High Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Cr-Al-Si-N Nanocomposite Films Deposited by Filtered Arc Ion Plating Technique

J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2020 Jul 1;20(7):4394-4397. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2020.17605.

Abstract

High temperature oxidation behavior of nanocomposite films is very important characteristics for application of machining and cutting tools. Quaternary Cr-Al-Si-N nanocomposite films with various compositions were deposited onto WC-Co and Si wafer substrates using a filtered arc ion plating technique. The composition of the films were controlled by different combinations of CrAl₂ and Cr₄Si composite target power in a reactive gas mixture of high purity Ar and N₂ during depositions. The instrumental analyses revealed that the synthesized Cr-Al-Si-N films with Si content of 2.78 at.% were nanocomposites consisting of nano-sized crystallites (3-7 nm in dia.) and a thin layer of amorphous Si₃N₄ phases. The nanohardness of the Cr-Al-Si-N films exhibited the maximum values of ~42 GPa at a Si content of ~2.78 at.% due to the microstructural change to nanocomposite as well as solid-solution hardening. The Cr-Al-Si-N film shows superior result of oxidation resistance at 1050 °C for 30 min in air. Based on the XRD and GDOES analyses on the oxidized films, it could be revealed that the enrichment of Al (17.94 at.%) and Cr (26.24 at.%) elements in the film leads to form an Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ layer on the Cr-Al-Si-N film surface. Therefore, in this study, the microstructural changes on the mechanical properties and oxidation behavior with various compositions in the Cr-Al-Si-N nanocomposite films were discussed and correlated with the deposition parameters.