Wear 267 (2009) 882–889

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Wear
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Tribological properties of CrSiN-coated 301 stainless steel

under wet and dry conditions
M. Azzi a,b , M. Benkahoul b , J.A. Szpunar a , J.E. Klemberg-Sapieha b,∗ , L. Martinu b
a
Dept. of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada, H3A 2B2
b
Dept. of Engineering Physics, Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, Qc, Canada, H3C 3A7

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The tribological properties of CrSiN coatings were investigated under dry and wet conditions. CrSiN
Received 11 September 2008 films (2 ␮m thick) were deposited on 301 stainless steel substrates by dual magnetron sputtering, using
Received in revised form 12 January 2009 a chromium interface layer (500 nm thick) on the top of plasma nitrided surface. The morphology and
Accepted 12 January 2009
microstructure of the CrSiN films were examined by SEM, EDS and X-ray diffractometry. Dry and wet wear
tests were performed using a linear reciprocating ball-on-flat tribometer. In wet condition, the contact
Keywords:
was immersed in NaCl 1 wt.%, and the sliding wear tests were performed at open circuit potential (OCP),
CrN
and under cathodic and anodic conditions.
CrSiN
Tribocorrosion
CrSiN films were found to exhibit excellent wear resistance under dry condition: the films had no
301 tendency to delaminate after 1800 cycles of sliding wear under 1.6 GPa Hertzian stress. However, under
Wear wet condition, the wear resistance was rather poor: the films detached from the substrate at smaller
Corrosion contact pressures (1.2 GPa). It was demonstrated that the corrosion reactions at the electrode/electrolyte
interface were the reason for the degradation of the tribological properties of these films; in the absence
of corrosion reactions (under cathodic polarization), CrSiN coatings were found to resist much better
sliding wear.
© 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction structure in which nano-crystallites of CrSiN (4–10 nm) are embed-

Hard transition metal nitrides, MeN, such as chromium nitride
(CrN) and titanium nitride (TiN), deposited by physical vapour
deposition (PVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition
(PECVD) techniques, have been the subject of extensive investiga-
tions in the past few decades due to their excellent mechanical
properties, high wear resistance, and chemical inertness [1–3].
Navinsek et al. [4] showed that CrN films deposited by PVD
techniques are potential candidates to replace hard chrome and
cadmium coatings prepared by electroplating, a process recognized
today as a significant source of environmental pollution worldwide.
The tribological properties of CrN films have been widely
reported in the literature [5–8]. CrN films exhibit high wear resis-
tance mainly due to their high hardness and low friction coefficient.
The effects of element incorporation (e.g., Si, Ti, Ni) on the proper-
ties of CrN films have also been extensively studied. Many authors
[5,7–10] have reported a significant improvement in the mechani-
cal and tribological characteristics of CrN films with the addition of
Si. This was mainly attributed to the formation of nano-composite
ded in an amorphous ultra thin layer of silicon nitride. This model
was first proposed by Veprek [11]. However, Benkahoul et al. [7,8]
associated this improvement to the solid solution effect of Si. Yoo et
al. [12] studied the effect of Si addition to CrN coatings on the cor-
rosion resistance of CrN/stainless steel coating/substrate system.
They reported higher corrosion resistance and lower porosity with
increasing Si/(Cr + Si) ratio.
Most of the tribological investigations found in the literature on
CrN coatings were performed under dry conditions. However, in
many applications (e.g., aeronautic, automobile, biotechnology and
others) these films are subjected simultaneously to wear and cor-
rosion phenomena, and therefore, it is very important to study the
tribological behaviour of these coatings under corrosive environ-
ment. In this paper, the tribological properties of CrN coatings were
systematically investigated under dry and wet conditions, with an
emphasis on the effect of corrosion on the wear resistance.
2. Experimental
2.1. Coating deposition

∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 514 340 5747; fax: +1 514 340 3218. CrSiN films were deposited using a pulsed dual magnetron sput-
E-mail address: jsapieha@polymtl.ca (J.E. Klemberg-Sapieha). tering (PDMS) system. The system is equipped with two targets

