Effect of carbon content on the tribological behavior of TiC<i>_x</i>N₁₋<i>_x</i> films prepared by arc-vapor deposition

Abstract

The effects of carbon content on the tribological behavior of titanium carbonitride(TiC x N 1¹x ) films have been studied herein. A set of titanium carbonitride(TiC x N 1¹x ) films was prepared by arc ion plating with a pure Ti target and a gas mixture of C 2 H 2 /N 2 on a steel substrate. High-definition field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to investigate the microstructure of the films. The chemical composition of the films was analyzed using both electron dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The surface roughness and microhardness of the films were measured using ¡-step profilometer and nanoindenter respectively. The tribology of titanium carbonitride(TiC x N 1¹x ) films was investigated using a ballon-disc testing method and the wear tracks were observed by low-magnification SEM. The tribological behavior of the films was significantly changed with variation of the C 2 H 2 /N 2 gas ratio. A very low friction coefficient (0.07) of titanium carbonitride(TiC x N 1¹x ) film was observed when the C 2 H 2 :N 2 gas ratio was about 3:2.

Titanium carbonitride coating by pulsed electrical discharge in an aqueous solution of ethanolamine

“…Ti 2 N, Fe 2 N and Ti(C 1 − x N x ) are the reaction products during EDM, and Ti(C 1 − x N x ) is the major composition deduced from the stronger intensity of the diffraction peaks. However, it is difficult to identify the special composition of the obtained Ti(C 1 − x N x ) phase because Ti(C 1 − x N x ) containing different contents of carbon and nitrogen can form the absolute solid solution, sharing the same XRD patterns [4]. It seems that the obtained Ti(C 1 − x N x ) is nitrogen-rich because its lattice constant is close to that of TiN [13].…”

“…They possess high hardness, good tribological properties, thermal stability and corrosion resistance [1,2]. TiCN coatings have been fabricated under various deposition conditions using such power sources as arcevaporation, sputtering, ion beam, and so on [1][2][3][4]. However, these methods need special apparatus, harsh vacuum conditions, and high processing temperature.…”