Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Technique Research Articles

Fabrication of (TiZrNbSiMo)1-xNx high entropy alloy coatings using a high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique: Effects of nitrogen addition

Due to the outstanding mechanical and physical properties of high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings, the global academic and industrial communities have made significant research efforts in recent years, aiming to expand their industrial applications. In this study, TiZrNbSiMo and (TiZrNbSiMo)1-xNx HEA nitride coatings with different nitrogen contents were fabricated using a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) system. By varying the nitrogen flow rates, the nitrogen contents of coatings increased from 0 to 48.8 at. %. The deposition rate decreased with increasing nitrogen content due to the target poisoning effect. Very fine and dense microstructure can be seen for each coating. The amorphous structure was obtained as the nitrogen content was lower than 19.1 at.%, whereas a nanocrystalline FCC structure was formed when the nitrogen content reached 34.9 at. %. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of TiZrNbSiMo and four TiZrNbSiMoN HEA coatings in 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous solution were superior to uncoated 304 stainless steel. We can conclude that the nanocrystalline TiZrNbSiMoN HEA coatings with a nitrogen content of 34.9 at. % exhibited a high hardness of 15.6 GPa, an electrical resistivity of 766.5 μΩ·cm, and an excellent corrosion polarization resistance of 9.71 × 105 Ω·cm2, 610.7 times higher than 304SS. This study provides valuable insights for future promising applications of (TiZrNbSiMo)1-xNx HEA nitride coatings in severely corrosive environments, such as the protective coatings on stainless steel bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Considerations on hydrogen isotopes release from thin films by laser induced ablation and laser induced desorption techniques

In this paper, we studied the release of deuterium atoms from 1 μm aluminum layers by Laser Induced Ablation and Laser Induced Desorption methods, using a 1053 nm laser source operating with 10 ns pulse duration and 1 kHz pulse repetition rate. The software control of the laser pulse energy successfully accomplished the transition from layer ablation to layer desorption. The layers have been produced by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering technique on substrates with different surface properties.The amount of deuterium released from aluminum layers was evaluated by Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry after ablation respectively desorption of a small area of the sample exposed to the focused laser beam. The results were compared with the one obtained by Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy, which indicated a total amount of deuterium in the analyzed sample of about 2.6 × 1021 D at/m2. The mass spectra data revealed that 85% (2.2 × 1021 D at/m2) and 9% (0.2 × 1021 D at/m2) of total deuterium atoms released from the aluminum layer by Laser Induced Ablation and Laser Induced Desorption, respectively, were detected. The mathematical fitting of the experimental data indicated different laser fluences that boundary the desorption from ablation processes. Through analyses of the morphology of aluminum layer surfaces in connection with the substrate surface quality, the release of deuterium atoms by Laser Induced Ablation or Laser Induced Desorption processes can be identified.

The stress release of morphological change on thermochromic properties of nitrogen-incorporated VO2 thin films

VO2 thin films are fabricated by the reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique. Their thermochromic properties are found to be greatly affected by the addition of nitrogen during the deposition process. These include an effect of localized surface plasmon resonance due to isolated island structures. Furthermore, low transition temperatures below 45 °C are observed due to oxygen-deficient conditions. Also, the transition temperature decreases with an increase in the thickness of the TiO2 buffer layer. The reduction in transition temperature could be as low as 39 °C with a solar modulating ability of 4% at a thicker buffer of 300 nm under a high gas ratio of 21.7% for nitrogen. The crystalline phase is identified by x-ray diffraction, showing that the intensity of monoclinic crystallites at a diffraction angle of 2θ = 27.8° for (011) phase decreases with an increase in the amount of nitrogen, whereas a relaxing shift is detected near the diffraction angle of 2θ = 37.0° for (2¯11) phase. Similar behavior is seen in the peak shift of the (004) phase for TiO2. The d-spacing of the crystallization phase with island structure is identified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The evolution of stress release, which is strongly dependent on surface morphology, is consistent with x-ray pole figure representation. The visible transmittance and solar modulation ability as functions of the amount of nitrogen and the buffer thickness of TiO2 are discussed.

