Structure, scratch resistance and corrosion performance of nickel doped diamond-like carbon thin films

Nickel doped diamond-like carbon (DLC:Ni) thin films were fabricated on conductive p-Si (100) substrates with DC magnetron sputtering deposition by varying DC power applied to a Ni target. The bonding structure, surface morphology, scratch resistance and corrosion resistance of the DLC:Ni films were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-scratch test, potentiodynamic polarization test and open circuit potential measurement. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the DLC:Ni films in a 0.6 M NaCl solution decreased with increased Ni content in the films though the films showed good passivation behavior in the NaCl solution.