0043-1648/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.wear.2009.01.027
 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889
Table 1
Experimental conditions of the samples pre-treatment, nitriding, and Cr and CrSiN deposition.
Operation Pressure (Pa) Gaseous mixture (sccm)
Ar sputter-cleaning 1 Ar (15)
Nitriding 4.2 N2 (84)
Cr deposition 0.4 Ar (15)
CrSiN deposition 1.2 Ar (15), N2 (14)
Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the architecture of the coated samples.
(one of chromium and one of silicon), inclined 20◦ with respect to
the rotating substrate holder axis. The magnetron sources are con-
nected to a pulsed DC generator (Pinnacle Plus, AE). The distance
between the targets and the substrate is approximately 80 mm.
The heatable sample holder is connected to an RF power supply
of 13.56 MHz excitation frequency, and the deposition conditions
were adjusted with respect to the self-induced bias voltage. The
base pressure in the deposition chamber was 1.2 × 10−4 Pa, while
during CrSiN deposition, the total pressure of N2 and Ar was
adjusted to 1.2 Pa.
Rectangular plates of 301 stainless steel substrates (25 mm ×
25 mm × 1 mm) were first mechanically polished using 1 ␮m alu-
mina suspension, followed by ultrasonic cleaning in acetone
(15 min) and isopropanol (15 min), before being introduced into the
deposition chamber.
Once placed on the substrate holder, the substrates were first
sputter-cleaned for 15 min in Ar plasma, specifically meant to
remove the native oxide formed after polishing. Subsequent plasma
nitriding was performed for 4 h in pure N2 plasma. Then, Cr bond
layer was deposited in the presence of pure Ar plasma. Finally, the
Fig. 2. Schematic drawing of the experimental apparatus used for wear testing.
883
Bias voltage (V) Targets current (A) Process duration (min) Temperature (K)
−600 15 573
−600 240 573
−200 ICr : 0.7, ISi : 0 30 523
−200 ICr : 0.7, ISi : 0.4 160 523
CrSiN layer was deposited by powering the two targets (Cr and
Si) in the presence of Ar and N2 . The pulsing frequency on both
targets was 300 kHz with a duty cycle of 88%. The Cr target cur-
rent (ICr ) and Si target current (ISi ) were maintained at 0.7 A and
0.4 A, respectively, to produce CrSiN films with 2.3 at.% Si, 47.7 at.%
Cr, and 50 at.% N. The experimental conditions of the samples pre-
treatment, nitriding, Cr and CrSiN deposition are summarized in
Table 1.
Fig. 1 schematically shows the architecture of the coated speci-
mens. SS and SS/N4h notations will be used in this text to refer to
the non-treated (just polished) and 4-hour nitrided stainless steel
substrates. SS/N4h/CrSiN and SS/CrSiN notations will refer to the
CrSiN-coated stainless steel substrates with nitriding and without
nitriding.
2.2. Wear tests
Wear tests were performed using a linear reciprocating ball-on-
plate tribometer illustrated in Fig. 2 and described previously in Ref.
[13]. Using this tribometer, it is possible to perform wear analysis
under dry or wet condition. For dry wear tests, the cell is not filled
with electrolyte, while for wet wear tests the contact ball/specimen
is fully immersed in the test solution. A three-electrode type elec-
trochemical cell is then established by using the sample as working
electrode, a coiled platinum wire as counter electrode, and the
standard calomel electrode (SCE) as reference electrode. The three
electrodes are connected to a potentiostat (Autolab PGSTAT302,
Ecochemie). In this way, it is possible to control the electrochemical
conditions of the surface subject to wear.
Sliding wear experiments were performed under dry and wet
conditions using an alumina ball of 4.75 mm diameter as counter-
face, at a normal load of 9 N, and for a sliding distance of 36 m
(9 N, 36 m). This load corresponds to a maximum Hertzian stress
of 1.2 GPa. In addition, dry wear tests were also performed at (9 N,
884 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889

Fig. 3. SEM images of (a) the surface; (b) the cross-section, of SS/N4h/CrSiN.

