Corrosion performance of duplex TiN coatings deposited by arc plating

Abstract Duplex treatment is a relatively new technique to increase wear and corrosion resistance of the steel substrate. As a rule, plasma nitriding increases the wear resistance of the stainless-steel substrate AISI 304, besides it causes more rapid development of corrosive processes. As a result of low-temperature plasma nitriding at a temperature lower than 400 °C, nitrogen is located in a solid solution γ N [12], which retains the ability of the substrate to form oxide films. Deposition of TiN coatings onto a pre-nitrided AISI 304 substrate can offer reliable corrosion prevention of the substrate as a result of eliminating local corrosion at the bottom of pinholes and structural defects, which are always presented in hard coatings.