Tailored synthesis of nanostructured WC/a-C coatings by dual magnetron sputtering

Nanostructured coatings with variable contents of tungsten carbide (WC) and amorphous carbon (a-C) are prepared by controlling the sputtering power ratio using WC and graphite targets. XRD and TEM/ED analysis shows that increasing the C incorporation, the WC nanocrystalline phases evolve from γ-W 2C...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surface & coatings technology 2010-08, Vol.204 (21), p.3490-3500
Main Authors: Abad, M.D., Muñoz-Márquez, M.A., El Mrabet, S., Justo, A., Sánchez-López, J.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous carbon
Applied sciences
Coatings
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Exact sciences and technology
Friction
Hardness
Magnetron sputtering
Materials science
Mechanical properties and methods of testing. Rheology. Fracture mechanics. Tribology
Metals. Metallurgy
Nanocomposites
Nanocrystals
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
Physics
Production techniques
Surface treatment
Surface treatments
Synthesis
Tungsten carbide
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
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Summary:Nanostructured coatings with variable contents of tungsten carbide (WC) and amorphous carbon (a-C) are prepared by controlling the sputtering power ratio using WC and graphite targets. XRD and TEM/ED analysis shows that increasing the C incorporation, the WC nanocrystalline phases evolve from γ-W 2C to β-WC 1 − x . Further C enrichment leads to a nanocomposite structure of small WC 1 − x crystals dispersed in a-C matrix. The a-C at.% is estimated by XPS analysis and correlated with the observed tribo-mechanical properties. The hardness and friction properties vary from hard/high friction (36–40 GPa; μ = 0.6–0.8) to moderate-hard/low friction (16–20 GPa; μ ∼ 0.2) coatings depending on the film composition. The transition point is found for a-C content of 10 at.%. This correlates with a change from nanocrystalline WC to nanocomposite WC 1 − x /a-C coatings. The overall study will help to understand the previous literature data and will serve as guide for a tailored synthesis of these WC/a-C nanocomposites.
ISSN:0257-8972
1879-3347
DOI:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2010.04.019