Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1667967 Thin Solid Films 2011 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

In this study, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films modified with titanium were deposited by plasma decomposition of metallorganic precursor, titanium isopropoxide in CH4/H2/Ar gas atmosphere. The obtained films were composed of amorphous titanium oxide and nanocrystalline titanium carbide, embedded in an amorphous hydrogenated (a-C:H) matrix. The TiC/TiO2 ratio in the DLC matrix was found to be dependent on the deposition parameters. The dependence of the films chemical composition on gas mixture and substrate temperature was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, whereas the crystallinity of TiC nanoparticles and their dimension were evaluated by X-ray diffraction. The size of TiC crystallites varied from 10 to 35 nm, depending on the process parameters. The intrinsic hardness of 10–13 GPa, elastic modulus of 170–200 GPa and hardness-to-modulus ratio of obtained coatings were measured by the nanoindentation technique. Obtained results demonstrated a correlation of mechanical properties with the chemical composition and the ratio of amorphous/crystalline phases in the films. In particular, the formation of nanocrystalline TiC with atomic concentration not exceeding 10% and with grain size between 10 nm and 15 nm resulted in significantly enhanced mechanical properties of composite material in comparison with ordinary DLC films.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Nanotechnology
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