Thin Solid Films, vol.0040609022001043, no.22, pp.1-36, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Multilayer thin coatings (~ 3 µm in thickness) were deposited using reactive radio
frequency magnetron sputtering on Ti-6Al-4V substrate for biomaterial
applications. Films are a combination of hard zirconium nitride with pure
tantalum, used to manage interfacial stress and to avoid crack growth. Alternating
hard/ductile material is a biomimetic design inspired by nature (nacre-inspired
materials). Tribocorrosion tests were performed in Hank’s solution at 37 °C, under
open circuit potential by using a ball-on-disc reciprocating tribometer. A tendency
to high resistance against corrosion was found for all the samples. Coatings with a
top 100 nm thick ZrN layer showed more noble potential as well as a reduction of
both the friction coefficient and the wear rate during the sliding phase. The
principal wear mechanism is related to a tribocorrosion layer formation