Tribomechanical and structural properties of a-SiC:H films deposited using liquid precursors on titanium alloy

• We deposited a-SiC:H films using two different liquid precursors (HDMSO and TMS).
• The chemical composition of the films was analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy.
• Deposition at 500 °C produced hardest and more resistant films for both precursors.
• The scratching test tracks were analyzed thoroughly and failure modes were identified.

This paper presents a study about deposition parameters with tribological and mechanical properties of a-SiC:H films deposited by PECVD on titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V). HMDSO and TMS were used as silicon, carbon, and hydrogen precursors. The deposition temperature and pressure ranged from 400 to 600 °C and from 0.5 to 3.0 Torr, respectively. The chemical composition and structural properties of the contained samples were analyzed by XRD, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanical and tribological properties were evaluated by scratching, nanohardness, friction, and wear tests. The results showed that the films presented amorphous structures, and those obtained with 500 °C and 3.0 Torr presented high adhesion and tribological performance. The films grown by using only HMDSO as precursor at 500 °C showed the highest deposition rate, higher hardness, good adhesion, and less friction coefficient values.