Grudnitskiy V. Structure and physical-mechanical properties of vacuum-arc nanocomposite coatings of Ti-Hf-N and Ti-Hf-Si-N systems

Object: nanocomposite coatings based on Ti, Hf, Si and N, obtained by vacuum-arc deposition using a pulsed high-frequency treatment. The purpose: development of physical and technological bases of forming of nanocomposite coatings obtained in nonequilibrium conditions by vacuum arc deposition of multicomponent materials based on Ti, Hf, Si and N using a pulsed high-frequency treatment. Methods: vacuum-arc deposition using high-pulse stimulation, SEM, TEM, AFM, X-ray microanalysis, Rutherford backscattering method, the method of nanoindentation, tribotechnical tests. Results: First studied hard and superhard coatings Ti-Hf-Si-N with different stoichiometry. Found that the size of the nanocrystals in the solid solution of nanostructured coatings varies from 5 to 10 nm, and the thickness of the alpha-Si3N4 around nanograins of solid solution (Ti, Hf) N is 1 - 1.5 nm. Found that the determining factor in the deposition of the coating (film) of the Ti-Hf-Si-N is the separation of the ion-plasma flow, resulting in the reduction of the concentration of Hf atoms in the coating. During the deposition of coating with segregation occurs structuring, which manifests itself in the preferential growth of crystallites with the texture of the axial type, in the coatings deposited without segregation, this feature is not observed. Field of application: nanotechnologies and nanomaterials, the physics of thin films and coatings