72 m), (9 N, 144 m), and (22 N, 36 m) in order to emphasize the sig-
nificant difference in wear behaviour of CrSiN coatings under dry
and wet conditions. The normal load of 22 N corresponds to a max-
imum Hertzian stress of 1.6 GPa. The stroke length was 10 mm and
the sliding frequency was 1 Hz. For wet tests, NaCl 1 wt.% solution
was used as corrosive medium. Dry wear tests were repeated three
times and wet wear tests were repeated two times to validate the
results.
Wet wear tests were performed under open circuit potential
(OCP) condition, and under anodic and cathodic polarization con-
ditions. In the first case, the OCP of the surface is monitored before,
during, and after wear testing. Under anodic (cathodic) condition,
wear tests are performed under constant anodic (cathodic) poten-
tial, and the current is measured before, during and after wear
testing. The difference between the anodic and cathodic conditions
is that in the former one, the surface is subjected to corrosion during
wear, while in the second one, corrosion reactions are suppressed
because of the cathodic protection. In this way, it is possible to inves-
tigate the effect of corrosion reactions on the tribological properties
of CrSiN coatings.
The surface roughness Ra of the nitrided surface was ∼80 nm
compared to ∼10 nm for the non-treated (polished) surface. The
cross-sectional image shows that CrSiN film has a columnar struc-
ture. Many authors [14–16] have observed such surface morphology
after nitriding treatment of austenitic stainless steels. It was sug-
gested that the formation of a nitrided layer is accompanied by high
compressive stresses due to the increase of the lattice parameter of
the stainless steel, which caused a plastic deformation of the mate-
rial at the surface. The increase of the lattice parameter is the result
of the insertion of nitrogen atoms in the stainless steel matrix.
The thickness of the nitrided layer was approximately 6 ␮m, as
derived from EDS line-scan analysis of the cross-section.
XRD patterns acquired at grazing incidence angle from the CrSiN
film, the Cr bond layer, and the nitrided layer are shown in Fig. 4. The
pattern of the bare substrate is also included for comparison. The
peaks of the deposited layers indicate that the CrSiN film consists
mainly of f.c.c. CrN phase and that the b.c.c. Cr is the main phase in
the bond layer. For the nitrided layer, the peaks correspond to the
so-called “Expanded austenite, ␥N ” or “S phase” [14–17], which is
the interstitial solid solution of the f.c.c. ␥-Fe and of nitrogen. It is

2.3. Surface characterization

Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, Philips

XL30) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS)
was used to assess the surface morphology and to perform cross-
section analysis of the as-deposited coatings. A Rigaku Rotaflex
X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to characterize the crystal
structure of the nitrided surfaces and the deposited layers (Cr and
CrSiN). XRD spectra were acquired at a glancing angle of 1.5◦ , using
Cu K␣ radiation (1.54 nm wavelength), under 40 kV voltage, and
40 mA current. Surface roughness (Ra ) of the coatings and wear
track profiles were measured by the Sloan Dektak II profilometer.

3. Results and discussion

In this section, the characterization of the as-deposited coatings

is firstly presented, and then the performance of the coatings under
dry and wet conditions is analysed and discussed.

3.1. Characterization of the as-deposited coatings

SEM images of the surface and cross-section of SS/N4h/CrSiN

are shown in Fig. 3. The surface appears to be etched, and the grain
boundaries of the stainless steel substrate are revealed. This etch-
ing is due to the nitriding process used to increase the substrate
hardness prior to deposition. In fact, the surface of the stainless Fig. 4. XRD patterns of (a) CrSiN film; (b) Cr bond layer; (c) nitrided layer; (d) 301
steel substrates exhibited the same morphology after nitriding. substrate.
 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889 885

Table 2
Material loss, w, and wear track depth, d, measured on SS, SS/N4h after 36 m (1800 cycles) sliding distance in dry condition. Stroke length: 10 mm, frequency: 1 Hz, ( is the
standard deviation).

Normal load Material loss, w, ×105 ␮m3 () Wear track depth, d, ␮m ()

SS SS/N4h SS SS/N4h

9N 930 (14.8) 6.6 (0.4) 16.2 (1.3) 0.82 (0.04)

22 N 1620 (49.5) 23.8 (2.1) 28.7 (1.6) 1.91 (0.15)

sented in this table. It is clearly seen that nitriding improves ∼140

times the dry wear compared to the bare substrate. Such large dif-
ference is coincident with the significant increase of the surface
hardness after nitriding; the surface hardness was 15 GPa for the
nitrided surface compared to 5 GPa for the bare surface.

