Tuning microstructure and mechanical and wear resistance of ZrNbTiMo refractory high-entropy alloy films via sputtering power

Frontiers in Materials

Materials

Xinyu Liu¹  Yan Zhang¹  Wumin Cai¹  Junjun Wang¹  Linqing Wang² 

[1] College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China;School of Science, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China;

关键词: refractory high-entropy alloy film;    sputtering power;    nanocomposite structures;    toughening mechanism;    wear resistance;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmats.2023.1145631

 received in 2023-01-16, accepted in 2023-01-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Introduction: Recently, great efforts have been dedicated to tailoring the microstructure of the RHEA films to further optimize the performance of the films. However, there is still a lack of in-depth study on their wear mechanism and microstructure evolution.Methods: In this work, the novel ZrNbTiMo RHEA films were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering and splicing target techniques. The effects of sputtering power on the microstructure, hardness, toughness, and wear resistance of ZrNbTiMo RHEA films were investigated in detail.Results: The ZrNbTiMo films possess the nanocomposite structure, the bcc nanocrystal is wrapped in an amorphous phase. The wear resistance of the film is expected to be improved by finding an appropriate ratio between the amorphous phase and the nanocrystal phase. The nanocrystal structure ensures the high hardness (6.547 ∼ 7.560 GPa) of the ZrNbTiMo film. In addition, the nanocrystals hinder crack propagation, this toughness mechanism effectively improves the toughness of the film. The ZrNbTiMo film prepared at 150 W possesses excellent mechanical properties, hardness of 7.240 GPa and toughness of 0.437 ± 0.040 MPa × m1/2, exhibits better wear resistance (wear rate: 5.223 × 10−7 mm3/N m).Discussion: The wear resistance of ZrNbTiMo film is controlled by both hardness and toughness. The nanocomposite structure makes the ZrNbTiMo films possess a composite fracture which could improve the toughness of the ZrNbTiMo film. The wear-resistant ZrNbTiMo RHEA films with wear rates of the order of 10−6 mm3/N m have been prepared by tuning the sputtering power, this film can be used as a potential candidate for wear-resistant coatings.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Liu, Cai, Zhang, Wang and Wang.