Mechanical and tribological properties of Cr/Cr₂O₃ multilayer films

Abstract

Cr/Cr 2 O 3 multilayer and single-layer films were deposited through multiple arc ion plating technique. The influence of modulation ratio on the mechanical and tribological properties was also investigated. Results show that the multilayer design of Cr/Cr 2 O 3 films could improve the toughness of films, but a certain degree of hardness loss is also observed. The hardness and adherence strength are improved with the increase of Cr 2 O 3 layer thickness. Furthermore, alternating layers of ductile soft metals and hard ceramics could suppress the propagation of microcracks and brittle fracture. However, the decrease of modulation ratio could causes a decline in the mechanical properties. The film with appropriate modulation ratio (Cr 2 O 3 :Cr ratio 10:1) exhibits better comprehensive properties than other films, this film also exhibits an excellent wear resistance with a high load of 10 N. Consequently, the wear life is improved from 6 m of the single-layer Cr 2 O 3 film to 835 m of the multilayer film.

Fundamental Atomistic Insights into Tunable Tribological Performance of NbC/Nb Films through Thickness and Depth Effects

“…Ceramic-metallic nanolaminates (CMNLs) have shown promise as wear (scratch) resistant coatings for extreme tribological conditions [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. To name a few, metal (Cr, Zr)/ceramic (CrN, ZrN) multilayers were coated on Si wafers and AISI 316L steel [6], and TiN/Ti multilayers were used as coating on soft austenitic steel [7], Si (100) [11], and AZ31 magnesium alloy [12] substrates.…”