flaking. The coating with C/N of 1.0 exhibited optimal high-temperature oxidation resistance. Moreover, the oxidation mechanisms of CrCN/TiSiCN nano-multilayer coatings were discussed.

Preparation and Performance Study of Si-DLC Based on Ion Deposition of Different Multiple Gradient Transition Layers

In order to improve the lower adhesion strength of Si-DLC coatings to the substrate and enhance its wear resistance, Si-DLC coatings with different transition layers (AlTiSiN, AlCrN and AlTiCrN) were prepared on 304 austenitic stainless steel substrates using multi-arc ion plating technique. The effects of different transition layers on the properties of Si-DLC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometer, nanoindentation, confocal microscopy, Rockwell hardness tester, Raman test and wear test to find the optimal Si-DLC transition layer. The results show that the Si-DLC coating with AlTiSiN as the transition layer has an ID/IG of 0.71, the highest hardness of 26.7 Gpa, low surface roughness, the highest compressive stress, the best bond strength and the best wear resistance.

CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coatings on 316L stainless steel towards anticorrosion application

CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coatings with different modulation ratios (tCrZrN/tZrN) were prepared on AISI 316 L substrates through a multi-arc ion plating technique. The microstructures evolutions of as-prepared coatings with modulation ratios were investigated by the scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscope. The corrosion resistances of CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coatings in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were studied. Results showed that the CrZrN/ZrN coatings were polycrystalline structures. The CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coatings exhibited superior anti-corrosion properties compared to CrZrN and ZrN monolayer coating. Furthermore, the corrosion current density of CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coatings with the modulation ratio (tCrZrN/tZrN) of 7.4:1 was low to 2.078×10−7 A/cm2, which was half lower compared to CrZrN monolayer coating, exhibiting the best corrosion resistance. The possible corrosion mechanisms of CrZrN/ZrN multilayer coating were ascribed to the dense and compact structure by multilayer design as well as the interface strength enhanced by the local coherent interfaces.

Erosion behavior of CrN, CrAlN and CrAlN/CrN multilayer coatings deposited on Ti6Al4V

CrN, CrAlN, CrAlN/CrN multilayer coatings were deposited on Ti6Al4V substrates with Multi-arc Ion Plating technique. Hardness and elastic modulus of the nitride coatings were characterized with nano-indentation. In addition, micro-cantilever test was also utilized to measure fracture toughness. Erosion performance of the nitride coatings were also tested with gas-solid erosion test. Moreover, the erosion performance of the tested coatings was analyzed. The interface in the multilayer coating could effectively hind the propagation of the crack increasing erosion resistance of the coating. Erosion resistance of coatings was positively related to hardness and fracture toughness. The CrAlN/CrN multilayer coating with the advantages of high hardness and high fracture toughness, showed the best erosion resistance.

EFFECT OF THE N2/Ar FLOW RATIO ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF TiSiCN COATINGS

TiSiCN coatings were prepared with the multi-arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of the N2/Ar flow ratio on the properties of TiSiCN coatings was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and a friction and wear tester (UMT-3). With an increase in the N2/Ar flow ratio, the number of large particles on the surface first increases and then decreases. The intensity of the TiN (200) diffraction peak increases gradually, while the grain size first decreases and then increases. A TiSiCN coating consists of Ti (N, C) nanocrystallites, amorphous SiC, Si3N4 and carbon. When the N2/Ar flow ratio is 5 : 1, the coating exhibits the highest hardness and excellent wear resistance.

Study on the ZrN/Ag2O Micro–Nano Gradient Composite Structure Constructed on Pure Ti for Biomaterials

Titanium and titanium alloys have been extensively utilized in biomedical implants due to their excellent comprehensive mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In this study, a ZrN/Ag2O micro–nano gradient composite structure was prepared on the surface of pure Ti by multi-arc ion plating (MAIP) technique and metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion implantation technology. This study indicated that a dramatic improvement in performance in the surface hardness (~1800 HV0.1) was attributed to the presence of the ceramic phase (ZrN) with high hardness included in composite structure. The relatively low wear rate of gradient composite structure confirmed its excellent performance in abrasion resistance and the abrasion mechanism of gradient composite structure was mainly abrasive wear. After the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests, because of the synergy effect of ZrN micron coating and Ag2O nanoparticles, the ZrN/Ag2O gradient coatings indicated the highest free corrosion potential (Ecorr) and lowest corrosion current density (icorr) in Ringer’s solution, and the polarization resistances of multilayer coatings were greater than that of the substrate, exhibiting positive effects on retarding localized corrosion tendency. Additionally, the suitable dose of ZrN/Ag2O gradient composite coating can obtain antibacterial ability, which exerts no significant cytotoxicity and even excellent cytocompatibility over a longer service process. Furthermore, this study is conducive to design and develop for multifunctional coatings of implant materials.

