Structure and tribological properties of TiSiCN coating on Ti6Al4V by arc ion plating

Abstract The TiSiCN coating was fabricated on Ti6Al4V alloy by arc ion plating. The structure of the TiSiCN coating was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The hardness and tribological properties of the TiSiCN coating were evaluated by nanoindentation and ball-on-plate wear tests. The coating has a coupled structure of the TiCN nanocrystal and amorphous phase (Si3N4 and SiC). The TiSiCN coating has a super high hardness of 43.6 GPa and modulus of 422 GPa. The values of H/E and H3/E2 are 0.103 to 0.465, respectively. The coating has a low friction coefficient of 0.3, and the wear loss is 1.76 × 10− 6 mm3/Nm, which is only 1/3 of the wear loss of the TiSiN coating. The TiCN phase contributes to significantly decrease the friction coefficient and wear rate of the TiSiCN coating.