Titanium Carbide Coatings Research Articles

Oxidation Behaviour of TiC/TiN Coatings Deposited by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): Mechanisms, Structures, and Properties

This review explores the oxidation behavior of Titanium Carbide (TiC) and Titanium Nitride (TiN) coatings deposited by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), with a focus on their industrial applications as wear-resistant coatings for cutting tools. It examines effect of process parameters—such as temperature, pressure, precursor composition, and substrate preparation—on formation and performance of TiC/TiN coatings. The review evaluates the microstructural characteristics of these coatings, including crystal structure, using X-ray diffraction analysis. Also, estimates the mechanical properties such as hardness, wear resistance, and adhesion strength. Additionally, the review covers the thermal stability of TiC/TiN coatings, emphasizing their ability to maintain structural integrity at high temperatures, which is essential for the performance of cutting tools and other industrial components. A major focus is the oxidation behavior of TiC/TiN coatings, including the impact of coating composition, deposition methods, and environmental conditions. The review details oxidation kinetics and mechanisms, revealing various stages of oxidation at different temperatures. It also examines oxide scale morphology and its effect on coating properties. Finally, this review reveals the importance of alloying elements, like silicon, in improving oxidation resistance. Composite coatings such as TiSiN and TiSiCN are shown to offer better high-temperature stability compared to traditional TiN coatings. The effects of coating thickness and the benefits of multilayer coatings for enhanced oxidation resistance are also discussed.

Study on the Properties of TiC Coating Deposited by Spark Discharge on the Surface of AlFeCoCrNiCu High-Entropy Alloy.

Titanium carbide (TiC) coatings were prepared on the surface of AlFeCoCrNiCu high-entropy alloy blocks using electro-spark deposition (ESD). The microhardness and corrosion resistance of the TiC coatings prepared under different voltage and capacitance process parameters were studied. The research shows that the maximum microhardness of the TiC coating on sample 4 (working voltage of 20 V, working capacitance of 1000 μF) is 844.98 HV, which is 81.5% higher than the microhardness of the substrate. This is because the deposition energy increases with the increase in voltage, and the adhesion and aggregation between the coating and the substrate are enhanced, increasing the hardness of the coating. It is worth noting that excessive deposition energy can increase surface defects and reduce the microhardness of the coating surface. Electrochemical testing analysis shows that the corrosion current density of the TiC coating is the lowest (9.475 × 10-7 ± 0.06 × 10-7), and the coating impedance is the highest (2.502 × 103 Ω·com2). The absolute phase angle value is the highest (about 72°). The above indicates that the TiC coating prepared with a working voltage of 20 V and a working capacitance of 1000 μF has better microhardness and corrosion resistance.

The influence of particle size and velocity on the wear failure of TiC coated Fe under oil extraction conditions: A molecular dynamics study

The application of titanium carbide (TiC) coatings, renowned for their exceptional tribological properties, holds promise for the research on failure prevention in downhole petroleum machinery. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to coat TiC layers onto Fe surfaces to enhance wear resistance. The effects of particle size and velocity on the wear and erosion resistance failure of the entire system were investigated through nanoindentation, scratch tests, and particle impact studies. The results indicate that the influence of particle size on the abrasion resistance and erosion resistance of materials is manifested in the load trend and surface atomic morphology. In the plastic damage of materials, an increase in velocity weakens the accumulation of slip faults and rearrangement phenomena among internal atoms, resulting in irregular fluctuations in the load curve. Meanwhile, the high-speed system will dominate the influence on temperature by accelerating atomic motion, leading to different orders of magnitude of wear and high-temperature atoms in impact simulations compared to particle size. This provides significant reference for the study of protective failure of TiC coatings in complex oil machinery service environments.

Exploring wear resistance: Three-body abrasion evaluation of HVOF-sprayed TiC and CoNi coatings on SS316 steel

This study investigated the performance of High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF)-sprayed Titanium Carbide (TiC) and TiC + 50C (50%TiC + 50%CoNi) coatings on SS316 steel under three-body abrasion conditions. The microstructural analysis revealed a homogeneous distribution of TiC particles within the TiC coatings, while the TiC + 50C coatings exhibited a more complex microstructure due to the presence of Co-Ni alloy. Mechanical testing demonstrated the superior microhardness of TiC coatings compared to the SS316 substrate, suggesting enhanced wear resistance. Slurry abrasion tests indicated reduced mass loss rates for both TiC and TiC + 50C coatings compared to uncoated SS316 steel, with TiC coatings exhibiting superior resistance to abrasive wear. Post-abrasion examination revealed distinct wear patterns, including abrasive chipping, plowing marks, crater formation, wear traces, and surface ruggedness.

