Manipulation of Cr interlayer in amorphous carbon coating for anti-tribo-corrosion behavior
Guanshui Ma, Jiangshan Yan, Naiming Lin, Peng Guo, Wei Yang, C.P Chen, Aiying Wang
Abstract
316L stainless steel (316L) is widely recognized as the primary structural material employed in offshore equipment. However, it is prone to damage from both abrasion and corrosion (tribo-corrosion) when exposed to the marine environment. In this study, graphite-like carbon (GLC) coatings with varying thicknesses of chromium (Cr) interlayer were employed to enhance the tribo-corrosion performance of 316L. The results revealed that all the GLC coatings exhibited remarkable tribo-corrosion performance in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Notably, the thickness of the Cr interlayer has minimal impact on the tribo-corrosion performance under a 5 N load. This is primarily because the surface GLC layer plays a predominant role in influencing the behavior under this load condition. However, under a 40 N load, the thickness of the Cr interlayer has a significant impact on the tribo-corrosion performance, which is attributed to the vital role played by the Cr interlayer in terms of adhesion strength and bearing capacity. Among the tested GLC coatings, the one with a Cr interlayer thickness of 575 nm exhibits the best tribo-corrosion performance, suggesting that an appropriate thickness of the Cr interlayer can provide the highest wear resistance under high load. The work provides fundamental insight into the electrochemical corrosion and tribological behavior of GLC coatings in harsh marine applications.