Evaluation of Sputtered Mo–Cu–Cr–N Coatings Prepared at Different N2 Gas Flow Rates Using a Multicomponent Single‐Alloy Target

Abstract

With the growth of the automobile, machinery, and aerospace industries, demand for high‐performance surface coatings having multifunctional characteristics for use in mechanical parts is increasing. In this study, ternary/quaternary Mo–Cu–Cr–(N) nanocomposite coatings were deposited at different N2 gas flow rates using direct current magnetron sputtering from a multicom-ponent single‐alloy target. The use of a single‐alloy target simplifies the deposition process and im-proves the coating uniformity. The influence of the nitrogen content was investigated regarding the microstructural, mechanical, and tribological properties, and corrosion resistance of these coatings. The Mo–Cu–Cr–N coating containing 30.5 at. % nitrogen showed a nanocomposite structure com-prising transition metal nitride phases (Mo–N/Cr–N) having high mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, while retaining the excellent tribological properties of ternary Mo–Cu–N coatings. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.