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Diamond‐like carbon (DLC) is an amorphous material widely used in industrial applications due to its chemical, mechanical, and tribological properties and, also, for decorative purposes. However, its low adhesion to ferrous alloys reduces its effectiveness in certain applications, necessitating the use of adhesion interlayers to reduce stresses at the interfaces and enhance the density of strong bonds. In this context, the factors that promote good adhesion in this system and specify the parameters must be understood in detail. Thus, the present study aims to assess the influence of the base pressure on the deposition of an amorphous silicon carbide adhesion interlayer between DLC coating and a ferrous alloy substrate. Microstructural, physicochemical, morphological, and mechanotribological analyses were conducted to understand the adhesion behavior in terms of structural and chemical aspects. In addition to the influence of the interlayer thickness, the elemental Si/C ratios and the relative oxygen content have an impact on the maximum load supported by the coatings, as well as the different delamination mechanisms generated in adhesion tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) coatings provide interesting properties for industrial applications. However, the low adhesion of DLC coatings on any type of ferrous alloy compromises technological applications. One possible solution to this issue is the application of adhesion interlayers. The aim of this study is to investigate the adhesion of DLC films on low-alloy steel through the use of silicon-containing interlayers at different deposition times using tetramethylsilane. The role of time on the physical-chemical, microstructural, and tribological properties of the material system was evaluated. The interlayer thickness linearly increased and greater contributions of silicon bonds were measured as a function of the interlayer deposition time. Nevertheless, longer deposition times increased the roughness and defect ratio in DLC coatings. Although good enough adhesion for decorative applications was acquired, no drastic variation in the average critical load (∼4.2 N) for delamination was observed at different deposition times for the samples that achieved adhesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]