Adhesion of rhodium films on metallic substrates

Rhodium coated metallic films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on metallic substrates. All films were elaborated in same conditions on copper, molybdenum and stainless steel. Adhesion strength tests were carried out by scratch test. The results reveal that the adhesion strength between the film and the substrate is influenced by the hardness of the substrate. Increase of deposition temperature improves the adhesion of the coating. In addition, pre-treatment of substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc and the layer thickness have has some effects on the final adhesion strength.