Enhancing hydrogen evolution reaction by synergistically coupling NiMo alloy with Mo on Ni foam

The large-scale preparation of non-precious-metal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrodes with remarkable performance was important to the energy crisis. Here, Mo-NiMo/NF (Ni Foam) electrodes were fabricated by homemade high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique with subsequent annealing. The synthesized Mo-NiMo/NF electrodes presented an exceptional electrocatalytic performance with η10 = 71 mV and prominent stability in alkaline aqueous electrolyte for the HER. The experimental data were corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The significant catalytic performance for HER active arose from NiMo alloy and the coupling effect between Mo and NiMo alloy. The lowest value on Gibbs free energy of NiMo was − 0.027 eV, very close to the ideal value zero. The adsorption energy of hydrogen atom from heterojunction between Mo and NiMo was − 1.786 eV, which could facilitate Volmer step to further enhance HER activity. More importantly, this synthesis method reported here was scalable, which could provide a valuable strategy to engineer the electrocatalysts with the aim to improve their catalytic activities.

A Comparative Study of Copper-doped and Copper, Nitrogen Co-doped DLC Film Electrode and Its Electrochemical Properties

Copper (Cu), Nitrogen (N) Co-doped diamond-like carbon ((Cu:N)-DLC) films and Cu doped DLC (Cu-DLC) films were fabricated by high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique (HiPIMS). The influence of copper and nitrogen incorporation on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of Cu-DLC and (Cu:N)-DLC films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, raman spectra and electrochemical workstation. The surface of all the films is cauliflower-like clusters, no obvious large particle Cu clusters can be observed. XRD patterns of theses films have only diffraction peak of copper and no other compounds. Raman spectra illustrate that Id/Ig varies from 2.79 to 3.01 as the N contents changes. XPS results identify that Cu does not form compounds or solid solution into DLC films. Electrochemical tests show that the electrode activity gradually increases with increasing the N contents of (Cu:N)-DLC electrode. Compared with (Cu:N)-DLC electrode, Cu-DLC electrode has a faster electron transfer rate (K0 is 1.88 × 10−2 cms−1), low transfer resistance (227.0 Ωcm2), and a higher electrochemical activity (ΔEp is 93 mV). Consequently, the electrochemical properties of Cu doped DLC films are better than that of Cu, N co-doped DLC films.

Research on Ti-GLC/TiCN/TiN composite multilayer coating with ultra-low friction coefficient in various environments

The Ti-GLC (graphite-like carbon)/TiCN/TiN composite multilayer coatings with ultra-low friction coefficient were prepared by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering technique (HiPIMS). The friction and wear properties of the coatings in multiple environments including artificial seawater, 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 (pH = 0) and 0.1 mol/L NaOH (pH = 13) solution were studied. During the sliding process, the friction coefficients of the coatings in the environments mentioned above are 0.059, 0.109 and 0.037, respectively. Meanwhile, the wear rates of the coatings all remain at 10−7 orders of magnitude mm3•N−1•m−1 in aqueous environments. The results of the tribo-corrosion test show that the coating has a significant passivation, which protects the coating effectively. The friction and wear properties of the coatings are maintained at a very considerable level in various environments.

