Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 amorphous alloy film prepared by magnetron sputtering method

In this work, amorphous Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 alloy thin film was prepared on D36 steel substrate by magnetron sputtering method. The film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), hardness tester and nano indentation. Corrosion behavior of the film was investigated in 3.5% NaCl aqueous solutions by an electrochemical method. At room temperature, the amorphous alloy film was formed completely after sputtering for 5 h. The surface morphology of the amorphous alloy film was uniform and smooth. Formation of the amorphous alloy film improved the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the D36 substrate. The amorphous alloy film (prepared at room temperature for 5 h) exhibited good adhesion strength with the substrate. The as-sputtered sample exhibited a crevice corrosion trend when the sputtering time was too short (1 h) or too long (10 h).

Automated summary

In this study, an amorphous Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 alloy thin film was prepared on a D36 steel substrate using magnetron sputtering method. The film exhibited uniform and smooth surface morphology after 5 hours of sputtering at room temperature, improving the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the substrate significantly. Additionally, good adhesion strength was observed between the amorphous alloy film and the substrate, while sputtering for too short or too long resulted in crevice corrosion in the as-sputtered sample.