Comparative Studies on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CrN, Cr-Mo-N and Cr-Si-N Coatings

CrN-based multi-component coatings were deposited by a hybrid coating system combining the arc ion plating (AIP) and sputtering technique. In this work, comparative studies on microstructure and mechanical properties of microhardness and wear behavior among CrN, Cr-Mo- N, Cr-Si-N coatings were systematically conducted. Adding Mo and Si atoms into CrN coatings had important effects on microstructural change and mechanical properties of CrN coatings. The maximum hardness values of Cr-Mo-N and Cr-Si-N coatings were the same value of 34GPa, These values were much enhanced compared with 18GPa of CrN coating. The average friction coefficient of CrN-based coatings decreased to 0.37 and 0.2 with the incorporation of Mo and Si content