3.2.2. CrSiN-coated substrates (SS/N4h/CrSiN)

Fig. 5. Wear track depth (␮m) and material loss (␮m3 ) measured on SS/N4h/CrSiN
at different sliding distances and normal loads under dry condition. Stroke length:
10 mm, frequency: 1 Hz.
called expanded austenite since the presence of nitrogen expands
the lattice of the f.c.c. ␥-Fe. Several authors [14–18] studied the
crystalline structure of this phase using XRD. They all reported a
significant decrease in the diffraction angles of the austenitic struc-
ture after nitriding: ␥(1 1 1) peak was observed to shift from 43.5◦
to approximately 40◦ , and the ␥(2 0 0) peak from 50.8◦ to approxi-
mately 46◦ .
3.2. Dry wear tests
3.2.1. Nitrided substrates (SS/N4h)
The average values of material loss, w, (in ␮m3 ) and wear track
depth, d, (in ␮m), measured on SS and SS/N4h after 36 m (1800
cycles) sliding distance at two different normal loads (9 N and 22 N),
are summarized in Table 2. The standard deviation, , is also pre-
The average values of material loss and wear track depth mea-
sured on SS/N4h/CrSiN at different sliding distances (36 m, 72 m,
and 144 m) and different normal loads (9 N and 22 N) are presented
in Fig. 5. The depth of the wear track after 144 m of sliding at 9 N was
0.65 ␮m indicating that the CrSiN film did not delaminate. Even at
very high load (22 N), the film had no tendency to delaminate and
the wear track depth was almost 1 ␮m after 36 m of sliding wear. On
the other hand, the wear rate (material loss per unit sliding distance,
␮m3 /m) significantly decreases with increasing sliding distance; at
36 m, the wear rate was 5830 ␮m3 /m compared to 3540 ␮m3 /m
after 144 m. This is mainly due to the existence of a running-in
period during which a transition in surface roughness and wear
rate from initial state to those in a steady state take place [19].
The SEM images of the wear track after 36 m sliding distance at
9 N and 22 N are shown in Fig. 6. The white particles inside the track
are wear debris formed during sliding. EDS analysis showed the
presence of oxygen in these debris which indicates that the CrSiN
film is oxidized during sliding wear in agreement with Ref. [7].
3.3. Wet wear tests
3.3.1. Wear tests at open circuit potential
In these experiments, the evolution of the OCP was monitored
before, during, and after wear testing. Fig. 7-a shows the evolu-
tion of the OCP on SS/N4h/CrSiN and SS. Two coated samples from
different deposition batches (under the same conditions) were
tested to validate the results. For the bare substrate SS, the OCP
dropped immediately to a value of −375 mV when the sliding wear
started. When rubbing ceased, the OCP increased and progressively
returned to its original value. This corresponds to the depassivation

