Preparation and Performance of Multilayer Si-B-C-N/Diamond-like Carbon Gradient Films

Jiaqi Duan; Minghan Li; Wenzhi Wang; Ziming Huang; Hong Jiang; Yanping Ma

doi:10.3390/ma16041665

Preparation and Performance of Multilayer Si-B-C-N/Diamond-like Carbon Gradient Films

Materials (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;16(4):1665. doi: 10.3390/ma16041665.

Authors

Jiaqi Duan¹, Minghan Li¹, Wenzhi Wang¹, Ziming Huang¹, Hong Jiang^{1

2

3}, Yanping Ma^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Special Glass Key Lab of Hainan Province & State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Special Glass, Chengmai, Haikou 570228, China.
³ Hainan Haikong Special Glass Technology Co., Ltd., Chengmai, Haikou 570228, China.

Abstract

Si-B-C-N/diamond-like carbon (DLC) gradient films with different layers were prepared on a glass substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, and the structure and surface morphology of the resulting films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mechanical and optical properties of the films were studied using a multifunctional material mechanical testing system, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, and micro-Vickers hardness tester. The gradient structure promotes the formation of sp³ bonds and improves the hardness and optical transmittance of the resulting films. Among the prepared films, the single-layer Si-B-C-N/DLC gradient film shows the highest optical transmittance (97%). Film-substrate adherence is strengthened by the introduction of the gradient structure. The best adhesion was obtained with a double-layer Si-B-C-N/DLC gradient film. Suitable anti-wear properties were exhibited in both dry (0.18) and wet (0.07) conditions. In this paper, evaluation of the microstructural, optical, and mechanical properties of the films could provide new insights into improvements in the bonding force of glass-based DLC films and enrich the experimental data of DLC multilayer film systems.

Keywords: adhesive force; diamond-like carbon films (DLC); gradient film; tribological performance.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by The Joint Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China(U22A20124), Research on composition, structure, and preparation mechanism of ultra-high pressure resistant glass–ceramics for application in deep–sea, the Major Science and Technology Project of Hainan Province (ZDKJ2021049) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (51761010).