Spontaneous escape behavior of silver from graphite-like carbon coating and its inhibition mechanism

The Spontaneous Escape Behavior of Silver from Graphite-like Carbon Coatings and Its Effect on Corrosion Resistance

“…The GLC coatings exhibited a structure resembling the columnar structure of the bottom Cr layer, likely a consequence of the shadow effect present during the coating deposition. These phenomena in Figure 6 are consistent with our previous study [21]. vious research confirmed that, when the Ag-GLC coatings are moved from a chamber (10 −4 Torr) into atmosphere (1 atm), under the huge pressure difference molecules in air can easily rush into and fill up the carbon cluster interface, and atoms and clusters distributed on the outer layer of the GLC coating will escap case of gas influx [21].…”

“…The silver-doped GLC coatings were prepared on the polished 6061 aluminum alloys and single-crystal silicon substrates using a MSIP 019 magnetron sputtering ion-plating system. For complete details on the preparation of targets, please refer to our previous work [21]. Firstly, the substrates were cleaned with dc sputtering for 20 min (current of chromium target (I Cr ) 0.30 A, current of silver target (I Ag ) 0.10 A, and a bias voltage of −400 V).…”

“…However, the observed spontaneous escape behavior of silver limits its potential application in GLC coatings [10,[17][18][19][20]. In previous studies, it was found that silver clusters separated at the interface of carbon clusters would escape under the influx of gas [21]. Studying how to stabilize silver in amorphous carbon films has important scientific significance and engineering value.…”

Antimicrobial and Aging Properties of Ag-, Ag/Cu-, and Ag Cluster-Doped Amorphous Carbon Coatings Produced by Magnetron Sputtering for Space Applications

“…24−28 This degradation process is mainly driven by the metal atom mobility inside the coating matrix and by the environment at the immediate coating surface. 25,27 Ultimately, to ensure an effective antimicrobial activity over the lifetime of the coating, it would be desirable to optimize the rate of metal migration to the surface, so that migration is not too fast, causing metal loss too quickly, or too slow to maintain the replenishment capability.…”

“…However, when such metals are added into the coating, it has been found that they gradually migrate to the coating surface. One of the most common issues found when a metal is added to a thin film, is the appearance of metal whiskers on the surface as the coating ages. , In fact, the dopant metal atoms dispersed in the coating matrix would slowly migrate toward the surface, where they agglomerate to form bigger particles or whiskers. − This degradation process is mainly driven by the metal atom mobility inside the coating matrix and by the environment at the immediate coating surface. , Ultimately, to ensure an effective antimicrobial activity over the lifetime of the coating, it would be desirable to optimize the rate of metal migration to the surface, so that migration is not too fast, causing metal loss too quickly, or too slow to maintain the replenishment capability.…”