Probing the Atomic Erosion Wear Characteristics of TiC-Coated Fe in Oil and Gas Drilling Environments.

The titanium carbide (TiC) coating is considered one of the key coating materials to resist erosion wear in oil and gas drilling environments due to its excellent impact and wear resistance. Based on molecular dynamics, the erosion wear resistance of TiC coatings and the pure Fe system in the simulation of nanoindentation, scratch, and particle impact was studied at the microscale. The results indicate that TiC coatings can effectively enhance the load-bearing capacity of the Fe substrate within the critical load range and exhibit low friction characteristics and erosion resistance. However, the protection is lost after the TiC coating cracks, leading to an increase in the tangential force. In addition, when TiC coatings and pure Fe systems exhibit typical erosion characteristics of brittle materials, the TiC coating will significantly reduce the erosion wear of the substrate.

Investigations of TiC and SiC films synthesized by DC magnetron sputtering and thermal annealing

In this research article, two-dimensional thin films of titanium, hierarchical titanium-carbon, titanium carbide, hierarchical silicon-carbon, and silicon carbide films were synthesized on the plates of AISI 304 stainless steel and glass slides, individually, using DC magnetron sputtering techniques. During the sputtering process, the creation of stable plasma was affected by the vacuum level, DC potential, plasma current, and Argon gas. The results showed that the coatings of titanium, titanium-carbon, and titanium carbide modified the optical properties of stainless steel. Additionally, titanium carbide coatings displayed a shiny gold appearance with a hardness of 1500 HV. Besides this, X-ray diffraction studies revealed a hexagonal Ti in the metallic films and C60, and diamond-like structures dispersed on its surface after the carbon coating. The spherical particulates of Ti and C60/diamond-like carbon particulates anchored on its surface were observed using scanning electron microscope analysis. The structural analysis indicated C vacant sites, which are available for ionic/electronic charge diffusion, thereby rendering these structures suitable for making Li storage batteries as electrode material.

Design of metal-cutting tool coatings at the atomic level

The research aims to lower tooling costs by reducing the time allotted to designing coatings on domestic cemented carbide metal-cutting tools by using the atomic force approach. The object of the study is coatings on cemented carbides of the tungsten carbide group such as titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride (TiN), and titanium (Ti) coatings or a nitride-based titanium, chromium and aluminum (Ti,Cr,Al)N composite coating. To select the most rational coatings, the article employed the method of calculating the functionals of interatomic systems using the density functional description of single atoms. The simplest measure to reduce the cost of designing metal-cutting instruments for manufacturing parts made of difficult-to-machine materials is to develop coatings for this tool type. The article considers various atomic arrangements in the coating material in relation to the WCo8 cemented carbide (VK8, tungsten carbide-cobalt alloy containing 8% cobalt). The calculated values of the interaction energy of the coating material atoms with one another and with the cemented carbide material ranged from 3.04 to 3.5 J/m2. Moreover, the research has established a correlation between the calculation results and the performance parameter of metal-cutting tools considering fracture toughness K1c (MPa ∙ √m). The main result of the study is that the employed computational method made it possible to determine the adhesion value for the atoms of the above-mentioned coating materials with tungsten carbide and cobalt atoms packed in different scale configurations. This enables the classification of coatings from the perspective of ensuring maximum performance properties of the tooling material. The present article assumes that the higher the adhesion value, the better the performance properties. The hypothesis has been confirmed experimentally as well as by the values of fracture toughness K1c. Thus, the most rational coating options have been selected for specified operating conditions of a metal-cutting tool, which permits reduction of tool design costs and makes it possible to predict the performance properties of tools at the design stage.

Titanium carbide coating to improve surface characteristic, wear and corrosion resistance of spheroidal graphite cast irons

In this study, titanium carbide (TiC) coatings were grown on the surface of a spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) via thermo-reactive diffusion (TRD) using powder-pack processing at 800 °C, 850 °C and 900 °C for 4 h. The TiC coatings obtained on the SGI were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface profilometry, microhardness, VDI adhesion testing, wear testing, and electrochemical corrosion testing. Depending on the TRD temperature, continuous, crack-free, and smooth TiC coatings of 5–11 μm thickness and 27.96–32.45 GPa hardness were obtained on the surface. The high chemical stability, high hardness, and good adhesion strength of TiC coatings resulted in a reduced friction, high wear resistance, and superior corrosion resistance compared to the untreated sample. Delamination and oxidation assisted abrasive wear transformed into oxidation-assisted adhesive wear in the coated samples. Galvanic corrosion was dominant in untreated SGI, while homogeneous corrosion occurred in the coated samples. TiC coatings grown using TRD have the potential to be used in engineering components exposed to tribo-corrosive conditions.

