High thermal stability of TiAlSiCN coatings with “comb” like nanocomposite structure

► TiAlSiCN coatings with “comb” like nanocomposite structure ► Nanocomposite structure prevents diffusion between neighbor phases during annealing. ► TiAlSiCN coatings show a very high thermal stability up to 1400 °C. ► TiAlSiCN coatings exhibit a peak hardness of 49 GPa at 1000 °C. ► Structural characterization explains the high thermal stability of the TiAlSiCN coatings.