The influence of multilayer structure on mechanical behavior of TiN/TiAlSiN multilayer coating

Nitride coatings have been generally applied on light alloys like titanium and aluminium to promote their multiple performances, including hardness, thermal stability and wear resistance. In this work, TiAlSiN/TiN multilayered (ML) coating and TiAlSiN single-layer (SL) coating were deposited on TC18 (Ti5Al5Mo5V1CrFe) alloy by Multi-arc ion plating technique. The microstructure and chemical composition of the coatings were evaluated by SEM, XRD and XPS. Additionally, hardness, adhesion and wear resistance were measured through nanoindentation, scratch spectrometer and ball-on-disk tribometer. The results present that both ML and SL coating contain three main phases of TiN, Al2O3 and Si3N4. Nevertheless, the adhesion of ML coating is 62.4 N, compared to that of the SL coating is 51.8 N. The parameter H3/E2 as an indication of plastic deformation to evaluate wear resistance shows that the ML coating has high hardness and high toughness concurrently. The tribological study indicated that the wear rate of the ML coated specimen was 1/7 of the SL coated counterpart.

High temperature diffusion behavior between Ta-10W coating and CP-Ti and TC4 alloy

To improve high temperature properties of Titanium alloy, Ta-10W coating was deposited by multi-arc ion plating (MAIP) technique on commercial pure titanium (CP-Ti) and TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) titanium alloy respectively. The microstructures and high temperature diffusion behavior of Ta-10W coating on CP-Ti and TC4 alloy were investigated by XRD, SEM and EDS. The results showed that the obtained Ta-10W coatings consisted of α-Ta, exhibiting an integrated and compact surface as well as excellent interface bonding. For the Ta-10W/Ti samples, a TiTa solid solution diffusion layer formed and gradually became thicker and thicker over time. After diffusion for 50 h, massive titanium element even diffused to the surface of the coating. During cooling, the β-Ti → α′-Ti martensitic phase transformation occurred, and the martensitic relief morphology appeared on the surface of the coatings. Meanwhile, α-Ta precipitated along the laminate boundary of α-Ti, which leads to the formation of white stripe-like structure in the diffusion layer. Dissimilarity, the Ta-10W/TC4 samples possessed relative high diffusion rate, but the Ti didn't reach the surface of the sample after 50 h. There was a thick diffusion layer which contained two layers formed between Ta-10W and TC4 after heat treatment of 10h, and the Kirkendall voids appeared near the interface of Ta-10W/TC4. This work is helpful to understand the high-temperature performance of refractory coating and provides a new idea for the further study of protective coatings on Titanium alloy.

An Innovative VCN Coating for High-Temperature Tribological Applications via Orthogonal Research

An innovative vanadium carbonitride coating with C element doped in a vanadium nitride (VN) matrix was developed on Inconel 718 and Si (100) substrates using a multi-arc ion plating technique. The micromorphology and microstructure of the as-deposited VCN coating were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the incorporation of C-dopant with the VN matrix can produce both sp2 C-C and sp3 C-C hybridized structures besides VC and VN phases. Furthermore, tribological testing was performed on a ball-on-disc tribometer with an Al2O3 ball as the counterpart. The main mechanisms of friction factors and C-dopant that affect the tribological properties of VCN coating were studied under some designed orthogonal parameters. The optimal solutions for VCN and VN coatings to attain the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate were suggested by orthogonal analysis, and the order of importance of friction factors that influence the tribological performance of VCN and VN coatings was clarified for each situation. In addition, the lubricant mechanisms of sp2 hybridized carbon and V2O5 crystal were focused on due to their special graphite-like structure as well as Magnéli phase, which can enhance the antiwear and antifriction effect of VCN coating under test conditions. Finally, the wear morphologies of all tested samples were observed by SEM, and the phase composition in the worn area was investigated by micro-Raman spectrometry.

