The article reports on the enhanced hardness of nanocomposite coatings, their thermal stability, protection of the substrate against oxidation at temperatures above 1000 °C, X-ray amorphous coatings thermally stable above 1000 °C and new advanced hard nanocomposite coatings with enhanced toughness which exhibit (i) low values of the effective Young's modulus E ⁎ satisfying the condition H/E ⁎  > 0.1, (ii) high elastic recovery W e  ≥ 60%, (iii) strongly improved tribological properties, and (iv) enhanced resistance to cracking; here E ⁎  = E(1−ν 2 ), E is the Young's modulus and ν is the Poison's ratio. At the end trends of next development of hard nanocomposite coatings are briefly outlined.

Hard nanocomposite coatings: Thermal stability, oxidation resistance and toughness

Nanoscale zero valent supported by Zeolite and Montmorillonite: Template effect of the removal of lead ion from an aqueous solution

https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01202033/document

Pulsed laser deposited alumina thin films

Structural, optical and mechanical properties of amorphous and crystalline alumina thin films

This paper presents a comparative study between DC magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) of Al–Si–N. Coatings were synthesised through co-sputtering of Al and Si in a mixed Ar/N2. One set of DCMS experiments and one set of hybrid HIPIMS (Al-target)/DCMS (Si-target) experiments were conducted. It was found that a higher partial pressure of N2 was necessary to obtain fully nitrided material using the HIPIMS process. The Si content of the samples was varied between 0 and 16 at.%. All processes were characterised using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) as well as energy-resolved mass spectrometry (E-MS). The obtained coatings were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as UV–Vis spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The HIPIMS processes were found to provide a highly activated growth environment, with Al+ comprising 87% of the total ion flux, compared to 0.6% for the DCMS case, where Ar+ was found to be the dominating species comprising 90% of the total ion flux. Coatings from both HIPIMS and DCMS processes were found to form nanocomposites of a solid solution phase (Al1-xSix)N and most likely a SiNy phase, as shown by XRD and XPS analyses. Compared to coatings from DCMS, samples deposited with HIPIMS had a slightly more textured AlN-phase with smaller grains, as well as smoother and, denser morphology as observed by SEM. In agreement with previous studies, the coatings had a high transparency in the visual and near IR range; an optical band gap (E04) between 4.6 and 5.2 eV and a refractive index between 1.9 and 2.1 was observed. The ternary coatings studied here were found to be hard with the HIPIMS coatings (combined average 22 ± 3 GPa) being harder than their DCMS counterpart (combined average 17 ± 1 GPa). A maximum hardness of 27 GPa was observed for the sample deposited with HIPIMS and a Si-content of 7 at.%.

Comparison of Al-Si-N nanocomposite coatings deposited by HIPIMS and DC magnetron sputtering

Thermal stability of alumina thin films containing γ-Al2O3 phase prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

The article reports on properties of Al–Si–N films with a low (≤ 10 at.%) and high (≥ 25 at.%) Si content reactively sputtered using a closed magnetic field dual magnetron system operated in ac pulse mode. The films were sputtered from a composed target (a Si plate fixed by an Al ring with inner diameter O i  = 15 or 26 mm). Main attention was devoted to the investigation of a relationship between the structure of the films and their mechanical properties, thermal stability of hardness, and oxidation resistance. It was found that (1) while the films with a low (≤ 10 at.%) Si content are crystalline (c-(Al–Si–N)), those with a high (≥ 25 at.%) Si content are amorphous (a-(Al–Si–N)) when sputtered at the substrate temperature T s  = 500 °C, (2) both groups of the films exhibit (i) a high hardness H  = 21 and 25 GPa, respectively, and high values of the oxidation resistance exceeding 1000 °C; 1100 °C (Δ m  = 0 mg/cm 2 ) and 1300 °C (Δ m  ≈ 0.003 mg/cm 2 ), respectively, (3) the hardness of a-(Al–Si–N) does not vary with increasing annealing temperature T a up to 1100 °C even after 4 h, and (4) a high oxidation resistance of c-(Al–Si–N) film with a low ( 2 O 3 surface layer which is formed in reaction of free Al atoms with ambient oxygen and prevents the fast penetration of oxygen into bulk of the film. Obtained results contribute to understand the effect of Al and Si in the Al–Si–N thin film on its mechanical properties, thermal stability and oxidation resistance.

Properties of magnetron sputtered Al–Si–N thin films with a low and high Si content

The article deals with oxidation of Cu, Zr, ZrCu, ZrO2, and Zr-Cu-O films during post-deposition thermal annealing in flowing air. The films were deposited using dc unbalanced magnetron from pure or composed target in Ar or an Ar + O2 mixture. The oxidation behavior of the films was characterized by high-temperature thermogravimetry and XRD. Mechanical properties were measured by a microindenter Fischerscope H100. Thermal annealing was carried out over a wide range from 300 to 1 300 °C. Special attention was devoted to the oxidation of Cu and to the effect of Cu content in Zr-Cu-O films on the oxidation resistance. It was shown that the conversion at ∼1 040 °C is a reversible process.

Oxidation of Sputtered Cu, Zr, ZrCu, ZrO2, and Zr‐Cu‐O Films during Thermal Annealing in Flowing Air

The article deals with oxidation of Cu films during post-deposition thermal annealing in flowing air. Cu films were sputtered from a pure Cu target in Ar using dc unbalanced magnetron. The copper oxide films formed during post-deposition thermal annealing were compared with CuOx films sputtered from Cu target in the mixture of Ar and O2. The oxidation behavior of the films was characterized by high-temperature thermogravimetry and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal annealing was carried out in a wide range of temperatures from 300 to 1300°C. It was found that the CuO oxide decomposes into Cu2O+O at ~1040° C.

/pdf/oxidation-of-sputtered-cu-films-during-thermal-annealing-in-zmdb5tyf5e.pdf

Martin Šašek

Papers

Thermal stability of alumina thin films containing γ-Al2O3 phase prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

Properties of magnetron sputtered Al–Si–N thin films with a low and high Si content

Oxidation of Sputtered Cu, Zr, ZrCu, ZrO2, and Zr‐Cu‐O Films during Thermal Annealing in Flowing Air

Oxidation of sputtered Cu films during thermal annealing in flowing air