Fig. 6. Wear track of SS/N4h/CrSiN after 36 m (1800 cycles) dry sliding distance at (a) 9 N; (b) 22 N normal load.
886 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889
Fig. 7. (a) Evolution of the OCP before, during and after wear tests on SS and SS/N4h/CrSiN. Normal load: 9 N, frequency: 1 Hz; (b) SEM images of the wear track of SS/N4h/CrSiN
after the wear test.
and repassivation of the 301 stainless steel during and after sliding,
respectively.
For SS/N4h/CrSiN, the OCP progressively dropped to reach
approximately −375 mV, namely the same potential measured on
SS. This indicates that the alumina ball went through the CrSiN
film and was rubbing on the 301 substrate. When rubbing ceased,
the OCP first steeply increased and then returned to its original
value. The SEM image of the wear track after the tribocorrosion
test confirmed the complete detachment of the CrSiN film from the
substrate inside the wear track, as shown in Fig. 7-b.
The average values of material loss, w, and wear track depth, d,
measured on SS, SS/N4h, and SS/N4h/CrSiN after 36 m (1800 cycles)
sliding distance in wet environment are summarized in Table 3.
The material loss of Material loss, w, ×105 ␮m3 () SS decreased
significantly (∼26 times) compared to the result of the dry wear
test (see Table 2). This may be attributed to a lower temperature at
the sliding contact in the presence of an electrolyte as a result of a
faster dissipation of frictional heat. In contrary, the material loss of
SS/N4h/CrSiN significantly increased (∼63 times) in the presence
of electrolyte due to a synergistic effect of corrosion and wear as it
will be demonstrated in the next section. In the case of the nitrided
substrate SS/N4h, the material loss was slightly higher compared
to the dry wear results, possibly due to a minor synergistic effect of
corrosion and wear.
3.3.2. Wear tests at controlled potentials
In these experiments, the potential of the surface subject to wear
was held constant and the evolution of the current was monitored
before, during, and after wear testing. At anodic potentials (higher
than the OCP), corrosion and wear processes are involved in the
degradation of the surface, whereas at cathodic potentials (lower
than the OCP), only mechanical wear is involved since the corrosion
reactions are suppressed by the cathodic potential.
Wear tests were performed on SS/N4h/CrSiN at 300 mV (anodic
potential) and at −800 mV (cathodic potential) to investigate the
Table 3
Material loss, w, and wear track depth, d, measured on SS, SS/N4h, and SS/N4h/CrSiN after 36 m (1800 cycles) sliding distance in NaCl 1 wt.% at 9 N normal load. Stroke length:
10 mm, frequency: 1 Hz, ( is the standard deviation).
Material loss, w, ×105 ␮m3 ()
SS SS/N4h SS/N4h/CrSiN
35.6 (4.5) 8.2 (0.5) 132 (11.6)
effect of corrosion on the tribological properties of CrSiN films. The
evolution of the current during the anodic wear experiment (at
300 mV) is shown in Fig. 8-a. Before rubbing, the current exponen-
tially decayed due to the improvement in the corrosion properties
of the passive layer that is formed at the electrode/electrolyte inter-
face. At the onset of rubbing, the current increased almost one order
of magnitude. Then, at around 500 s, the current started to increase,
and it reached approximately 4 × 10−5 A at 700 s. Subsequently,
the current continued to increase and it reached a maximum of
2 × 10−4 A at approximately 1600 s. When rubbing ceased, the cur-
rent remained high and it did not return to its original value before
wear. The SEM image of the worn area clearly shows the delamina-
tion of the CrSiN film and the presence of pits inside the wear track,
as shown in Fig. 8-b.
The current increase at the onset of rubbing is related to
the destruction of the passivation layer present at the spec-
imen/electrolyte interface. Mendibide et al. [20] reported the
presence of a p-type semiconductor thin oxide film on CrN films.
The second increase is associated with the delamination of the
CrSiN film and the exposure of the 301 substrate to the rubbing
action of the ball. Further increase in the current during sliding wear
could be the results of the formation of pits. Indeed, the current did
not decrease when the rubbing ceased, indicating the presence of
active sites (pits) on the surfaces which were responsible for the
high current even in the absence of wear.
The evolution of the current measured during the cathodic wear
experiment (at −800 mV) is shown in Fig. 9-a. Before rubbing, the
current was approximately 8 × 10−5 A. At the onset of rubbing, the
current increased to reach 1.1 × 10−4 A. It remained relatively sta-
ble during the entire wear experiment, and then dropped when
the rubbing ceased. SEM image of the wear track shows that the
CrSiN film did not delaminate from the substrate (see Fig. 9-b).
The increase in the cathodic current at the onset of rubbing could
also be the result of the removal of the oxide layer formed on the
surface.
Wear track depth, d, ␮m ()
SS SS/N4h SS/N4h/CrSiN
2.6 (0.08) 1.2 (0.1) 6.4 (0.5)
 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889 887

Fig. 8. (a) Evolution of the anodic current on SS/N4h/CrSiN before, during and after wear experiment. Applied voltage: 300 mV, normal load: 9 N, frequency: 1 Hz; (b) SEM
image of the wear track of SS/N4h/CrSiN after the wear test.

