**Raman Spectroscopy for Reliability Assessment of Multilayered AlCrN Coating in Tribo-Corrosive Conditions**

#### **Janis Baronins 1, Maksim Antonov 1,\*, Sergei Bereznev 2, Taavi Raadik 2,3 and Irina Hussainova 1**


Received: 18 May 2018; Accepted: 20 June 2018; Published: 26 June 2018

**Abstract:** In this study, a multilayered AlCrN coating has been employed as a protective layer for steel used in tribo-corrosive conditions. The coating was deposited by a lateral rotating cathode arc PVD technology on a AISI 316L stainless steel substrate. A ratio of Al/(Al + Cr) was varied from 0.5 up to 0.6 in the AlCrN layer located above Cr adhesion and gradient CrN interlayers. A Raman spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization scan were used to determine the resistance in tribo-corrosive (3.5 wt % NaCl) conditions. Correlation between sliding contact surface chemistry and measured tribological properties of material was supported with static corrosion experiments. The corrosion mechanisms responsible for surface degradation are reported.

**Keywords:** multilayered AlCrN coating; Raman spectroscopy; tribo-corrosion; sliding wear
