Molybdenum Oxide Coatings Deposited on Plasma Nitrided Surfaces

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) thin films are generally deposit on metallic surfaces to increase their tribological performance. In this manuscript, MoOx coatings were for the first time deposited on plasma nitrided surfaces. Vickers microhardness tests, X-ray diffractometry, and micro abrasive wear tests characterized the samples. It was investigated the effect of temperature in hardness and tribological properties of austenitic stainless steel surfaces. When the temperature of plasma nitriding increases, the coating thickness and the nitrogen diffusion on the treated surface also increases, favoring the hardness of the coatings. After MoOx deposition, the predominant MoO3 phase with monoclinic and orthorhombic unit cells was observed. MoOx coatings after plasma nitriding demonstrated the highest wear resistance.

Automated summary

In this study, MoOx coatings were deposited on plasma nitrided surfaces for the first time, and the effect of temperature on their hardness and tribological properties was investigated. The experimental results showed that the deposition of MoOx coatings after plasma nitriding can significantly improve the wear resistance of metallic surfaces.