Tribological study of a mono and multilayer coating of TaZrN/TaZr produced by magnetron sputtering on AISI-316L stainless steel

Ternary nitride films (MXN) of transition metals (X) have been extensively investigated due to their high hardness, corrosion and wear resistance. Tantalum nitride (TaN) coatings offer the possibility of high thermal stability, hardness, and biocompatibility. It has been reported that the combination of transition metals such as Ti, Cr or Zr in the TaN matrix enhance the tribological properties of the coatings. This work presents the mechanical and tribological properties of the monolayer (TaZrN) and multilayer (TaZrN/TaZr/TaZrN) films deposited by reactive DC Magnetron co-Sputtering. The mono and multilayer films presented a combined structure of TaN and Ta phases. Both the mono and multilayer exhibited a columnar morphology with thicknesses greater than 1.5 μm. The multilayer film had a hardness of 24 GPa whilst the hardness of the monolayer was 18 GPa for the 5 mN indenter load tests. The friction and wear rate were similar for both of the coating, however, the monolayer film had fractures and suffered film spallation. Raman spectroscopy studies of the debris and the zones with material accumulation in the wear tracks showed a band related to Tantalum Oxide (Ta2O5) at 650 cm−1.