Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering

Ding, Yi; Zhang, Fanyong; Yan, Shu; Li, Hongtao; He, Jining; Yin, Fuxing

doi:10.3390/met9121330

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering

by

Yi Ding

¹,

Fanyong Zhang

^1,*,

Shu Yan

²,

Hongtao Li

³

,

Jining He

^1,* and

Fuxing Yin

¹

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Materials Laminating Fabrication and Interface Control Technology, Research Institute for Energy Equipment Materials, School of Material Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China

²

School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China

³

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Metals 2019, 9(12), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121330

Submission received: 5 November 2019 / Revised: 29 November 2019 / Accepted: 6 December 2019 / Published: 9 December 2019

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Abstract

In this study, closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUMS) was employed to deposit pure Cr films on soft substrate of 2024 Al alloy. The effects of deposition powers and biases on the microstructures and mechanical performance of Cr films were systematically investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), micro-indentation and scratch test. Results showed that all the Cr films had a strong (110) preferred orientation and anisotropic surface morphology with columnar structures. The size of Cr particles was in the range of 50–350 nm, increasing with larger target power and higher biases. The hardness of Cr films was between 3.3 and 4.8 GPa, which was much higher than the Al alloy substrate (1.44 GPa). The Young’s modulus of Cr film could reach a maximum value of 169 GPa at 2.0 kW/70 V. The critical load increased when increasing the power but decreased with higher bias, achieving a maximum value of 53.83 N at 2.0 kW/10 V. The adhesive failure mechanism of Cr film was mainly attributed to the plastic deformation of softer Al substrate.

Keywords: Cr film; magnetron sputtering; microstructure; micro-indentation; scratch test

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ding, Y.; Zhang, F.; Yan, S.; Li, H.; He, J.; Yin, F. Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering. Metals 2019, 9, 1330. https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121330

AMA Style

Ding Y, Zhang F, Yan S, Li H, He J, Yin F. Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering. Metals. 2019; 9(12):1330. https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121330

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ding, Yi, Fanyong Zhang, Shu Yan, Hongtao Li, Jining He, and Fuxing Yin. 2019. "Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering" Metals 9, no. 12: 1330. https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121330

APA Style

Ding, Y., Zhang, F., Yan, S., Li, H., He, J., & Yin, F. (2019). Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering. Metals, 9(12), 1330. https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121330

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Microstructure, Micro-Indentation, and Scratch Behavior of Cr Films Prepared on Al alloys by Using Magnetron Sputtering

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