Properties of plasma assisted chemical vapor deposited coatings of titanium boride on Ti–6Al–4V alloy substrates

Abstract

Coatings prepared in a radio-frequency-plasma (plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition) reactor employing in situ laser diagnostics have been tested and characterized. Detailed characterization studies are important to relate gas phase laser diagnostic studies and concurrent heterogeneous modeling efforts to coating characteristics. Establishing how deposition conditions are correlated with coating properties is expected to provide needed methodology for scale up of applications in the hard face protective coating area. After a brief discussion of preparation conditions and mechanical test results, we present results of chemical and physical measurements on these coatings. Measurement techniques include x-ray diffraction, Dektak surface roughness, scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and SEI, Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The coatings (∼20 μm thick) are very hard (40 GPa at depths over 100 nm), adherent (60 N on scratch test), and sand erosion resistant (≳40× as durable as Ti-6Al-4V). They are highly oriented with the c axis (hexagonal-close-packed) normal to the coating surface, rough (∼1 μm), and off-stoichiometry (TiB2.2).