HiPIMS-deposited Cr N coatings for marine applications: Controllable microstructure and tribocorrosion behavior
Xiaohui Zhou, Hong Du, Guanshui Ma, Zhenyu Wang, Wei Yang, Kazuhito Nishimura, Peng Guo, Aiying Wang, Peiling Ke
Abstract
A series of Cr x N coatings ( x =1 or 2) were fabricated on the 431 stainless steel using a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), with varying Ar: N 2 ratios. The microstructure and phase structures of the resulting coatings were characterized using multiple microscopic techniques. Tribocorrosion behavior was evaluated through ball-on-disk friction and wear tests in an artificial seawater environment. The results demonstrated that the coating prepared with a 5Ar:2N 2 gas mixture exhibited the best tribocorrosion performance, featuring the lowest wear depth and wear rate. This was attributed to its denser dual-phase structure composed of CrN and Cr 2 N.