Investigation of High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering deposited nanoscale CrN/NbN multilayer coating for tribocorrosion resistance

Recycling equipment (waste/sea water/chemicals) need high tribocorrosion resistance. In this work High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering technique deposited nanoscale CrN/NbN multilayer coating for tribocorrosion resistance is explored. Sliding-wear experiments were conducted on CrN/NbN coated High Speed Steel (HSS) test coupons with an alumina (Al2O3) ball as a counterpart in a corrosive environment (3.5% NaCl solution) under potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions. Results reveal that coated substrates exhibited (by a factor of 3) lower corrosion currents and high tribo-corrosion resistance (Kc = 2 × 10−15 m3N−1m−1) as compared to uncoated HSS specimens. The alumina counterpart exhibited negligible wear in all the tests. Superior adhesion and dense microstructure consisting of flat and well-defined hard nitride nanolayers leads to stable friction coefficients and retain the unique nanoscale layer-by-layer wear mechanism without delamination. Effect of corrosion on friction coefficients, wear mechanisms and vice versa has been presented.

Comparative study on effects of Ni ion implantation on amorphous carbon (a-C) coating and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating

The effect of Ni ion implantation by 20 keV energy with fluences of 1 × 1016 cm−2 on tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) and amorphous carbon (a-C) films was studied. The ta-C and a-C films were deposited using filtered cathodic vacuum arc and high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique, respectively. The morphology, chemical bonding state, and mechanical and tribological performances of the coating before and after implantation were evaluated. The Raman results suggested that Ni implantation resulted in an increase in ID/IG ratio of ta-C film from 0.68 to 0.86, but led to a decrease of a-C films from 2.71 to 2.63. Ni ion implantation resulted in a decrease in wear resistance of ta-C films. The as-deposited and Ni-implanted a-C films both occur peeling off in the friction test, but Ni-implanted a-C films showed better wear resistance due to the increased elastic recovery rate and hardness in the modification layer.

Machinability Study of Duplex Stainless Steel 2205 During Dry Turning

Duplex stainless steels (DSS) are preferred replacement to austenitic stainless steel because of their higher strength leading to economic benefits. However, poor ductility and thermal conductivity along with high toughness make them difficult to machine. In the present investigation, tool wear, cutting force and surface roughness were evaluated during dry turning of DSS 2205 using tungsten carbide inserts coated with AlTiCrN and AlTiN. High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering technique was used for coating the substrates. Cutting speeds of 100, 140 and 180 m/min; feed of 0.12, 0.15, and 0.18 mm/rev, and a fixed depth of cut of 0.8 mm were chosen as cutting parameters for dry turning. AlTiCrN coating exhibited highest adhesion strength of 110 N compared to 89 N by AlTiN coating. AlTiCrN coated tools exhibited highest tool life of 7840 mm, with least surface roughness of 0.72 µm and cutting force of 255 N. This is attributed to its excellent physical properties such as good adhesion, higher oxidation resistance and thermal stability, compared to AlTiN coated tool. AlTiCrN and AlTiN coated tools exhibited respectively 6-times and 4-times more tool life than uncoated tools. Combination of high speed (180 m/min) and low feed (0.12 mm/rev) resulted in least surface finish. Regression model developed from the experimental data showed closer agreement (95%) between predicted and experimental values of surface roughness.

Tribocorrosion performance of Nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coating by high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique

Nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon film is promising in biological applications, studying the synergistic tribocorrosion performance is indispensable. In this paper, Nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon films were deposited on AISI 304L austenitic stainless steels and Si substrate by using the high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique using Ar and N<sub>2</sub> as precursors at room temperature. The effect of target pulse duration on the structure, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and tribocorrosion properties in Hank's equilibrium salt solution and the corresponding mechanism were studied. The results of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nano-hardness test showed that the nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coatings prepared at a target pulse duration of 60 μs showed the sp<sup>3</sup> bonding content of 33.9% with the hardness of 12.4 GPaand the root mean square roughness of 0.63 nm. With the increase in pulse duration to 90 μs, the sp<sup>2</sup> bonding increased, meanwhile the surface roughness increased. The results of potentiodynamic polarization indicated that the Nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coating prepared at 60μs had best corrosion resistance with the corrosion current density of 7.65 × 10<sup>–8</sup> A·cm<sup>–2</sup>. The effect of the target pulse duration on tribocorrosionbehaviour of the Nitrogen-doped diamond like carboncoating was investigated in Hank’s solution by a reciprocating tribometer equipped with a three-electrode electrochemical cell.The coatings at 60 μs exhibited excellent tribocorrosion properties with high open circuit potential of 39 mV, low COF of 0.05 without pitting corrosion due to high corrosionresistance, low contact angel and dense microstructure.The results indicated that corrosion can be accelerated by friction, but it also affect the mechanical properties of the Nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coatings. The increase in pulse duration to 90 μs, leading to the reduction of sp<sup>3</sup> bonds which can form a cross-linking structure. The degraded cross-linking structure decreased the corrosion resistance of the coating via the increased porosity in the coating, which weakened the interfacial strength of the coating, and ultimately led to failure of the coatingunder the action of wear.

