Effect of Hafnium Addition on the Microstructure and Property Evolutions of ZrCN Coating Prepared via Physical Vapor Deposition.

In this paper, Zr(Hf)_xCN coatings were deposited onto 316L stainless steel (316L SS) substrates at 400 °C using the radio-frequency (R.F.) magnetron sputtering technique with Hf-Zr-C composite target materials. The influence of Hf element content on microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance and platelet interaction with the surface of Zr(Hf)_xCN coatings were then investigated. The results indicate that the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of coatings depend on their chemical composition. Corrosion resistance and platelet interaction with the surface could be improved by adding Hf to the Zr₂CN. By optimizing the Hf-Zr-C ratio, Zr(Hf)_xCN coatings with excellent corrosion resistance were obtained. The ZrHfCN-3 coating with a Hf element content of 7.33% possesses excellent mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. The result of the platelet interaction with the surface confirms that Zr(Hf)_xCN coatings have better platelet interaction with the surface than 316L SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]