Analysis of Technologies for Applying High-Entropy Coatings by Physical Deposition Method

Introduction . Modern tribology solves the problems of increasing the reliability of friction units through applying vacuum wear-resistant coatings by the physical vapor deposition (PVD) method. More than five thousand scientific papers are devoted to high-entropy alloys (HEA). However, an urgent question about the possibility of obtaining wear-resistant and antifriction high-entropy coatings (HEC) using the PVD method remains unsolved. Its solution opens up the possibility of using HEC in mechanical engineering. The presented article is intended to fill this gap. Research objectives are as follows: to identify the key results on the creation of HEC by such PVD methods as vacuum arc evaporation and magnetron sputtering, to establish tribological characteristics of PVD coatings. Materials and Methods . From November 2023 to February 2024, the authors analyzed materials published in the Web of Science, Elibrary, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL databases in the Russian and English languages. Results . At the first stage, the literature on the vacuum arc coating method was considered. The issues of creating a vacuum arc discharge, its technological features, disadvantages, as well as processes in the cathode region of the arc were studied. The conditions of existence of cathode spots, the influence of temperature on the erosion coefficient, and processes on the anode and substrate were noted. The dependence of the deposition rate on the value of the potential on the substrate was shown. Nitride and combined coatings obtained by vacuum-arc method were analyzed: TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, TiMoS, TiSiN, TiN/VN, TiAlN/DLC-Ti. At the second stage, the history of the magnetron sputtering method was presented; technological features, types of magnetrons and nitride coatings obtained in this way were described. The third stage was devoted to the five-stage process of forming the coating structure. Island, layer-by-layer, and mixed growth modes of coating were considered. A schematic representation of the fundamental processes of structure formation was given. Defects in vacuum coatings were noted. At the fourth stage, the HEC based on the HEA were presented. Parameters predicting the formation of a HEA solid solution were indicated. Six families of high-entropy alloys were considered. Modern high-entropy coatings obtained by vacuum arc and magnetron methods were evaluated. The results of studies of structural-phase and physico-mechanical properties were summarized in the form of a table. The data of tribological studies of high-entropy coatings were presented. Discussion and Conclusion . The literature on HEC describes the coating structure, physical and mechanical properties, and thermal stability. The authors of the presented article found a gap in the research of tribology of high-entropy coatings. From the known results, it can be concluded that these coatings are frictional. However, due to their high hardness and ductility, they exhibit high wear resistance. In addition, it is difficult to talk about their tribological purpose. To solve the issue of the possibility of using PVD coatings in mechanical engineering, attention should be paid to the development of compositions with high hardness, wear resistance, and low coefficient of friction. They can be operated in tribo-loaded nodes.