Microstructure, properties and thermal stability of W/B4C multilayer coating synthesized by ion beam sputtering

• Published in: Applied surface science 2019-01, Vol.464, p.10-20
• Main Authors: Huang, Bin, Le, Wei, Wang, Yuetang, Luo, Xian, Yang, Yanqing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hardness; Ion beam sputtering; Thermal stability; Toughness; W/B4C multilayer coating
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.09.077

[Display omitted] •Well-defined layered structure & uniform monolayers in as-deposited multilayer.•The multilayer coatings have superior strengthening and toughening effects.•Stabling structure & increasing hardness of multilayer at lower temp.•Hardness of multilayer decreases due to structure degradation at higher temp. Microstructure, hardness and toughness as well as the thermal stability of W/B4C multilayer coating synthesized by ion beam sputtering were investigated. The results show well-defined layered structure and uniform monolayers can be found in the as-deposited multilayer coatings with various period thickness at fixed period ratio (W:B4C = 1:1.5). The crystallinity of W layer and the roughness of W/B4C interfaces are changed as the period thickness increasing. It can be concluded that the nano multilayer coatings have superior strengthening and toughening effects. The hardness of as-deposited (W5.2nm/B4C7.6nm)20, (W10.5nm/B4C15.8nm)10 and (W14.5nm/B4C21.5nm)7 coatings is greatly enhanced and higher than that of pure B4C coating, and the toughness of W/B4C multilayer coating is significantly higher than that of pure B4C coating. Subsequently, the investigations about thermal stability of (W10.5nm/B4C15.8nm)10 multilayer coatings indicate that the layered structural is stable when the heat treatment temperature is lower than 500 °C. With increasing of heat treatment temperature, the oxidationof W layer and the formation of WO3 compounds were found. The nano layered structure was dramatically destroyed accompanying severe oxidation and slight carbonization when the temperature increase up to 600 °C. The hardness of (W10.5nm/B4C15.8nm)10 multilayer coating increases up to 37 GPa when the coating is heat treated below 500 °C, while it declined sharply when the coating is heat treated at 600 °C due to the a degradation of layered structure. In addition, the toughness of the multilayer coatings monotonously decreases with the increase of heat treatment temperature.