Preparation and mechanical properties of Al-doped TiC films

Abstract Al-doped TiAl x C films were prepared on different substrates (single crystal Al 2 O 3 (0001), stainless steel, and silicon wafer substrates) by co-sputtering, and microstructures and corresponding mechanical properties of TiAlxC films were tested and analyzed. The results indicate that the microhardness of the prepared TiAl x C films would decrease with the increased doping amount of Al while the corresponding friction coefficient would increase. With the increase of Al doping, the excess Al hinders the growth of the nanocrystalline phase in the TiAlxC film, thereby affecting the hardness and wear resistance of the TiAlxC film. When the Al doping is 4.1 at%, the hardness of the film reaches 2, 890 HV, while the friction coefficient is 0.2, indicating that a small amount of Al plays a role in solution strengthening the film. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the Al-doped TiAl x C films could be tailored by the doping amount of Al.