Effects of annealing on antiwear and antibacteria behaviors of TaN–Cu nanocomposite thin films

Abstract

TaN–Cu nanocomposite films were deposited by reactive cosputtering on Si and tool steel substrates. The films were then annealed using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 400°C for 2, 4, and 8min, respectively, to induce the nucleation and growth of Cu particles in TaN matrix and on film surface. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was applied to characterize Cu nanoparticles emerged on the surface of TaN–Cu thin films. The effects of annealing on the antiwear and antibacterial properties of these films were studied. The results reveal that annealing by RTA can cause Cu nanoparticles to form on the TaN surface. Consequently, the tribological behaviors, as well as the antibacterial behavior may vary depending on particle size, particle distribution, and total exposed Cu amount. For the samples with large Cu particles, the reduction of averaged friction and wear rate is obvious. Apparently, it is due to the smeared Cu particles adhered onto the wear tracks. This Cu layer may act as a solid lubricant. From the antibacterial testing results, it is found that both Cu particle size and total exposed Cu amount are critical in making short-term antibacterial effect. Overall, all the annealed TaN–Cu samples can reach >99% antibacterial efficiency in 24h, with respect to uncoated Si substrate.

Particle Size Sensitivity Dependence of Nanocomposites for Plasmonic-Based All-Optical Sensing Applications

“…Proposed applications for these materials include: self-cleaning surfaces, 1,2 antiwear coatings, [3][4][5] and sensors [6][7][8] just to name a few. Thin film nanocomposites containing metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix are a specific set of nanocrystalline materials that are being explored for their unique optical properties due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the metal nanoparticles.…”

“…Nanocrystalline thin films are of great interest to a wide variety of industries due to the ongoing research that continues to reveal new ways that these materials can both enhance many of the products used today and for the potential they possess for the development of future products. Proposed applications for these materials include: self-cleaning surfaces, , antiwear coatings, − and sensors − just to name a few. Thin film nanocomposites containing metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix are a specific set of nanocrystalline materials that are being explored for their unique optical properties due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the metal nanoparticles.…”

Insight into the Mechanisms of Nitride Films with Excellent Hardness and Lubricating Performance: A Review

“…Since then, nanotechnology has come into existence, and based on it, different kinds of nano-films and composite films have been developed [17][18][19][20][21]. Some key advantages of nano-structured and composite coatings over traditional coatings are their superior mechanical hardness [22], resilience [23], toughness [24], high resistance to wear [25], scuffing [26], fatigue [27], oxidation [28], corrosion [29], lower friction [30,31], and ability to produce low shear tribo-films on dry or marginally lubricated sliding surfaces with self-adaptive behavior in variable environments and temperatures [32,33].…”

The morphology and structure of PVD ZrN–Cu thin films

“…Composite metal nitride-metal (MeN-Me) physical vapour deposited (PVD) films (e.g. CrN-Cu, TaN-Cu, MoN-Cu, ZrN-Ag, etc) are often considered for applications such as tribological and antibacterial coatings [1][2][3][4][5]. These applications stem from the fact that alloying of transition metal nitride films with another low miscibility metal, usually Cu or Ag, can improve properties such as lubrication in a tribological contact and provide an antibacterial effect to coated surfaces.…”