Influence of Niobium Dopant on the Corrosion Resistance of a-C:N and a-C:N:H Coatings

Abstract

Amorphous carbonitride coatings (a-C:N and a-C:N:H) with dopant of niobium (Nb) were deposited on substrates of JIS SKH51 high speed steel (HSS) by a four-target close-field unbalance magnetron sputtering system. Subsequently, they were characterized by GDOS, XRD and XPS, and their corrosion resistance was comparatively evaluated. An electro-chemical tester was used to evaluate the corrosive behavior. An SEM was used to examine the test surface. The results revealed that the Nb dopant provided improvements in the corrosive performance to both the a-C:N and a-C:N:H coatings.