This work aims to show the characterisation of Cr-V-N coatings, with the varied amounts of Cr and V. CrN, VN and Cr-V-N coatings were deposited onto silicon and XC100 steel substrates by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering and characterised with X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, pin on disc tribological tests and scratch tests. The residual stress was calculated using the Stoney formula. Compared to the CrN system, the Cr-V-N films presented a rough surface based on pyramidal morphology. A hardness of 19?53 GPa and a friction coefficient of 0?55 were obtained for CrN; in contrast, Cr-V-N coatings presented a weak hardness of 6?23 GPa. In the case of wear against a 100Cr6 ball, the Cr-V-N films were completely removed from the substrate, even though the Cr-V-N coating presented a low friction coefficient (0?39). However, the VN film showed good tribological performance.

We investigated the effect of film thickness on the structure and properties of VeN coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering in an argon and nitrogen atmosphere. The nitrogen percentage was changed between 10 and 20%. Firstly, structural and morphological properties of VeN films were observed, analyzed and subsequently followed by a detailed investigation on the mechanical and tribological properties of these coatings. It has been shown that film structure, hardness and wear resistance significantly changed with varying the film thickness and the nitrogen percentage. In the case of films deposited under 10%N 2 , the presence of V 2 N phase was evident. With increasing nitrogen ratio in the deposition chamber from 10 to 20%, the structure was changed from (hc)V 2 N to multi phases of V 2 N and (fcc) VN (formation of different vanadium nitrides). The thick films containing more nitrogen were slightly dense compared to the thinner ones presenting rough surface and columnar morphology. Nanoindentation measurements showed that film mechanical behavior depends on its thickness, nitrogen percentage and microstructural features. The film hardness first increased with its thickness and then decreased. The highest hardness of 26.2 GPa was obtained for the film deposited under 20%N 2 , which is correlated with its dense structure and film stoichiometry. The film thickness has a significant effect on the tribological properties of VeN films. The minimum friction coefficient of 0.4 was found for the thickest film of 2500 nm. The wear rate gradually decreased with increasing the film thickness, due to the high hardness, presence of VN phase and the strong adhesion between film and substrate.

is an open access repository that collects the work of Arts et Métiers ParisTech researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. a b s t r a c tCrN/CrAlN and Cr/CrN/CrAlN multilayers were grown with dual RF magnetron sputtering. The application of these multilayers will be wood machining of green wood. That is why ball-on-disc and electrochemical tests in NaCl aqueous solution were realized to elucidate the tribological and corrosion behavior of these coatings as they will be exposed to wear and corrosion during wood machining process. The samples/alumina and samples/WC coupling showed different wear mechanisms. The 300 nm thick Cr/CrN/CrAlN multilayer demonstrated the best tribological behavior and corrosion resistance. The influence of growth defects on corrosion resistance has been shown. .