The effect of phase on microstructure and mechanical performance in TiAlN and TiSiN films

To study the effect of phase on the microstructure and mechanical properties of nitride coatings, three films of TiN, TiAlN, and TiSiN were prepared on the surface of high-speed steel using hollow cathode assisted multi-arc ion plating technique. The XRD lines of the three films were analyzed and calculated by linear analysis. The element and phase of the film were observed and analyzed by x-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS). The microstructure and film thickness of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface roughness of the film was observed by Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The hardness, friction coefficient, and coating/substrate adhesion of the film were tested by the G200 nanometer hardness tester and CETR UNMT-1 surface micro-nano mechanical test system. We discovered two different reinforcement mechanisms. The high microscopic strain value (1.309 × 10−3) in the TiAlN film was related to the formation of Ti3AlN substitutional solid solution in the film formed a large lattice distortion,however, the coating/substrate adhesion (33.5 N) was lowered. The result of independent nucleation and growth of the Si3N4 phase in the TiSiN film refines the structure of the film, alleviating the increase of microscopic strain. At this time, the coating/substrate adhesion reaches the highest value of 40 N and the film surface roughness reaches the minimum value of 0.451 μm. The results also show that the TiSiN coating can obtain good coating/substrate adhesion without pre-plating.

Effect of Deposition Parameters on Microstructure of the Ti-Mg Immiscible Alloy Thin Film Deposited by Multi-Arc Ion Plating

Ti-Mg immiscible alloy thin films were prepared using a multi-arc ion plating technique with various deposition parameters. The surface and cross-section morphologies, crystal structures, and chemical compositions of the Ti-Mg films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influence of the substrate negative bias voltage and Ar gas pressure on the microstructure of the Ti-Mg films was systematically studied. Mg atoms were incorporated into the Ti lattice to form an FCC immiscible supersaturated solid solution phase in the thin film. Microparticles were observed on the film surface, and the number of microparticles could be significantly reduced by decreasing the substrate bias voltage and increasing the Ar gas pressure. The appropriate substrate bias voltage and Ar gas pressure increased the deposition rate. The TEM results indicated that columnar, nanolayer, and equiaxed nanocrystals were present in the thin films. Ti and Mg fluctuations were still evident in the nanoscale structures.

Effects of constituent layers and interfaces on the mechanical and tribological properties of metal (Cr, Zr)/ceramic (CrN, ZrN) multilayer systems

The influences of constituent layers and interfaces on the mechanical and tribological behaviors of metal (Cr, Zr)/ceramic (CrN, ZrN) multilayer coatings were systematically investigated in the present study. Four sets of multilayer coatings (Cr/CrN, Cr/ZrN, Zr/CrN and Zr/ZrN) with the same number of interfaces were synthesized by multi-arc ion plating technique. The crystalline structures of the multilayer coatings were determined by X-ray diffraction and morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Furthermore, the nanoindenter, Vicker indenter, scratch tester and ball-on-disk tribometer were employed to evaluate the hardness, indentation toughness, adhesion strength and tribological properties of as-prepared coatings, respectively. Results revealed that the multilayer coatings with different constitute layers and interfaces presented different microstructures and properties. Based on the analysis of the cross-sectional indentation topographies, Zr interlayers exhibited higher crack resistances compared to Cr interlayers. Zr/CrN multilayer coating showed the highest hardness of 28 GPa, the strongest strength adhesion (>100 N) and the lowest wear rate. The excellent tribological performance of Zr/CrN multilayer coating was mainly ascribed to the high crack resistance of Zr layer, high wear-resistant layer of CrN as well as the local coherent interface between Zr and CrN sublayers.

Research on Friction Characteristics of AlCrN and TiAlSiN Coatings and Properties of Coated Tools

AlCrN and TiAlSiN coatings were deposited on the surface of 30CrMnSi steel and cemented carbide YT15 by multi-arc ion plating technique. A scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphologies of both coatings. The reciprocating sliding tests of AlCrN and TiAlSiN coating were performed to investigate the friction coefficients and the wear mechanisms of both coatings were analyzed as well. Dry machining tests on 30CrMnSi hardened steel were carried out with the AlCrN and TiAlSiN coated tools on a CA6140A lathe. The effects of cutting speed on cutting forces and cutting temperatures of AlCrN and TiAlSiN coated tools were obtained and analyzed. The microcosmic micrographs of wear areas of both coated tools were observed and investigated by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrum. The results show that the hardness and bonding strength of AlCrN coating are higher than that of TiAlSiN coating, while the friction coefficient of AlCrN coating is lower than that of TiAlSiN coating. Both the cutting force and cutting temperature of AlCrN coated tool are lower than TiAlSiN coated tool. The time required for the bluntness of the AlCrN coated tool is approximately 33.3% longer than that of the TiAlSiN coated tool, and the main wear mechanisms of both tools are mainly crater wear, diffusion wear and oxidation wear.

