Phase stability and defect structures in (Ti,Al)N hard coatings

Abstract

This study highlights the role of nitrogen vacancies and defect structures in engineering hard coatings with enhanced phase stability and mechanical properties for high temperature applications. Titanium aluminum nitride (Ti,Al)N based materials in the form of thin coatings has remained as an outstanding choice for protection of metal cutting tools due to its superior oxidation resistance and high-temperature wear resistance. High-temperature spinodal decomposition of metastable (Ti,Al)N into coherent c-TiN and c-AlN nm-sized domains results in high hardness at elevated temperatures. Even higher thermal input leads to transformation of c-AlN to w-AlN, which is detrimental to the mechanical properties of the coating. One mean to delay this transformation is to introduce nitrogen vacancies.