Mechanical and electrochemical properties of CrAl-CrAlN and CrAl-CrAlN-(a-CNx) multilayer coatings obtained from Cr/Al sectioned targets deposited by HIPIMS

IF 6.1 2区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, COATINGS & FILMS

Surface & Coatings Technology Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.132706

C.J. Martínez-González , D. Bravo-Barcenas , J. Pérez-Alvarez , O. Jiménez , M. Flores

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The present study analyzed the mechanical and elasto-plastic properties of three multilayer CrAl/CrAlN coatings, which were deposited from a Cr/Al target with a volumetric ratio of 25:75. The top layer of (a-CN_x) was deposited by high-power magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) on A11 tool steel. The study then compared these coatings with those of previous studies. A range of analytical techniques were employed to characterize these coatings. The structural and phase composition of the coatings was determined through the utilization of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was utilized to ascertain the thickness, microstructure, and scratch failure mechanisms of the coatings. To determine the elastoplastic properties and quantitative adhesion resistance, nanoindentation and micro-scratch tests were performed, respectively. In order to establish corrosion resistance, a series of electrochemical corrosion tests were developed. These include open circuit potential (OCP) behavior, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests, and potentiodynamic polarization (PP) tests. XRD revealed the presence of a CrAlN FCC structure (111). XPS analysis confirmed the assumed chemical composition of the coatings, with the characteristic peaks corresponding to the binding energies of Cr, Al and N, respectively. The FE-SEM characterization of the CrAl/CrAlN multilayer coatings revealed the presence of three distinct layer thicknesses, measuring 1.56, 1.26, and 1.33 μm, respectively. Additionally, a glassy-like morphology was observed in the CrAl layer and in the (a-CN_x) top layer, where the CrAlN layers exhibited a columnar morphology. The findings of the nanoindentation experiment demonstrated elevated superficial levels of hardness, with measured values of 30.42 ± 2.3 GPa, 25.83 ± 2.2 GPa, and 23.56 ± 2.1 GPa, respectively. The CrAl/CrAlN–(a-CN_x)t₂ multilayer demonstrated the most robust scratch resistance and the highest adhesive energy values (0.5349 ± 0.009 GPa and 0.7878 ± 0.014 J/m², respectively). The EIS and PD tests in a 3.5 wt% NaCl dissolution demonstrated an enhancement in the corrosion resistance of the (a-CN_x) top layer, exhibiting up to 15 times greater R_p values compared to the AISI A11 substrate. The OCP, EIS and PP values confirmed that CrAl/CrAlN multilayer coatings deposited from a 25:75 vol% Cr/Al sectioned target have superior anticorrosive properties.

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hiims沉积Cr/Al切片靶材制备的CrAl-CrAlN和CrAl-CrAlN-(a-CNx)多层涂层的力学和电化学性能

研究了以体积比为25:75的Cr/Al靶材制备的三种多层CrAl/CrAlN涂层的力学性能和弹塑性性能。采用高功率磁控溅射（hiims）技术在A11工具钢表面沉积了（a-CNx）顶层。然后，该研究将这些涂层与之前的研究进行了比较。一系列的分析技术被用来表征这些涂层。利用x射线衍射（XRD）和x射线光电子能谱（XPS）技术测定了涂层的结构和相组成。利用扫描电镜（FE-SEM）分析了涂层的厚度、微观结构和划伤失效机理。为了确定其弹塑性性能和定量粘附阻力，分别进行了纳米压痕和微划痕试验。为了建立耐蚀性，开展了一系列电化学腐蚀试验。这些测试包括开路电位（OCP）行为、电化学阻抗谱（EIS）测试和动电位极化（PP）测试。XRD显示了CrAlN FCC结构的存在（111）。XPS分析证实了涂层的化学成分，特征峰分别对应Cr、Al和N的结合能。对CrAl/CrAlN多层涂层的FE-SEM表征表明，涂层厚度分别为1.56 μm、1.26 μm和1.33 μm。此外，在CrAl层和（a- cnx）顶层观察到玻璃状形态，其中CrAlN层呈现柱状形态。纳米压痕实验结果表明，表面硬度升高，测量值分别为30.42±2.3 GPa, 25.83±2.2 GPa和23.56±2.1 GPa。CrAl/CrAlN - (a-CNx)t2多层膜的抗刮擦性能最强，粘接能最高（分别为0.5349±0.009 GPa和0.7878±0.014 J/m2）。在3.5 wt% NaCl溶解条件下的EIS和PD测试表明，（a- cnx）顶层的耐腐蚀性增强，Rp值比AISI A11基体高15倍。OCP， EIS和PP值证实，由25:75 vol% Cr/Al切片目标沉积的CrAl/CrAlN多层涂层具有优异的防腐性能。

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来源期刊

Surface & Coatings Technology 工程技术-材料科学：膜

CiteScore

10.00

自引率

11.10%

发文量

921

审稿时长

19 days

期刊介绍： Surface and Coatings Technology is an international archival journal publishing scientific papers on significant developments in surface and interface engineering to modify and improve the surface properties of materials for protection in demanding contact conditions or aggressive environments, or for enhanced functional performance. Contributions range from original scientific articles concerned with fundamental and applied aspects of research or direct applications of metallic, inorganic, organic and composite coatings, to invited reviews of current technology in specific areas. Papers submitted to this journal are expected to be in line with the following aspects in processes, and properties/performance: A. Processes: Physical and chemical vapour deposition techniques, thermal and plasma spraying, surface modification by directed energy techniques such as ion, electron and laser beams, thermo-chemical treatment, wet chemical and electrochemical processes such as plating, sol-gel coating, anodization, plasma electrolytic oxidation, etc., but excluding painting. B. Properties/performance: friction performance, wear resistance (e.g., abrasion, erosion, fretting, etc), corrosion and oxidation resistance, thermal protection, diffusion resistance, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, and properties relevant to smart materials behaviour and enhanced multifunctional performance for environmental, energy and medical applications, but excluding device aspects.