Influence of bias voltage on properties of AlCrN coatings prepared by cathodic arc deposition

In this study, the attention was focused on the correlation of the bias voltage with the resulting mechanical-tribological properties. For this purpose, the bias voltage was varied from 0 to − 150 V. Indeed, the variation of grain sizes from 24 to 16 nm as well as the residual stresses from − 0.68 to − 8.94 GPa lead to obtain different mechanical-tribological properties. In this context, the sample deposited at − 100 V exhibited an enhanced hardness (50 ± 2 GPa) and an acceptable wear resistance.