TiSiN nanocomposite coatings by chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed reactor at atmospheric pressure (AP/FBR-CVD)

TiSiN nanocomposite coatings were deposited on stainless steel by chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed reactor at atmospheric pressure (AP/FBR-CVD) by reaction of TiCl4 and SiCl4 with NH3 at 850 °C. Coatings were characterized by means of GD-OES, XPS and XRD. TiSiN coatings with a Si content of 9 at.% showed a hardness of 28 GPa (the hardness of TiN and SiNx coatings was around 21 GPa) and a lower oxidation rate under dry air at 600 °C. Our results show for the first time that AP/FBR-CVD can be tuned for the deposition of nanocomposite ceramic coatings.