Comparative study of macro- and microtribological properties of carbon nitride thin films deposited by HiPIMS

At the macroscale, films with higher initial roughness present an increased wear. Debris creation and asperity deformation takes place causing abrasive wear. At the microscale, compression of the surface material occurs. The run-in friction shows similar trends at both scales; an initial decrease and an increase thereafter. Steady-state friction is not reached at the microscale, attributed to the absence of a graphitic tribolayer in the contact. At the macroscale, all films show abrasive wear and debris creation. Here, the changes in friction coefficients are attributed to the debris loss from the contact during the tribotests. The CNx film tested at 2.5 GPa shows a continuous increase of friction, due to the continuous loss of debris from the contact. The other films reach a steady-state friction coefficient, since most of the debris is lost before the end of the tribotests.