L2-9189 — Final report
1.
Role of the defect density on corrosion resistance PVD coatings

The paper describes the relationship between the density of defects in the coatings (CrN and TiAlN on surfaces of cast iron) and corrosion properties. Corrosion measurements were performed by electrochemical measurements in neutral solution of chloride ions in combination with surface analysis defect-scanning electron microscopy. Coating, which had a higher concentration of defects is also reflected by two orders of magnitude or more worse corrosion properties.

COBISS.SI-ID: 20922663
2.
Determination of origins of defects during the growth of hard coating

Defects are one of the major obstacles in application of hard coatings. The corrosion resistance on these spots is severely reduced and the possibility of delamination is increased. We analyzed the composition on the spot of the defect and microstructural properties and found out that there are three types of defects: (i) pieces of foreign material, covered by the growing coating – they are a consequence of dust and delamination from chamber walls, (ii) microdroplets, covered by the growing coating with a porous microstructure, (iii) depressions, formed after delamination of the defects.

COBISS.SI-ID: 21467175
3.
Surface modification of a WTi thin film on Si substrate by nanosecond laser pulses

The work encompasses a broad field of understanding thin metallic layers based on tungsten. We studied the interaction of laser pulses with the film surface and analyzed the failures. We found three types of failures: ablation, modification and morphology change. We determined the thresholds for the appearance of these failures.

COBISS.SI-ID: 22854439
4.
Correlation between hardness and stress in Al-(Nb, Mo, Ta) thin films

The thin films of Al (-Nb, Mo, Ta) were prepared by magnetron codeposition at room temperature. The average film thickness was from 325 to 400 nm, depending on the film composition. For all the Al–(Nb, Mo, Ta) alloy compositions, the microhardness is predominantly under the influence of the harder element, and monotonically decreases with the increase of the aluminum content. However, the microhardness of the amorphous AlTa films was higher than the bulk value of a harder element (Ta) in the alloy.

COBISS.SI-ID: 22687527
5.
The influence of rotation during sputtering on the stoichiometry of TiAlN/CrNx

The research is focussed on better understanding of growth mechanisms during sputtering of coatings based on TiAlN and CrN. In contrast to a widespread opinion that the CrN layer is homogeneous, we found out that within the layer, both chemical composition and crystal structure varies. The effect was explained by a complex rotation of substrates in the sputtering apparatus.

COBISS.SI-ID: 22190375