Comparisons of tribological and electrochemical properties of CrSiC and CrSiCN coatings in seawater

CrSiC and CrSiCN coatings were prepared using a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. Their tribological and electrochemical properties in artificial seawater were discussed. The result indicated that the friction process in seawater was the synergistic effect of wear and corrosion. The friction coefficient of CrSiC coatings stabilized around 0.14, while the lowest friction coefficient of 0.12 was obtained for CrSiCN coating deposited at a TMS flow of 20 sccm. In addition, CrSiC coatings presented a declined corrosion resistance with increasing Si content different from CrSiCN coatings. Especially, the higher Rct (4.62 × 107 Ω·cm2) and Rp (4.36 × 107 Ω·cm2) values were obtained for CrSiC coating deposited at a TMS flow of 10 sccm than other coatings.