Structure and corrosion behavior of ZrN/CrN nano-multilayer coating deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel by CAE-PVD technique

Abstract

In this study, a zirconium nitride/chromium nitride nano-multilayer coating was deposited on AISI 304 specimen using cathodic arc evaporation-physical vapor deposition (CAE-PVD). The characterization of the samples were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission-SEM (FE-SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). To evaluate effect of immersion time on the electrochemical behavior of ZrN/CrN nano-multilayer coating using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out in 3.5 wt. % NaCl media. Using the CAE-PVD method, nano-multilayer ZrN/CrN coating with high adhesion and density was successfully produced. A unique high polarization resistance of ZrN/CrN nano-multilayer coatings in comparison to AISI 304 stainless steel without coating was made. As well as the desirable behavior corrosion results showed that in the ZrN/CrN nano-multilayer coating to the AISI 304 substrate within the 3.5 wt. % NaCl, there is a barrier against corrosive agents that is preventing corrosion occurrence. The SEM images disclosed that there were not any pits or severe damages on the surface of the ZrN/CrN nano-multilayer coating. The FE-SEM micrographs show that the coating structure contains alternate layers of ZrN and CrN. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and x-ray map were disclosed elements distribution in the cross-section of the nano-multilayer coating.

Comparison of electrochemical behavior of CrN single‐layer coating and Cr/CrN nanolayered coating produced by cathodic arc evaporation physical vapor deposition

“…The CPE impedance ( Z CPE ) is expressed as follows (Equation ()) 12,15 : $$\begin{equation}{Z_{{\rm{CPE}}}} = \frac{1}{{Q{{\left( {j\omega } \right)}^n}}}\ \end{equation}$$where Q , j , ω , and n , respectively, are related to the CPE with unit of S α /(Ω cm 2 ), imaginary unit, the angular frequency with unit of rad/s, and surface uniformity coefficient. The parameters Q and n are independent of frequency 55 …”

Studying the in vitro corrosion response of nanostructured TaN coatings in Hank's physiological solution

“…The behavior of an ideal capacitor cannot be observed in the impedance data. So, CPE is used rather than the capacitor of the selected ECM 54–56 . The obtained data from the ECM is listed in Table 2 for all of the specimens after 48 h of immersion time.…”

Effect of Negative Bias of HiPIMS and AIP Hybrid Deposition on Microstructure, Mechanical and Anti-Corrosive Properties of Cr2N/TiN Multilayer Coatings

“…Multilayer coatings have better performances, such as wear resistance and corrosion resistance, which could be widely used to improve the performance and service life of components in complex environments [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. CrN single-layer coatings have the strongest hindrance to ion release [9], while CrN/TiN multilayer coatings have higher hardness and corrosion resistance [10].…”

“…The high density of CrN/TiN multilayer coatings also prevents the penetration of corrosive solutions into the substrate, thus improving the corrosion resistance [11,12]. In addition, Samim et al found that ZrN/CrN multilayer coatings have extremely high polarization resistance and different layers can act as a barrier to the penetration of corrosive solutions [13], and the absence of pits or any serious damage on their surfaces is due to the presence of an anti-corrosion barrier that prevents corrosion from occurring [14]. Vengesa et al reported that CrN/CrAlN multilayer coatings annealed at 700 • C had the highest corrosion resistance, which can be attributed to the presence of Cr 2 N as a corrosion-resistant phase [15].…”