Fabrication of titanium carbide film on bearing steel by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

Titanium carbide films have been synthesized by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) on 9Cr18 bearing steel. During the experiments, acetylene (C2H2) and titanium plasmas were generated simultaneously. Acetylene plasma was produced by a radio-frequency plasma source, and titanium plasma was generated by cathodic arc plasma source. Influences of gas pressure and pulse width of the bias voltage on properties of the thin film were investigated. The as-deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-hardness tester, pin-on-disc tribological facility and electrochemistry corrosion equipment. XRD pattern proves that TiC phase is formed in the film. Compared with uncoated substrates, micro-hardness results reveal that the maximum micro-hardness is increased by 70.8%. In addition, the friction coefficient decreases to about 0.1, and the corrosion resistance of coated substrate surfaces is improved significantly.