Study of the composition and properties of protective layers formed by the ion-beam-assisted deposition of cadmium,zinc, and aluminum onto steel surfaces

Layers formed by the ion-beam-assisted deposition of cadmium, zinc, and aluminum onto the surface of carbon and stainless steels to protect aluminum and its alloys from corrosion in the case of their contact with steel parts are investigated. The protective layers are created via ion-beam-assisted deposition, in which metal deposition and mixing of the deposited layer with the substrate surface (this process is implemented by accelerated (U = 5 kV) ions of the same metal) occurs, respectively, from a neutral vapor fraction and the vacuum arc plasma of a pulsed electric-arc ion source. The morphology and composition of the generated surface layers are studied by means of scanning electron microscopy, electron-probe microanalysis, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The layer composition is revealed to include atoms of the deposited metal, the substrate material, oxygen, and carbon. The layer thickness varies from ~50 to 80 nm, and the deposited metal content of the layers is ~(1.0–3.5) × 10¹⁷ atom/cm². Corrosion tests of the aluminum and its alloy in contact with the materials under study confirm the efficiency of the ion-beam modification of steel surfaces.