Surface strengthening of Ti3SiC2 through magnetron sputtering of Mo and Zr and subsequent annealing

Magnetron sputtering deposition of Mo and Zr and subsequent annealing were conducted with the motivation to modify the surface hardness of Ti3SiC2. For Mo-coated Ti3SiC2, Si diffused outward into the Mo layer and reacted with Mo to form molybdenum silicides in the temperature range of 1000–1100 °C. The MoSi2 layer, however, cracked and easily spalled off. For Zr-coated Ti3SiC2, Si also diffused outward to form Zr–Si intermetallic compounds at 900–1100 °C. The Zr–Si compounds layer had good adhesion with Ti3SiC2 substrate, which resulted in the increased surface hardness.