Understanding corrosion and tribology behaviors of VN and VCN coatings in seawater

VN and VCN coatings were prepared using multi-arc ion plating technique on 316L stainless steel and single silicon substrates. Microstructures, mechanical performances, corrosion behaviors and tribology properties of VN and VCN coatings in the atmosphere, distilled water and seawater were contrastively tested. It was confirmed that the VCN coating had a typical nanocystallite/amorphous structure. Moreover, the hardness increased from 30.5 to 36.5 GPa and the corrosion current density decreased from 2.16 × 10−6 to 0.82 × 10−6 A cm−2 after carbon was doped into the VN coating. Compared with the VN coating, the VCN coating had the lowest friction coefficient of 0.26 and wear rate of 0.68 × 10−6 mm3 Nm−1 in seawater, which could be ascribed to the lubrication of graphitization transfer film and improvement of the comprehensive performance.

Evaluation of corrosion and oxidation behaviors of TiAlCrN coatings for nuclear fuel cladding

To develop a nuclear fuel cladding that has high tolerance under normal operating conditions and accident conditions, TiAlCrN coatings were deposited onto Zr substrates by multi-arc ion plating technique. After a corrosion test in static pure water at 360 °C and 18.5 MPa, the TiAlCrN coating showed no obvious spallation and had a weight gain of one order of magnitude less than that of the uncoated Zr sample. The decomposition and oxidation of the TiAlCrN coating at high temperature is an endothermic and exothermic reaction, respectively. Owing to the oxidation in the coating, the formed oxide layers reduce the oxygen penetration through the coating and also reduce the thickness of the zirconia layer from 300 μm to 10 μm at 1060 °C in air. This work lays the foundation for the next oxidation of TiAlCrN coating in high temperature steam, and demonstrates that TiAlCrN is a promising candidate material for the development of nuclear fuel cladding.

Corrosion Resistance of TiCN Films Prepared with Combining Multi-arc Ion Plating and Magnetron Sputtering Technique

TiCN films were deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel substrate by combining multi-arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering technique with ionizing titanium and graphite targets in an Ar+N2 mixture gas. The effect of duty ratio on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of TiCN films in a NaCl 3.5 wt% solution was investigated. The results show that the as-deposited films exhibit smooth, uniform and dense morphologies, mainly forming a fcc-TiN type structure with Ti-(C, N) bond as well a as few α-CNx, and present (111) preferred orientation with the increase of duty ratio. TiCN films display a better resistance to corrosion than the bare substrate; as the duty ratio increases, the corrosion resistance is enhanced gradually. When the duty ratio is 40%, the TiCN film shows the optimal corrosion resistance with a corrosion current density (icorr) of 3.262×10−7 A·cm−2 and a polarization resistance (Rp) of 238.4 kΩ·cm2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the films also indicates that the penetration behavior of corrosive ions and the local corrosion process are two key factors affecting the electrode corrosion reaction kinetics process, which is consistent with the polarization curves analyses.

Bias design of amorphous/nanocrystalline Cr Al Si N films for remarkable anti-corrosion and anti-wear performances in seawater

Abstract The CrAlSiN films were fabricated by multi-arc ion plating technique under varying deposition bias voltages. The results showed that an amorphous/nanocrystalline structure containing CrN, AlN and Si3N4 phases was observed for CrAlSiN film. The adhesion and toughness of film played the key role in improving the wear situation in seawater, which could effectively inhibit the generation and propagation of crack. Meanwhile, the protection function of film could be improved by proper bias voltage, which could enhance the densification of film and inhibit the permeation of corrosion medium. In addition, the CrAlSiN film under bias voltage of −60 V presented the lowest COF of 0.18 and wear rate of 3.44 × 10−7 mm3/Nm in seawater, indicating the best anti-friction and anti-wear abilities.

Continuously Growing Ultrathick CrN Coating to Achieve High Load-Bearing Capacity and Good Tribological Property.

Continuous growth of traditional monolayer CrN coatings up to 24 h is successfully achieved to fabricate ultrathickness of up to 80 μm on the 316 stainless steel substrate using a multiarc ion plating technique. The microstructures, mechanical properties, and tribological properties evolution with the CrN coating continuously growing was evaluated in detail. The transmission electron microscopy observations and inverse Fourier-filtered images reveal a relaxation mechanism during the continuous growth of CrN coating, which can lead to a decrease in the residual stress when coating growth time exceeds 5 h. The scratch test and friction test results both show that the load-bearing capacity of coating is significantly increased as CrN coatings growing thicker. During the scratch test, the ultrathick CrN coating of thickness 80.6 μm is not failed under the load of 180 N, and the dominant failure mechanism is the cohesive failure including wedge spallation and cracking. The dry-sliding friction test results show the mean coefficient of friction and the wear rate of ultrathick CrN are respectively decreased by 17.2 and 56.8% at most compared with the thin coating (thickness is 5.4 μm). The ultrahigh load-bearing capacity and excellent tribological property are attributed to the relaxation mechanism and limited contact pressure as the coating grows continuously.