The result of these two tests proved that the corrosion reactions
at the electrode/electrolyte interface were responsible for the dete-
rioration of the tribological properties of CrSiN films; in the absence
of such reactions (under cathodic polarization), these films resist
much better sliding wear.
3.3.3. Effect of surface nitriding
Wear tests at OCP were also performed on the same coating
deposited without substrate nitriding (SS/CrSiN). The evolution of
the OCP during wear testing was different from the one obtained
on SS/N4h/CrSiN, as shown in Fig. 10-a. The OCP gradually dropped
when sliding wear started and reached a steady-state value of about
−250 mV, compared to −375 mV for SS/N4h/CrSiN. The SEM image
of the wear track after 1800 wear cycles (shown in Fig. 10-b) clearly
shows that the CrSiN film was not detached from the substrate and
it can thus explain the higher OCP measured during rubbing.
In the case of SS/CrSiN, the drop of the OCP during rubbing is
due to the depassivation of the wear track area. During rubbing, the
surface oxide layer was continuously removed and, therefore, the
CrSiN film was continuously repassivating. This process generates
electrons and it consequently lowers the potential of the surface.
The stabilization of the potential during the experiment indicates
an equilibrium condition between the oxidation of the CrSiN inside
the wear track and the reduction of the oxygen outside of the wear
track.
When rubbing ceased, the potential progressively increased
towards higher potentials due to the formation of the passive layer
on the CrSiN surface. This is in good agreement with the results of
Barril et al. [21] who conducted wear experiments at OCP on TiN-
coated stainless steel; they also observed a decrease of the potential
at the onset of rubbing and an increase of the potential when the
rubbing stopped. They explained these observations by the destruc-
tion and consecutive growth of the oxide layer formed on the TiN
film in aqueous solutions.
The above results demonstrate that nitriding (prior to deposi-
tion) significantly reduces the wear resistance of CrSiN coatings in

Fig. 9. (a) Evolution of the cathodic current of SS/N4h/CrSiN before, during and after wear experiment. Applied voltage: −800 mV, normal load: 9 N, frequency: 1 Hz; (b) SEM
image of the wear track of SS/N4h/CrSiN after the wear test.
888 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889

Fig. 10. (a) Evolution of the potential before, during, and after wear testing on SS, and SS/CrSiN. Normal load: 9 N, frequency: 1 Hz; (b) SEM image of the wear track of SS/CrSiN
after the wear test.

Fig. 11. Morphology of the CrSiN films; (a) and (b) with substrate nitriding; (c) and (d) without substrate nitriding; (a) and (c) at low magnification; (b) and (d) at high
magnification.

the NaCl 1 wt.% solution. Nitriding process etches the substrate and
increases the surface roughness. This morphology is transferred
to the deposited films and the grain boundaries of the substrate
also become boundaries in the CrSiN deposited film as shown in
Fig. 11-a and -b. The morphology of the same film, without nitrid-
ing treatment of the substrate, is shown in Fig. 11-c and -d. It is
clearly seen that without nitriding the film is more uniform and
has lower surface roughness.
For SS/N4h/CrSiN, the discontinuity in the film at the grain
boundaries may be the reason for the generation (during sliding
wear) of defects that possibly contributed to the infiltration of the
liquid, and consequently led to the destruction of the CrSiN film.
This explains why SS/CrSiN (without nitriding) exhibited better wet
wear resistance compared to SS/N4h/CrSiN.
4. Conclusions
The tribological properties of CrSiN coatings deposited on
301 stainless steel substrates were investigated under dry and
wet conditions. These coatings exhibited excellent dry wear
 M. Azzi et al. / Wear 267 (2009) 882–889
resistance; wear rate values of 1.15 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1 and
2.94 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1 are obtained for SS/N4h/CrSiN and
SS/N4h, respectively.
Surface nitriding of 301 stainless steel substrates significantly
increased the surface hardness from ∼5 GPa to ∼15 GPa. Further-
more, nitriding was found to etch the stainless steel surface; this
is due to the compressive stresses generated by the insertion of
nitrogen inside the austenitic structure of the stainless steel.
It was demonstrated that the corrosion reactions at the elec-
trode/electrolyte interface are responsible for the deterioration
of the wear resistance of the CrSiN coatings. When wear was
accompanied by corrosion (under anodic condition) the CrSiN film
delaminated from the wear track, whereas when the corrosion reac-
tions were suppressed (under cathodic condition) the CrSiN film did
not detach from the wear track.
Surface nitriding decreased significantly the wear resistance of
the CrSiN coatings under wet conditions. This results from rather
peculiar morphology of the nitrided surface prior to deposition. The
boundaries created in the coating may be the reason for the gener-
ation (during sliding wear) of defects in the film, which contribute
to the infiltration of the liquid, leading to a higher corrosion rate,
and consequently to a reduced wear resistance of the CrSiN film.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Drs. Philippe Robin and Srinivasan
Guruvenket for helpful discussions. This work has been supported
by NSERC and CRIAQ within the CRDPJ328038-05 project.
889
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