Bio-inspired AlSiCN/Ti hierarchical coatings with high toughness by efficient energy dissipation

Abstract

Microstructure design in hard coatings achieves mechanical robustness, such as high hardness, good toughness, high adhesion, etc. In this study, bio-inspired AlSiCN/Ti hierarchical composite coating, which the structure is similar as the shell, and the AlSiCN single layer coating are produced. The result shows that the AlSiCN/Ti coating possesses good penetration resistance via increasing energy dissipation density (17.0 ± 2.8 nJ·μm−3), which is much higher than that of the AlSiCN single layer coating (8.3 ± 1.7 nJ·μm−3). The hierarchical structure acts as effective barriers to restrain the propagation of cracks, resulting in an increased penetration resistance of the AlSiCN/Ti coating. The coating displays potential application as protective layer on mechanical parts. Keywords: Multilayer thin films, Toughness, Energy dissipation, Indentation