Microstructural evolution of (ZrTiNbCr)N multicomponent coatings obtained by vacuum arc deposition

In this study (Zr-Ti-Cr-Nb)N nitride coatings were obtained using a well-developed vacuum arc deposition. The systematical investigations demonstrate that the chemical composition and microstructure of the coatings intimately rely on the deposition parameters (pressure of working gas and substrate bias). The effects of parameters of deposition on the microstructure have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structure of the multi-component (Zr-Ti-Nb-Cr)N is mainly composed of TiN fcc phase and Cr2N trigonal modification.