Microstructure, corrosion and tribological behaviors of TiAlSiN coatings deposited by cathodic arc plasma deposition

Comprehensive microstructure, corrosion and tribological investigation results of the TiAlSiN coating were presented and compared with the TiN and TiSiN coatings. These coatings were deposited on tungsten carbide substrates using Ti, TiSi and AlSi target by cathodic arc deposition system. The composition and structure of the coatings were characterized by utilizing SEM, XRD, TEM, and XPS analyses. The corrosion behavior of the coatings in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was studied by the interpretation of the electrochemical anodic polarization curves. The mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were evaluated by nanoindentation and pin-on-ball tribometer. The results showed that the TiAlSiN coating exhibited a more excellent mechanical and corrosion resistance than the TiN and TiSiN coatings, which could be attributed to forming nano-composites structure with the incorporations of Al and Si into TiN coating.