Improved properties of TiAlN coatings through the multilayer structure

Abstract TiAlN/AlN multilayers are attracting great interest for the possibility to modulate their mechanical and tribological properties through the variation of multilayer design. In this work TiAlN single layer, TiAlN/AlN intermixed-multilayer and nano-multilayer were prepared using a reactive magnetron sputtering system starting from targets of TiAl and Al. The aim is to analyze how the multilayer design affects the thermal and tribological properties of the coatings. The microstructure of as-deposited and annealed films has been studied using X-ray diffraction. The chemical composition has been deduced by XPS analyses. Thermal behavior was assessed by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), while mechanical properties have been investigated by wear tests.