Characterisation of corrosion and wear behaviour of nanoscaled e-beam PVD CrN coatings

The present paper analyses the performance of CrN single-layers produced by electron beam PAPVD (EBPAPVD), finding that both corrosion and wear resistance are directly dependant on the structure and stoichiometry of the nitride. The nanolayer structure of the coatings is formed by periodically varying the nitrogen pressure during deposition resulting in layers with higher and lower N-content. This fact, which has not been described in the literature, causes different structure and morphology of the individual films providing excellent properties to the coating. For corrosion resistance, the CrN layer's greater compactness impedes penetration of the electrolyte and thus prevents the formation of a galvanic couple between the coating and the substrate. Moreover, a good wear resistance is obtained, retarding its delamination. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.