Magnetron sputtered titanium carbide-based coatings: A review of science and technology

Titanium carbide (TiC) coatings are widely used in several industrial applications, including tooling and tribological applications. These materials are used due to their mechanical, tribological and wear resistance properties, and chemical inertness. Hard TiC coatings are conventionally deposited using chemical vapor deposition techniques at temperatures in the range of 1000 degrees C, which limits its application to temperature sensitive substrate materials. Therefore, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition has been utilized as an alternative deposition technique, showing good coating performance at temperatures as low as 500 degrees C. Recent technology developments have seen the emergence of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) as a promising approach to deposit high quality TiC coatings at ambient temperatures, thus making the use of new substrate materials and new applications possible. The present article introduces magnetron sputtered TiC-based coatings with an emphasis on their structural, mechanical and tribological properties. An overview of the most relevant technological approaches for the development of binary and ternary TiC-based coatings over recent decades is presented. The relationship between the deposition parameters and the final coating properties is highlighted and discussed. Steering towards ternary TiC-based system have shown to improve the coating properties. In this light, several chemical elements have been used resulting in the formation of various coating structures including metastable solid solution, binary and/or ternary phases, or mixtures thereof. The benefit of adding a third element is discussed and its impact on the coating properties is highlighted. Finally, new outlook for potential applications is presented.

Automated summary

This article introduces the applications and the structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of titanium carbide (TiC) coatings. The key technological approaches for the development of binary and ternary TiC-based coatings are discussed, along with the relationship between the deposition parameters and the coating properties. It is found that steering towards ternary TiC-based system can improve the coating properties. Lastly, the potential applications of TiC coatings are explored.