Structural, Morphological, and Mechanical Characteristics of Niobium Plasma-Sputtered Coatings on Technical Titanium

The structural, morphological, and mechanical characteristics of niobium coatings obtained by plasma sputtering on titanium samples under various technological conditions have been studied. The resulting coatings, produced at an arc current of the plasma gun of 500 ± 5 A and a sputtering distance of 100 ± 2 mm, exhibit a developed microrelief with particle sizes of up to 50 μm, microhardness ranging from 940 to 1315 HV, and increased wear resistance to abrasion compared to the original titanium sample by 1.5 times, along with adhesive strength of up to 16 MPa. For samples with niobium coatings obtained at a sputtering distance of 100 mm, the presence of a solid solution of Ti–Nb was detected, with niobium completely covering the titanium substrate.