Effects of nitrogen content on microstructure and mechanical properties of DC magnetron sputtered Cr-Mn-Mo-Si-Y-(N) high entropy coatings
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Surface and Coatings Technology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0257897225000167?dgcid=coauthor |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.131742 |
| Keywords | Crystal structure; High entropy alloy; High entropy nitride; Lattice distortion; Nitride formation enthalpy; Reactive magnetron sputtering |
| Description | This study investigates Cr-Mn-Mo-Si-Y-(N) high-entropy alloy and high-entropy nitride coatings, combining strong and weak nitride-forming elements with large atomic radii differences. The coatings are deposited using reactive DC magnetron sputtering in an Ar/N2 atmosphere. The research examines the effects of varying N2 flow rates, substrate temperatures, and bias. The coatings are stabilized by nitrogen vacancies as N content saturated under 45 at.%. It is observed that bias does not influence chemical composition or structure. Nanostructure analysis reveals that coatings are composed of Cr-Mo-rich with nanocrystallites and amorphous Si-Mn-rich nanolayers. Crystallization occurs in coatings that contain at least 40 at.%. of N and are deposited at 580°C. The mechanical properties improve with nitrogen incorporation and 580°C substrate temperature, achieving peak hardness and reduced modulus of 15.5 and 195.1 GPa, respectively. Elastic HIT/Er and plastic HIT3/Er2 deformation parameters reach values up to 0.09 and 0.12 GPa, respectively. The results suggest that the high content of Mn, which is a weak nitride former, and the lattice distortion caused by Si and Y, hindered long-range ordering. The study highlights that nitrogen content strongly governs the properties of high-entropy nitride coatings, offering first insights into this novel material system. |
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