In Situ Synthesis of Titanium Carbide Coating on Foam Titanium by Molten Salt Electrolysis

In Situ Synthesis of Titanium Carbide Coating on Foam Titanium by Molten Salt Electrolysis

The influence of different power supply modes on the microstructure, mechanical, and corrosion properties of nc-TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings

Titanium carbide (TiC) coatings have attracted wide attention from researchers and industry due to their high hardness, wear and corrosion resistance . In this study, a plasma emission monitoring system was adopted to feedback control the target poisoning status of 70% in a gas mixture of acetylene using four different power supply modes including superimposed HiPIMS-MF, HiPIMS , MF, and DC. The nanocrystalline TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings containing NaCl-type TiC nanocrystallites (3–7 nm in diameter) embedded in a hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) matrix microstructures were fabricated by four different power supply modes. The corrosion resistance of 304 stainless steel substrate against the sulfuric acid attack was greatly improved by the four nc-TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings. Although the deposition rate of the coating prepared by the DC power supply was the highest, the film quality was inferior to other films due to its higher oxygen content and larger TiC grain size . On the other hand, the nc-TiC/a-C:H coating fabricated by the superimposed HiPIMS-MF power mode exhibited a featureless microstructure with the highest hardness of 27.5 GPa and the highest H 3 /E 2 ratio of 0.38. The nc-TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite film grown by superimposed HiPIMS-MF became a promising protective coating in severe environment applications due to its high hardness, good adhesion, adequate tribological properties, and excellent corrosion resistance against sulfuric acid. • Four different power supply modes are used to grow four nc-TiC/a-C:H coatings. • A plasma emission monitoring system is utilized to control reactive C 2 H 2 gas. • The coating consists of TiC nanograins embedded in an amorphous C matrix. • Superimposed HiPIMS-MF yields a coating with the highest hardness of 27.3 GPa.

Pulse electro co-deposition of submicron-sized TiC reinforced Ni–W coatings: tribological and corrosion properties

ABSTRACT Nickel–Tungsten–Titanium carbide (Ni–W–TiC) coatings were produced by pulse electrodeposition from a Ni–W electrolyte containing TiC particles. The effects of TiC concentration in the electrolyte on the morphology, crystallite size, microstrain, mechanical, tribology and electrochemical properties of TiC reinforced Ni–W co-depositions were investigated. The highest hardness of 8.3 GPa and modulus of elasticity of 207 GPa were observed in the case of the coating produced at 15 g/L TiC concentration in the electrolyte. The increase in the H/E and H 3/E 2 ratios led to displaying excellent wear resistance of the Ni–W–TiC co-depositions besides high resistance to plastic deformation. A direct correlation was observed between nanoindentation and wear resistance results of reinforced TiC co-depositions. It has also been shown by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization analysis that TiC particles can improve the electrochemical properties of the co-depositions because of their barrier effect.

Interfacial Structure of Carbide-Coated Graphite/Al Composites and Its Effect on Thermal Conductivity and Strength.

Graphite/Al composites had attracted significant attention for thermal management applications due to their excellent thermal properties. However, the improvement of thermal properties was restricted by the insufficient wettability between graphite and Al. In this study, silicon carbide and titanium carbide coatings have been uniformly coated on the graphite by the reactive sputtering method, and Graphite/Al laminate composites were fabricated by a hot isostatic pressing process to investigate the influence on thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. The results show that carbide coating can effectively improve the interfacial thermal conductance of SiC@Graphite/Al and TiC@Graphite/Al composites by 9.8 times and 3.4 times, respectively. After surface modification, the in-plane thermal conductivity (TC) of the composites with different volume fractions are all exceeding the 90% of the predictions. In comparison, SiC is more conducive to improving the thermal conductivity of composite materials, since the thermal conductivity of the 28.7 vol.% SiC@Graphite/Al reached the highest value of 499 W/m·K, while TiC is favorable for improving the mechanical properties. The finding is beneficial to the understanding of carbide coating engineering in the Graphite/Al composites.

