Advanced TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų str. 50, LT-44029 Kaunas, Lithuania;2. Department of Semiconductor Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio str. 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania;3. Lithuanian Energy Institute, Plasma Processing Laboratory, Breslaujos str.3, LT-44403, Kaunas, Lithuania;4. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Kengaraga Str. 8, LV-1063 Ryga, Latvia |
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| Abstract: | TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings have been deposited by magnetron sputtering. They consist of 2–5 nm TiC nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) matrix. A transition from a columnar to a glassy microstructure has been observed in the nanocomposite coatings with increasing substrate bias or carbon content. Micro-cracks induced by nanoindentation or wear tests readily propagate through the column boundaries whereas the coatings without a columnar microstructure exhibit substantial toughness. The nanocomposite coatings exhibit hardness of 5–20 GPa, superior wear resistance and strong self-lubrication effects with a friction coefficient of 0.05 in air and 0.01 in nitrogen, under dry sliding against uncoated bearing steel balls. Especially, reversible transitions from low to ultra-low friction are observed if the atmosphere is cycled between ambient air and nitrogen. The lowest wear rate is obtained at high humidity. |
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