Microstructural, Electrical, and Tribomechanical Properties of Mo-W-C Nanocomposite Films.

This study investigates the phase composition, microstructure, and their influence on the properties of Mo-W-C nanocomposite films deposited by dual-source magnetron sputtering. The synthesised films consist of metal carbide nanograins embedded in an amorphous carbon matrix. It has been found that nanograins are composed of the hexagonal ß-(Mo2 + W2)C phase at a low carbon source power. An increase in the power results in the change in the structure of the carbide nanoparticles from a single-phase to a mixture of the ß-(Mo2 + W2)C and NaCl-type α-(Mo + W)C(0.65≤k≤1) solid-solution phases. The analysis of electrical properties demonstrates that the nanograin structure of the films favours the occurrence of hopping conductivity. The double-phase structure leads to a twofold increase in the relaxation time compared to the single-phase one. Films with both types of nanograin structures exhibit tunnelling conductance without the need for thermal activation. The average distance between the potential wells produced by the carbide nanograins in nanocomposite films is approximately 3.4 ± 0.2 nm. A study of tribomechanical properties showed that Mo-W-C films composed of a mixture of the ß-(Mo2 + W2)C and α-(Mo + W)C(0.65≤k≤1) phases have the highest hardness (19-22 GPa) and the lowest friction coefficient (0.15-0.24) and wear volume (0.00302-0.00381 mm2). Such a combination of electrical and tribomechanical properties demonstrates the suitability of Mo-W-C nanocomposite films for various micromechanical devices and power electronics.

Composite Materials with Nanoscale Multilayer Architecture Based on Cathodic-Arc Evaporated WN/NbN Coatings.

Hard nitride coatings are commonly employed to protect components subjected to friction, whereby such coatings should possess excellent tribomechanical properties in order to endure high stresses and temperatures. In this study, WN/NbN coatings are synthesized by using the cathodic-arc evaporation (CA-PVD) technique at various negative bias voltages in the 50-200 V range. The phase composition, microstructural features, and tribomechanical properties of the multilayers are comprehensively studied. Fabricated coatings have a complex structure of three nanocrystalline phases: ß-W2N, δ-NbN, and ε-NbN. They demonstrate a tendency for (111)-oriented grains to overgrow (200)-oriented grains with increasing coating thickness. All of the data show that a decrease in the fraction of ε-NbN phase and formation of the (111)-textured grains positively impact mechanical properties and wear behavior. Investigation of the room-temperature tribological properties reveals that with an increase in bias voltage from -50 to -200 V, the wear mechanisms change as follows: oxidative → fatigue and oxidative → adhesive and oxidative. Furthermore, WN/NbN coatings demonstrate a high hardness of 33.6-36.6 GPa and a low specific wear rate of (1.9-4.1) × 10-6 mm3/Nm. These results indicate that synthesized multilayers hold promise for tribological applications as wear-resistant coatings.

Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Advanced Layered WN/MeN (Me = Zr, Cr, Mo, Nb) Nanocomposite Coatings.

Due to the increased demands for drilling and cutting tools working at extreme machining conditions, protective coatings are extensively utilized to prolong the tool life and eliminate the need for lubricants. The present work reports on the effect of a second MeN (Me = Zr, Cr, Mo, Nb) layer in WN-based nanocomposite multilayers on microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical and tribological properties. The WN/MoN multilayers have not been studied yet, and cathodic-arc physical vapor deposition (CA-PVD) has been used to fabricate studied coating systems for the first time. Moreover, first-principles calculations were performed to gain more insight into the properties of deposited multilayers. Two types of coating microstructure with different kinds of lattices were observed: (i) face-centered cubic (fcc) on fcc-W2N (WN/CrN and WN/ZrN) and (ii) a combination of hexagonal and fcc on fcc-W2N (WN/MoN and WN/NbN). Among the four studied systems, the WN/NbN had superior properties: the lowest specific wear rate (1.7 × 10-6 mm3/Nm) and high hardness (36 GPa) and plasticity index H/E (0.93). Low surface roughness, high elastic strain to failure, Nb2O5 and WO3 tribofilms forming during sliding, ductile behavior of NbN, and nanocomposite structure contributed to high tribological performance. The results indicated the suitability of WN/NbN as a protective coating operating in challenging conditions.