Structures, Wettability, and Corrosion Resistance of Annealed Platinum/Ruthenium/Nitrogen Co-Doped Diamond-like Carbon Nano-Composite Thin Film at Different Temperatures

Platinum/ruthenium/nitrogen co-doped diamond-like carbon nanocomposite thin film (Pt/Ru/N-DLCNC-TF) deposited on a silicon (Si) substrate via DC magnetron sputtering deposition was heat treated at different temperatures of 100-400 C to investigate the effect of rapid thermal annealing temperature (RTAT) on its chemical, physical, and corrosion properties.Increasing the RTAT increased its surface segregation of PtRu aggregates and graphitization, which in turn resulted in its increased surface roughness and water contact angle.It had a certain improvement in corrosion resistance in a 0.5 M hydrochloric (HCl) solution with an increased RTAT to 200 C but a decrease in corrosion resistance with a further increased RTAT to 400 C.It is clear that there are apparent changes in the structure, surface roughness, water contact angle, and corrosion resistance of the annealed Pt/Ru/N-DLCNC-TF with different RTATs.