Effect of modulation structure on the microstructural and mechanical properties of TiAlSiN/CrN thin films prepared by high power impulse magnetron sputtering

The newly developed TiAlSiN/CrN multilayer films were deposited on silicon Si (100) substrates and tungsten carbide steel substrates by high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique (HiPIMS) at 80 °C working temperature. The effect of modulation structure on the microstructural and mechanical properties of thin films was analyzed systematically by TEM, SEM, XRD, nanoindenter, Scratch test, and Rockwell indenter. The grain size of columnar crystals decreases as increasing the Λ from 2 nm to 27 nm. Correspondingly, the crystallite size in the (111) and (200) directions exhibited an increasing tendency, which calculated by the Debye-Scherrer equation. The hardness and Young's modulus exhibited an initial increased with decreasing Λ from 27 nm to 7.5 nm, followed by a decrease. The TiAlSiN/CrN multilayer films with Λ of 7.5 nm reached the highest hardness of 26.6 GPa and the highest Young's modulus of 295.4 GPa. However, the thin film with Λ of 8.5 nm exhibited a hardness value of 25.3 GPa and the highest adhesion strength, which the highest critical load Lc1 of 52 GPa and the morphology of Rockwell indentations can be classified as HF1. Therefore, based on both hardness and adhesion strength, an optimization TiAlSiN/CrN multilayer film is in the single layer thickness of 8.5 nm.

Surface characteristics for the Ti[sbnd]Al[sbnd]N coatings deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique at the different bias voltages

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) is the new PVD technique that has been widely used to deposit hard coatings. In this work, titanium-aluminum nitride (TiAlN) coatings were synthesized through using the HIPIMS technique with various bias voltages from −50 to −200 V. The influence of bias voltage on the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of the TiAlN coatings were investigated. The results indicate that the Al content in TiAlN coatings decreased due to the selective re-sputtering. The preferred orientation altered from (111) to (200) and the peak shifted to lower 2θ values which occurred as the bias voltage increased. The coatings with the best mechanical and tribological properties were obtained at the bias voltage of −150 and −100 V respectively. The influence of coating texture, surface roughness, and residual stress on the properties of the coatings was discussed.

Effect of DC input power and nitrogen ratio on the deposition of Ti 1−x Al x N thin films using high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique

Abstract Ti 1 − x Al x N thin films with x varying from 0.72 to 0.86 were deposited using a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) method in this research. The current-voltage characteristics of the Ti 30 Al 70 target was first investigated to determine the HiPIMS parameters for film deposition. The microstructure and hardness of the resulting films grown under different target powers and different N 2 /Ar flux ratios have been studied. It was found that the dual phases of cubic-Ti 1 − x Al x N and wurtzite-AlN co-exist in the resulting films while the grain sizes of wurtzite-AlN are all smaller than that of the cubic-Ti 1 − x Al x N. The deposition rate, ranging from 4 to 9 nm/min, decreases with increasing N 2 /Ar flux ratio or decreasing target power. N/(Al + Ti) ratio, varying between 0.5 and 1.3, was found to increase with increasing N 2 /Ar ratio. Films having the highest hardness of 22.3 GPa was obtained when the duty cycle was 3%, the power was 1.8 kW, and the N 2 /Ar flux ratio was 0.46. The hardness exhibits a strong dependence to the N/(Al + Ti) ratio.

