Effect of the growth conditions on the optical and mechanical properties of TiO2 and Al2O3 films.

The mechanical and optical properties of TiO2 and Al2O3 films deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering were analysed as a function of the deposition conditions. Two different sputtering powers and three different voltages targets which influence the pressure and the deposition rate were studied. The voltage corresponds to two different percentages of the turn down set point of the hysteresis curve and fully poisoned condition. As their optical application is the main functionality of these coatings, the transparency and the refractive index were investigated. However, the mechanical properties are the key factors for determining the performance of these systems in use. For this, the wear resistance of these coatings was studied through the analysis of the evolution of the friction coefficient with time and the analysis of the wear track. The corrosion resistance has been also analysed through electrochemical studies. The results reveal that there is a clear influence of the studied deposition conditions on the mechanical and optical properties of these films. However, while general conclusions could be drawn for Al2O3 films, for TiO2 films the tendency is not so clear and further work needs to be performed.

Characterisation of tribocorrosion behaviour of multilayer PVD coatings.

The effect of repassivation on tribocorrosion behaviour of two multilayer coatings of different structures is studied experimentally by measuring the variation of instantaneous open-circuit potential during friction. One coating consists of alternating Cr and CrN layers, while another consists of alternated layers of CrN and ZrN. Analysis of the results showed that friction force, i.e. the rate of the mechanical energy supplied to the material in the contact zone, has no direct influence on the tribocorrosion behaviour; however, the wear rate does strongly influence the tribocorrosion. A simple phenomenological model of repassivation of the multilayer coating is developed assuming "surface coverage" approach. This model establishes the relationship between the rate of mechanical activation of material by friction and the behaviour of the open-circuit potential.