Cavitation erosion resistance of NiTi thin films produced by Filtered Arc Deposition

In this study, NiTi thin films were obtained by using a Filtered Arc Deposition System (FADS). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the effect of substrate temperature (130–600 °C) on the structures and properties of NiTi thin films. It was found that FADS produced dense and homogenous films. Higher substrate temperatures resulted in crystalline thin films dominated by the parent phase (B2). The cavitation erosion resistance of the films was assessed by using ASTM Test Method G32. It was found that NiTi thin films showed superior cavitation erosion resistance compared with 316 austenitic stainless steel. The improved cavitation erosion resistance was attributed to the recoverable deformation associated with pseudoelasticity of the NiTi thin film.