TY - JOUR
T1 - Microstructural and mechanical properties of TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN multilayer coatings deposited in an industrial-scale HiPIMS system
T2 - Effect of the Si incorporation
AU - Sala, N.
AU - Rebelo de Figueiredo, M.
AU - Franz, R.
AU - Kainz, C.
AU - Sánchez-López, J. C.
AU - Rojas, T. C.
AU - Fernández de los Reyes, D.
AU - Colominas, C.
AU - Abad, M. D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2024/10/30
Y1 - 2024/10/30
N2 - Surface engineering through the deposition of advanced coatings, particularly multilayer coatings has gained significant interest for enhancing the performance of coated parts. The incorporation of Si into TiN coatings has shown promise for improving hardness, oxidation resistance, and thermal stability, while high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) has emerged as a technique to deposit coatings with exceptional properties. However, TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN coatings deposited by HiPIMS remain relatively unexplored. In this study, different TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN multilayer coatings with different bilayer periods from 5 to 85 nm were deposited using an industrial-scale HiPIMS reactor, and their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated using advanced characterization techniques. Results revealed successful deposition of smooth and compact coatings with controlled bilayer periods. X-ray diffraction analysis showed separate crystalline phases for coatings with high bilayer periods, while those with smaller bilayer periods exhibited peak-overlapping and superlattice overtones, especially for the TiN/CrN coatings. Epitaxial grain growth was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). HRTEM and electron energy-loss spectroscopy measurements confirmed Si incorporation into the TiN crystal lattice of TiSiN/CrN coatings reducing the crystallinity, especially for coatings with smaller bilayer periods. Nanoindentation tests revealed that coatings with a bilayer period of 15–20 nm displayed the highest hardness values regardless of the composition. The mechanical properties of the TiSiN/CrN coatings showed no improvement over those of the TiN/CrN coatings, attributed to the Si induced amorphization of the Ti(Si)N phase and the absence of SiNx phase segregation within the TiN nanocrystals in these coatings. These findings provide valuable insights into the microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN multilayer coatings deposited by HiPIMS in an industrial scale reactor, paving the way for their application in various industrial sectors.
AB - Surface engineering through the deposition of advanced coatings, particularly multilayer coatings has gained significant interest for enhancing the performance of coated parts. The incorporation of Si into TiN coatings has shown promise for improving hardness, oxidation resistance, and thermal stability, while high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) has emerged as a technique to deposit coatings with exceptional properties. However, TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN coatings deposited by HiPIMS remain relatively unexplored. In this study, different TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN multilayer coatings with different bilayer periods from 5 to 85 nm were deposited using an industrial-scale HiPIMS reactor, and their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated using advanced characterization techniques. Results revealed successful deposition of smooth and compact coatings with controlled bilayer periods. X-ray diffraction analysis showed separate crystalline phases for coatings with high bilayer periods, while those with smaller bilayer periods exhibited peak-overlapping and superlattice overtones, especially for the TiN/CrN coatings. Epitaxial grain growth was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). HRTEM and electron energy-loss spectroscopy measurements confirmed Si incorporation into the TiN crystal lattice of TiSiN/CrN coatings reducing the crystallinity, especially for coatings with smaller bilayer periods. Nanoindentation tests revealed that coatings with a bilayer period of 15–20 nm displayed the highest hardness values regardless of the composition. The mechanical properties of the TiSiN/CrN coatings showed no improvement over those of the TiN/CrN coatings, attributed to the Si induced amorphization of the Ti(Si)N phase and the absence of SiNx phase segregation within the TiN nanocrystals in these coatings. These findings provide valuable insights into the microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN/CrN and TiSiN/CrN multilayer coatings deposited by HiPIMS in an industrial scale reactor, paving the way for their application in various industrial sectors.
KW - Hardness
KW - Industrial HiPIMS deposition system
KW - Multilayer coatings
KW - Superlattice
KW - TiN/CrN
KW - TiSiN/CrN
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207022073&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2024.131461
DO - 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2024.131461
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85207022073
SN - 0257-8972
VL - 494
JO - Surface and Coatings Technology
JF - Surface and Coatings Technology
IS - Part 2
M1 - 131461
ER -