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Effect of Cu Content on the Structure, and Performance of Substoichiometric Cr–N Coatings

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Abstract

Cu–Cr–N coatings with Cu contents between 3 and 65 at.%, Cu/Cr ratios in the 0.04–4.5 range and 21–27 at.% N, synthesized by twin electron-beam Physical Vapor Deposition at 450 °C, were investigated and compared against substoichiometric Cr–N reference samples. The main objective of this study is to study the influence of Cu on the structure, and the subsequent effects on the mechanical properties, room (22 °C) and high temperature (500 and 840 °C) tribological performance of Cu–Cr–N coatings. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, glancing angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, in combination with nanoindentation mechanical property measurements and laboratory-controlled ball-on-disc sliding experiments, it is shown that Cu–Cr–N coatings with low Cu content (3 at.%) possess sufficient wear resistance for high-temperature demanding tribological applications. The lubricious effect of oxide formation at high temperatures is also evaluated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center, an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant DEFG02-91-ER45439, and the use of coating deposition equipment at TECVAC LTD, Cambridge, UK. K. Polychronopoulou and C. Rebholz gratefully acknowledge financial support from the European Commission (FP6 Marie Curie Actions Project EXT-0023899—NanoHeaters) and the Cyprus Fulbright Commission through a 2007 Fellowship for Advanced Research in the USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green St., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Kyriaki Polychronopoulou, Nicholaos G. Demas & Andreas A. Polycarpou

  2. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, 1678, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Kyriaki Polychronopoulou & Claus Rebholz

  3. Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy

    Peter N. Gibson

  4. Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    Nicholaos G. Demas

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  1. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou
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Correspondence to Kyriaki Polychronopoulou.

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Polychronopoulou, K., Demas, N.G., Gibson, P.N. et al. Effect of Cu Content on the Structure, and Performance of Substoichiometric Cr–N Coatings. Tribol Lett 38, 57–68 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-009-9572-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-009-9572-x

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