**2. Computational Methods**

CP simulations were performed using the Düsseldorf advanced material simulation kit (DAMASK) developed by the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung [30]. Spectral solver based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) implemented in the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc) was utilized to solve for the displacement field [31,32]. The simulation model is composed of substrates made of a single crystalline austenitic stainless steel (SS) 316 and physical vapor-deposited (PVD) thin Cr coatings. Prior literature has indicated that the common PVD Cr coatings are nanocrystalline and exhibit isotropic mechanical behavior [19].
