Effects of Ti alloying of AlCrN coatings on thermal stability and oxidation resistance

• The hardness at elevated temperatures is increased
• The formation and growth of detrimental h-AlN is delayed
• The cubic structure is stabilized
• The oxidation resistance is negatively affected
• Possibility to design coatings having both good oxidation resistance and high hardness

Quaternary cubic (TixCr1 − xAl~ 0.60)1 N1 coatings with 0 < x < 0.33 have been grown using reactive cathodic arc evaporation. When adding Ti the hardness was retained after annealing up to 1100 °C which is a dramatic improvement compared to CrAlN coatings. The coatings showed an age hardening process caused by spinodal decomposition into coherent TiCr- and Al-rich cubic TiCrAlN domains and the formation of hexagonal AlN precipitates and cubic TiCrN domains in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. The improved hardness was attributed to the stabilization of the cubic structure suppressing the formation and growth of hexagonal AlN. Furthermore, the presence of Ti atoms generated incoherent nanometer-sized crystallites within the hexagonal AlN precipitates disrupting the hexagonal lattice during the coarsening process.The addition of Ti promoted the formation of a TiO2 layer over Al2O3 resulting in a lower oxidation resistance. However, by tuning the composition it is possible to design coatings to have both good oxidation resistance and good high temperature mechanical stability.