Structure, adhesion and corrosion behavior of CrN/TiN superlattice coatings deposited by the combined deep oscillation magnetron sputtering and pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

Abstract Deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS) is a novel high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique, which offers large voltage oscillation packets to generate a stable high-power discharge plasma with high ionization under virtually arc-free conditions. CrN/TiN superlattice coatings with various modulated periods (Λ) were deposited by the combined DOMS and pulsed dc magnetron sputtering. CrN/TiN superlattice coatings with the Cr/(Cr + Ti) ratio ranging from 0.177 to 0.496 exhibited a single phase face-centered cubic structure with a strong (111) texture. As the Λ was increased from 5.7 to 10.2 nm, the residual stress was increased from − 2.1 to − 5.6 GPa. The increase in Λ led to an initial increase, followed by a decrease in hardness, and the H/E* and H3/E*2 ratios. The coating at Λ = 6.3 nm showed the highest adhesion with the highest HF level in Rockwell C tests and critical loads in scratch tests due to the highest hardness of 36 GPa, H/E* ratio of 0.093 and H3/E*2 ratio of 0.316. The predominant adhesive failure mode in scratch tests was buckling failure independent of the changes of Λ and substrate hardness. However, the increase in substrate hardness resulted in an increase in critical loads (LC1, LC2, LC3 and LC4), especially for a significant increase in LC3, due to the increased cooperative deformation of a coating/substrate system by increasing toughness of coatings, cohesion/adhesion and substrate hardness. The increased adhesion was responsible for the increased pitting and stress corrosion cracking resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution due to the optimized Cr/(Cr + Ti) ratio and Λ.

Wear and corrosion resistance of CrN/TiN superlattice coatings deposited by a combined deep oscillation magnetron sputtering and pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

Deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS) is a novel high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique, which offers large voltage oscillation packets to generate a stable high-power discharge plasma with high ionization under virtually arc-free conditions. CrN/TiN superlattice coatings were deposited using a combined DOMS and pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDCMS) in a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering configuration. The Cr target was powered at 400W by DOMS and Ti target was powered at 2000W by PDCMS. The negative substrate bias (Vs) ranged from 0V to −100V. As the Vs was increased, CrN/TiN superlattice coatings showed a single phase face-centered cubic structure with a strong (111) texture. Correspondingly, the coatings exhibited the dense microstructure with well-defined interfaces between CrN and TiN layers. The increase in Vs led to a decrease in grain size and an increase in the compressive residual stress. The hardness and Young's modulus of the coatings increased with increasing Vs. The H/E* and H3/E*2 ratios and critical loads LC in scratch test showed an initial increase, followed by a decrease. The wear mechanism changed from severe adhesion wear to abrasion wear. The coating deposited at Vs=−60V exhibited mild abrasion wear with the lowest friction coefficient of 0.27 and the lowest specific wear rate of 0.5×10−6mm3N−1m−1 due to high hardness, H/E* and H3/E*2 ratios, LC1 and LC3 of 36GPa, 0.094, 0.316, 15.3N and 24N, respectively. The coatings also exhibited increasing pitting corrosion resistance with lower current density and higher corrosion potential in 3.5wt% NaCl aqueous solution. Combined DOMS+PDCMS techniques can provide the engineering surfaces for the industrial applications with the combined improvement in wear and corrosion resistance.

