Corrosion improvement of 304l stainless steel by zrsin and zrsi(N,o) mono-and double-layers prepared by reactive cathodic arc evaporation
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Date
2021Author
Dinu, Mihaela
Parau, Anca Constantina
Kiss, Adrian Emil
Mouele, Emile S. Massima
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Zr-based nitrides and oxynitrides were deposited by reactive cathodic arc evaporation in
monolayer and double-layer structures with the aim of increasing the corrosion protection of 304L
stainless steel (SS) in a biomedical aggressive environment. All coatings had a total thickness of
1.2 m. Compared to the bare substrate, the surface roughness of the coated samples was higher,
the presence of microdroplets being revealed by scanning electron micrography (SEM). The X-ray
diffraction investigation of the ZrN phases revealed that the peaks shifted towards lower Bragg
angles and the lattice constants increased as a result of Si and O2 inclusion in ZrN lattice, and of the
ion bombardment characteristic of the cathodic arc method, augmented by the applied bias substrate.
SS/ZrSiN/ZrSi(N,O) showed the best corrosion performance in an acidic environment (0.9% NaCl
and 6% H2O2; pH = 4), which was ascribed to the blocking effect of the interfaces, which acted as a
corrosion barrier for the electrolyte ingress. Moreover, the aforementioned bilayer had the highest
amount of Si and O in the composition of the top layer, forming a stable passive layer with beneficial
effects on corrosion protection.