*2.3. Adhesion of Coatings*

The scratch and wear resistance of the coatings were assessed using a Teer ST3001 scratch–wear tester (Teer Coatings Ltd, Droitwich, UK) [27]. The coated surfaces were evaluated using a Rockwell diamond tip (radius 200 ȝm). A load rate of 100 N·min<sup>í</sup><sup>1</sup> and a constant sliding speed of 10.0 mm·min<sup>í</sup><sup>1</sup> were used with the load increasing from 10 to 40 N. The scratch tracks were examined using a Cambridge Stereoscan 200 scanning electron microscope (Cambridge Instruments, Cambridge, UK) in order to detect any flaking.
