Nanomechanical and Nanotribological Properties of Nb Substituted TiN Thin Films

摘要

Nanomechanical and nanotribological properties of Ti_(1-x)Nb_xN (0≤x≤1) thin films were investigated as a function x. The films were deposited onto polycrystalline nuclear grade 316LN stainless steel (SS) substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering in 100% N_2 plasma. The hardness and Young's modulus increased while the friction coefficient and wear volume decreased with increasing Nb substitution. The highest hardness achieved was 31GPa for x=0.77. At the same Nb concentration, the friction coefficient was 0.15 and the elastic recovery was 60%.