Characteristics of arc plasma deposited TiAlZrCN coatings

TiAlZrCN superhard coatings, in which Ti and Al were additions to ZrCN base compound, were prepared by the cathodic arc method. The films were deposited on Si, plain carbon steel and high-speed steel substrates in a mixture of N2 and CH4 gases. Elemental and phase composition, chemical bondings, texture, surface roughness, hardness, adhesion, tribological characteristics and erosive–corrosive resistance were investigates as a function of gas composition and total gas flow rate, using XPS, GDOES and XRD techniques, surface profilometry, microhardness and scratch adhesion measurements, tribological and erosive tests. It was shown that the properties and performance of the coatings were strongly dependent on the CH4/(CH4 + N2) flow rate and also on the total gas flow. The tribological and anti-erosive characteristics of the TiAlZrCN coatings were found to be superior to those of reference films (ZrN, ZrC, ZrCN, and TiAlCN). Maximum hardness values (42–45 GPa) were obtained for the films prepared at CH4/(CH4 + N2) ratios ranging from 0.2 to 0.4.