Micro-structural, physical and tribological properties of HVOF spayed (TiC + Cr2O3) composite coatings

Abstract Ceramic composite coatings of Titanium Carbide (TiC) and Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3) were applied on the surface of Al-6061, produced through High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) technique. The combination of the coatings developed were TiC + 10%Cr2O3, were Cr2O3 acts as the reinforcement in TiC matrix and Cr2O3 + 10%TiC were TiC acts as the reinforcement in Cr2O3 matrix. The microstructural characterisation was conducted using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The SEM images showed better bonding of the TiC reinforcement to the Cr2O3 matrix and the XRD tests of the same showed the presence of of compounds of Chromium Oxide-Titanium Oxide in large quantities. The presence of these compounds indicates a clear bonding between the reinforcement and matrix of the coating. The physical properties of surface roughness and coating thickness were examined using the Surface Roughness Tester (SRT) and Coating Thickness Gauge (CTG) respectively. Coatings of Cr2O3 + 10%TiC were found to have consistent coating thickness and lower valleys and peaks. The Tribological wear evaluation was conducted using the Pin-on Disc wear tester according to the G99 ASTM standard. With the increasing axial load, it was observed that the wear reduced drastically for specimens coated with Cr2O3 + 10%TiC as compared to the specimens coated with TiC + 10%Cr2O3 and uncoated specimens. Thus, the micro-structural, physical and tribological properties analysed through the tests conducted showed that the combination of Cr2O3 + 10%TiC had superior properties in the tests conducted, as compared to TiC + 10%Cr2O3 coatings. This is mainly attributed to the adhesion abilities of the TiC reinforcement material to the Cr2O3 matrix of the ceramic composite coating. The research showed that the addition of Titanium Carbide reinforcement to the Chromium Oxide matrix in the coating enhanced the surface properties of Al-6061 to a large extent.

Coating of chromium and titanium carbide on diamond particles in molten LiCl–KCl–NaCl

Diamond particles were coated with chromium (Cr) or titanium (Ti) using a molten salt synthesis (MSS) approach involving lithium chloride (LiCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium chloride (NaCl). Diamond and metal powders were heated at 700–900 °C in the MSS to create chromium carbide (Cr7C3) or titanium carbide (TiC) coatings on the diamond particles. Carbide formation was influenced by the dissolved metal content and the diffusion rate. The thickness and morphology of the Cr coating layer was not significantly affected by the molar ratio of the LiCl–KCl–NaCl mixture, however, in terms of the coating atmosphere, it is most valuable using the eutectic LiCl–KCl–NaCl mixture having the molar ratio of 55:33:12 and the lowest melting point. The resulting Cr7C3 and TiC coated surfaces and microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. A uniform Cr7C3 and TiC layer formed on the surface of the diamond particles at a relatively low temperature, at which the graphitization of diamond was avoided. The coating layer thickness estimated by particle size analysis increased linearly with coating temperature. The thickness of the Cr- and Ti-coated layers ranged from 1 to 10 and 0.5–1.5 μm, respectively, which indicated that the TiC coating formed at a much slower rate than the Cr7C3 coating.

Laser surface treatment of pure titanium: Microstructural analysis, wear properties, and corrosion behavior of titanium carbide coatings in Hank's physiological solution

Titanium exhibits poor mechanical features such as low hardness and wear resistance. In this research, we considerably enhance the hardness and wear resistance of Ti by a simple laser surface treatment method. Titanium carbide (TiC) structure was successfully generated on Ti samples by means of laser. Vickers hardness indenter, wear test, impedance spectroscopy, and polarization analyses were carried out to scrutinize the mechanical and corrosion properties of samples. Adhesion between Ti and the formed TiC structure is favorite aspect of this method. The results confirmed that the TiC layer improved the mechanical hardness of the Ti. Additionally, the friction coefficient values of laser-treated Ti samples dramatically decreased. The surface roughness of laser-treated Ti declined to its minimum value with increase in laser-treatment time. Although, laser-surface treatment of Ti did not make an evident change in the corrosion resistance of Ti in Hank's physiological solution compared to reference Ti, the escalation of Ti hardness with laser-treatment time is a favorable aspect of this method.

Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor infiltration of a titanium carbide interphase coating on carbon fiber

Thin film coatings of titanium carbide (TiC) were deposited onto carbon fibers via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) using TiCl4, CH4, and H2 gases. Three CVI parameters were optimized to obtain high quality coatings: temperature, total gas flow rate, and H2/CH4 flow ratio. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the quality and morphology of the coatings, including the roughness, uniformity, fiber coverage, and fiber adhesion. The temperature was optimized to 900 °C, which yielded complete fiber coverage with minimal fiber bridging and good adhesion. Minimizing the total gas flow rate to 37.5 standard cubic centimeters per minute reduced the roughness of the TiC coating. Finally, maximizing the ratio of H2/CH4 to 4:1 was optimal for all coating qualities. Selected area electron diffraction confirmed the presence of crystalline TiC. A combination of transmission electron microscopy and fiber tow tensile testing revealed that the outer layer of carbon fiber becomes damaged by the CVI process, causing loss of strength. To circumvent this surface degradation, it is necessary to protect the fibers with a pyrolytic carbon interphase coating before depositing TiC. This method of depositing TiC onto carbon fibers proves to be competitive in terms of coating quality, deposition temperature, reaction time, and fiber strength compared to other TiC deposition methods including reactive-CVI and molten salt synthesis.

Effect of Laser Radiation on the Surface of a Solid Body and the Formation of Micro- and Nanostructures

Problems of the micro- and nanostructiring of the surfaces of solid bodies exposed to laser radiation are considered. The formation of periodic surface structures via femtosecond laser processing is shown using examples of the structuring of molybdenum and the synthesis of titanium carbide coatings.

Bidirectional properties of TiC, TiN and TiNC thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.

Titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC) and titanium carbonitride (TiNC) thin films show promising practical applications due to their photoelectric properties and corrosion behaviour. In this work, we investigated the factors which may affect the optical properties and the corrosion behaviour of these coatings. The titanium coatings were carried out by sputtering using the target of Ti6Al4V (purity 99.96%) with different N2, CH4 and Ar partial pressures. XRD, FTIR, Raman and SEM with EDX studies show the formation of titanium nitride, titanium carbide coatings. Uv-vis spectroscopy was carried out to estimate the optical properties using the numerical Swanepoel method. Potentiodynamic polarization studies in Hank's solution show that the corrosion resistance is found to be in the order of C-TiN(2) > C-TiN(1) > TiN > TiC. A high protective efficiency was determined (60%) when comparing TiNC(2) and TiC corrosion current densities, which confirms the lower corrosion velocity and the higher passivation stability of the coatings composed with TiN and TiC phases. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies show that the Rct increases in the following order: TiC < TiN < C-TiN(1) < C-TiN(2), highlighting the fact that C-TiN(2) coating has the higher corrosion resistance.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Vacuum Plasma Sprayed HfC, TiC, and HfC/TiC Ultra-High-Temperature Ceramic Coatings.

To improve the oxidation resistance of carbon composites at high temperatures, hafnium carbide (HfC) and titanium carbide (TiC) ultra-high-temperature ceramic coatings were deposited using vacuum plasma spraying. Single-layer HfC and TiC coatings and multilayer HfC/TiC coatings were fabricated and compared. The microstructure and composition of the fabricated coatings were analyzed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The coating thicknesses of the HfC and TiC single-layer coatings were 165 µm and 140 µm, respectively, while the thicknesses of the HfC and TiC layers in the HfC/TiC multi-layer coating were 40 µm and 50 µm, respectively. No oxides were observed in any of the coating layers. The porosity was analyzed from cross-sectional images of the coating layers obtained using optical microscopy. Five random areas for each coating layer specimen were analyzed, and average porosity values of approximately 16.8% for the HfC coating and 22.5% for the TiC coating were determined. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the coating layers were investigated by measuring the hardness of the cross section and surface roughness. The hardness values of the HfC and TiC coatings were 1650.7 HV and 753.6 HV, respectively. The hardness values of the HfC and TiC layers in the multilayer sample were 1563.5 HV and 1059.2 HV, respectively. The roughness values were 5.71 µm for the HfC coating, 4.30 µm for the TiC coating, and 3.32 µm for the HfC/TiC coating.

Microstructures and wear properties of TiC coating produced by laser cladding on Ti-6Al-4V with TiC and carbon nanotube mixed powders

Titanium carbide (TiC) coatings were fabricated by laser cladding on Ti-6Al-4V alloy with TiC and carbon nanotube (CNT) mixed powders. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and analysis indicate that the coatings mainly consist of TiC, Al3Ti, Ti3AlC2 and VC. Microhardness tester and friction wear testing machine were also used to the tests of the coatings, the results show that the coatings, thickness of about 0.8 mm, surface microhardness of about 2854 HV0.5, have a lower friction coefficient and a much higher wear resistance than the substrate. The wear mechanism of the coating is abrasive wear, the mechanism of TC4 substrate is plastic deformation and plowing grooves.