Tribocorrosion behavior of Ti–C–O–N nanostructured thin films (black) for decorative applications

•This work reports the tribocorrosion behavior of new Ti–C–O–N films for decorative applications.•The films were produced in our lab and well characterized before the tribocorrosion study.•The study identified the best film based on an O2+N2 mixture, which exhibits superior tribocorrosion resistance.•This finding will assist film producers in optimizing conditions to produce durable and high-quality films.

In the past few years, tribocorrosion has become a focus of research because of its relevance in terms of the future in-service degradation mechanisms of materials. In the particular case of decorative coatings, tribocorrosion is certainly one of the most important issues, and sweat corrosion and human contact wear are two other factors that may act as material selection tools.Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the tribocorrosion behavior of a new class of thin films, the Ti–C–O–N system, which is being developed to be used as a surface decorative material due to its relatively dark appearance. The films were prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. The influence of the structural features on the tribocorrosion behavior is discussed.