Nanomechanical characterization of amorphous and nanocrystalline FeCuNbSiB thin films

Mechanical properties (hardness and Young's modulus) of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si15.5B7 thin films (thicknesses from 1.4μm to 2μm) have been investigated using the depth-sensing nanoindentation technique. The amorphous films, having uniform and smooth surfaces, were deposited on glass, aluminum, silicon, and sapphire substrates using the high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique. The nanocrystalline state was achieved after isothermal treatments performed at temperatures between 463°C and 475°C. The mean value for the effective Young's modulus of the amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si15.5B7 thin films is about 146GPa, regardless of their thickness or the substrate's nature. Increasing the thickness of the films, the hardness value increases up to 1GPa. After the thermal treatments performed at 475°C (when the films’ structure consists of b.c.c. α-Fe(Si) grains with average size of 15nm embedded in a residual amorphous matrix) the effective Young's modulus value decreases by about 13%, while hardness value increases by about 13% with respect to the as-deposited state.

Diamond like carbon films deposited by HiPIMS using oscillatory voltage pulses

Diamond like carbon films were deposited by sputtering a graphite target using deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS). DOMS is an alternative high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique that uses large voltage oscillation packets to achieve high power pulses for sputtering. The deposition variables include negative substrate bias voltage, working pressure and peak target current density (J). In this study, the deposition rate was varied from 23nm·min−1 to 70nm·min−1 by changing the above variables. The peak substrate current density during high power pulses was measured up to 50mA·cm−2. The microstructure of the films was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Higher J, lower working pressure, and properly controlled bias voltage promoted sp3 bond formation and increased the density of the films. Super dense DLC films were obtained by increasing J above 0.75A·cm−2 at 0.13Pa with a substrate bias voltage of −60V. The surface of the films became smoother as the J was increased. The adhesion and mechanical and tribological properties of the films were measured using HRC tests, nanoindentation and ball on disk wear tests. The films exhibited excellent adhesion on stainless steel. The films exhibited the maximum hardness value of 35GPa, the lowest dry sliding COF of 0.09 and the lowest wear rate of 1.5×10−8mm3N−1m−1.

Syntheses and Properties of Quaternary Cr-Ti-B-N Coatings by a High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Technique

Cr-Ti-B-N coatings were synthesized by a hybrid coating system combining high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and DC pulse magnetron sputtering from a <TEX>$TiB_2$</TEX> and a Cr target in argon-nitrogen environment, respectively. By changing the power applied on the Cr and <TEX>$TiB_2$</TEX> cathodes, the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings with various Ti/Cr ratio and B content were deposited. The phase structure, microstructure and chemical compositions of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission scanning electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). With increase of Cr element in the coatings, the nanocomposite microstructure consisting of nano-sized (Cr, Ti) N crystallites and amorphous BN phase were obtained in the coatings. The microhardness of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings exhibited a peak value of ~41 GPa for the <TEX>$CrTi_{0.1}B_{0.4}N_{1.3}$</TEX>, and then decreased with further increase of Cr content in the coatings, and all the coatings exhibited low friction coefficient. The oxidation and corrosion behavior of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings revealed better properties due to the formation of a nanocomposite microstructure.

Nanocrystalline thin films synthesized from a Ti2AlN compound target by high power impulse magnetron sputtering technique

Ti–Al–N thin films were synthesized utilizing a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) from a Ti2AlN compound target. The deposition temperatures and bias voltages were varied in the range of room temperature (RT) to 450°C and 0V to −70V, respectively. It was indicated that amorphous films formed at low deposition temperatures of RT and 300°C, which changed into MAX-phase Ti2AlN films after vacuum annealing at 800°C for 1h. Densely packed nano-fibrous crystalline films mainly composing of Ti2AlN MAX phase and tetragonal Ti2N phase were acquired at deposition temperature of 450°C, which exhibited stable film structure during vacuum annealing at 800°C. The Ti2AlN–Ti2N composite films exhibited excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance, as compared to (Ti,Al)N film having same Ti/Al ratio and/or TiN film synthesized by a hybrid coating system with HIPIMS and DC pulse magnetron sputtering. The mechanical properties of the Ti2AlN–Ti2N films were also investigated in this work.