Tailoring structure, morphology, and tribo-mechanical properties of HiPIMS-deposited CrxNy coatings for enhanced performance in wear and corrosion protection

During reactive sputtering of CrxNy, precise regulation of nitrogen gas is crucial to control the properties of the deposited coating. In the present work, we investigate the influence of nitrogen content on CrxNy characteristics, including morphology, crystalline structure, hardness, corrosion protection, and wear protection performances. Our findings reveal that the hexagonal Cr2N coatings, although slightly lower in hardness (19 GPa) compared to stoichiometric CrN, exhibit superior corrosion resistance with a protection efficiency of 82%, and a reduced sliding wear behavior at 1.35E-09 mm3/N/m. Conversely, stoichiometric CrN shows the highest hardness at 22.8 GPa. Using high-power impulsed magnetron sputtering as a deposition technique, we were able to design CrxNy protective coatings with desired microstructure and phase composition, enabling the production of performance-tailored CrxNy coatings suitable for a diverse range of applications.