On the influence of a TiN interlayer on DLC coatings produced by pulsed vacuum arc discharge: Compositional and morphological study

The influence of a TiN interlayer on DLC coatings grown on silicon (1 0 0), 316 stainless steel and KCl by using the PAPVD pulsed arc discharge technique is presented in this paper. The structure of the coatings was determined by means of FTIR through observation of the absorption band modes of CH₂ between 3100 and 2800 cm⁻¹ and representation of the sp³ and sp² carbon bonds, respectively. The sp³/sp² bonds ratio was calculated by using the base line method and producing a value greater than 1 which was a good prediction of high hardness. XPS analysis of the films was made; the wide spectrum showed the elemental composition of the films (Ti, N, C). A narrow spectrum of C1s at binding energy of 284.48 eV was obtained, and its deconvolution showed peaks of sp³, sp² and Ti–C. Ti–C bonds were formed due to diffusion of carbon atoms into a TiN matrix. The concentration for the XPS spectra was calculated by using the area under the curve of sp³ and sp² peaks. The morphology of the bilayer, including roughness, grain size and thickness was studied through SPM techniques.     

AuN films – structure and chemical binding

AuN films were produced on 304 stainless steel using an arc‐pulsed – assisted plasma physical vapor deposition system. The deposition was performed using an Au target in a nitrogen atmosphere at different pressures. The films were characterized using x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x‐ray diffraction. A 398.1‐eV binding energy was observed and assigned to gold nitride species. The x‐ray diffraction patterns displayed a crystallographic structure that corresponded to the Au‐fcc phase with broad diffraction lines. The observed widening of the Bragg diffraction lines (rocking curves) can be attributed to the presence of interstitial nitrogen atoms in the Au‐fcc structure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.