Effects of Copper Content on the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiAlSiN–Cu Superhard Nanocomposite Coatings
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedure
2.1. Coating Deposition
2.2. Coating Characterisations
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Chemical Compositions and Microstructure
3.2. Mechanical and Tribological Properties of the Coatings
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- It was revealed that the TiAlSiN–Cu coatings were a nanocomposite consisting of nano-sized (Ti,Al)N crystallites (~5 to 7 nm in size) embedded in an amorphous matrix, which is a mixture of the TiOx, AlOx, SiOx, SiNx, and CuOx phase. The addition of Cu atoms into the TiAlSiN coatings led to the formation of an amorphous copper oxide (CuOx) phase in the amorphous matrix.
- (2)
- The TiAlSiN–Cu coatings with Cu content up to about 3 at.% presented high hardness (~46 GPa), high H/E* (~0.102) and H3/E*2 (~0.50 GPa) values regarding the coating’s fracture toughness, and excellent adhesion strength (LC2, ~60 N).
- (3)
- The addition of Cu atoms also improved the tribological property and wear resistance. The friction coefficient of the TiAlSiN–Cu coatings gradually decreased by increasing the Cu content and showed a minimum value of ~0.46 at a Cu content of 2.92 at.%. The formation of a copper oxide (CuOx) phase during coating growth or a sliding test played a key role as smooth solid-lubricant layers, and reduced the average friction coefficient (~0.46) and wear rate (~10 × 10−6 mm3/N·m).
- (4)
- Such a good combination of mechanical and tribological properties of the TiAlSiN–Cu coatings with Cu content up to about 3 at.% would indicate the considerable potential of the coatings for applications in mechanical components. However, further studies are necessary to investigate the oxidation properties of these coatings.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sample ID | Target Current (A) | Coating Composition (at.%) by EPMA | Thickness (µm) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TiAl2 | Ti4Si | Ti4Cu | Ti | Al | Si | N | Cu | 1 O | ||
TiAlSiN–Cu(4.74 at.%) | 50 | 70 | 100 | 34.16 | 6.01 | 2.12 | 48.08 | 4.74 | 4.89 | 3.45 |
TiAlSiN–Cu(3.85 at.%) | 50 | 70 | 90 | 31.12 | 8.09 | 2.91 | 49.01 | 3.85 | 5.02 | 3.51 |
TiAlSiN–Cu(2.92 at.%) | 50 | 70 | 80 | 29.42 | 10.01 | 3.05 | 49.74 | 2.92 | 4.86 | 3.56 |
TiAlSiN–Cu(1.89 at.%) | 50 | 70 | 70 | 26.62 | 13.56 | 4.09 | 48.91 | 1.89 | 4.94 | 3.62 |
TiAlSiN–Cu(1.01 at.%) | 50 | 70 | 60 | 24.67 | 15.24 | 5.04 | 49.23 | 1.01 | 4.81 | 3.58 |
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Heo, S.-B.; Kim, W.R.; Kim, J.-H.; Choe, S.-H.; Kim, D.; Lim, J.-H.; Park, I.-W. Effects of Copper Content on the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiAlSiN–Cu Superhard Nanocomposite Coatings. Coatings 2022, 12, 1995. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121995
Heo S-B, Kim WR, Kim J-H, Choe S-H, Kim D, Lim J-H, Park I-W. Effects of Copper Content on the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiAlSiN–Cu Superhard Nanocomposite Coatings. Coatings. 2022; 12(12):1995. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121995
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeo, Sung-Bo, Wang Ryeol Kim, Jun-Ho Kim, Su-Hyeon Choe, Daeil Kim, Jae-Hun Lim, and In-Wook Park. 2022. "Effects of Copper Content on the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiAlSiN–Cu Superhard Nanocomposite Coatings" Coatings 12, no. 12: 1995. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121995