Syntheses and characterization of TiC/a:C composite coatings using pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS)

TiC/a:C nanocomposite coatings were prepared by reactively sputtering titanium and graphite targets in pure argon atmosphere using a pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS) system. The microstructure of TiC/a:C coatings consisting of nanocrystalline TiC dispersed in an amorphous matrix of free carbon was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of coating compositions on the structure and properties of TiC/a:C coatings were investigated. In the present study, TiC/a:C coatings exhibit high hardness (24-29 GPa), low coefficient of friction (0.24-0.25) and low wear rate (less than 2.5 × 10− 7 mm3 N− 1 m− 1) when the carbon concentration is in the range of 55-66 at.%. Further increase of the carbon content beyond 70 at.% significantly decreased the volume fraction of TiC nanocrystalline and formed a large amount of free amorphous carbon in the coatings. The excessive amorphous carbon phases resulted in a decrease in the coating hardness and the sliding friction coefficient, e.g. a low COF of 0.15 was obtained when the carbon concentration reached 80.5 at.%. However, the decreased hardness will lead to an increase in the wear rate in these high carbon content TiC/a:C coatings.