Advanced TiC/a-C : H nanocomposite coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings have been deposited by magnetron Sputtering. They consist of 2-5 nm TiC nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) matrix. A transition from a Columnar to a glassy microstructure has been observed in the nanocomposite coatings with increasing substrate bias or carbon content. Micro-cracks induced by nanoindentation or wear tests readily propagate through the column boundaries whereas the coatings without a columnar inicrostructure exhibit substantial toughness. The nanocomposite coatings exhibit hardness of 5-20 GPa, superior wear resistance and strong self-lubrication effects with a friction coefficient of 0.05 in air and 0.01 in nitrogen, under dry sliding against uncoated bearing steel balls. Especially, reversible transitions from low to ultra-low friction are observed if the atmosphere is cycled between ambient air and nitrogen. The lowest wear rate is obtained at high humidity. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.