Nanocomposite nc-TiC/a-C coatings were prepared by non-reactive magnetron sputtering in industrial scale equipment, under varying deposition conditions in order to investigate upscaling and possible industrialisation. The coatings were found to have similar microstructure and performance compared to previous laboratory scale experiments. The samples were characterised with XRD, XPS and SEM as well with ball-on-disc, nanoindentation and electrical measurements. Coatings containing a small fraction of a-C matrix phase were found to have promising both electrical properties (rho < 400 mu Omega cm and contact resistances down to 0.34 m Omega at 40 N) and tribological properties (f < 0.3 for 10 000 laps).

By using non-reactive sputter deposition at low temperatures metastable solid solution phases in the Ti–Ni–C system were synthesized. Produced thin films were either single phase carbides or nanocomposite of nanocrystalline carbide and amorphous C. In the Ni-containing samples a supersaturated solid solution phase (Ti_1−xNi_x)C_y was identified, and was present either as single phase or in a nanocomposite with amorphous C. By modification of the chemical stability of the carbide phase, the addition of Ni was found to strongly promote the formation of amorphous carbon phase in the coatings. Samples have been microstructurally analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mechanical properties have been evaluated through nanoindentation and pin-on-disc measurements; electrical properties were determined by measurement of the resistivity and the contact resistance. Alloyed nanocomposite coatings were also found to exhibit enhanced tribological and electrical properties, with a decreased resistivity and friction. This makes these thin films very interesting for application in sliding electrical contacts. The mechanisms responsible for the reductions remain to be determined.

Ceramic nanocomposite coatings in the Ti-Ni-C were deposited using PVD and studied with respect to tribological properties and contact resistance. It was shown that coatings could be deposited combining of a low contact resistance and a low friction coefficient against silver, making them suitable for use in high performance electrical contacts.Nine coatings with different amounts of C and Ni were deposited. Coatings on flat Ni plated copper substrates were tested in a tribological ball-on-disc setup against ball bearing steel balls. Depending on primarily the amount of carbon the coatings showed very different friction coefficient and wear rate. The coatings were also deposited on cylindrical Ni plated copper substrates. Using geometrically identical silver plated cylinders as counter surface these were evaluated in a test setup better resembling a real life electrical contact. For most coatings a low electrical contact resistance was measured. The evolution of friction coefficient and contact resistance was correlated to wear marks and contact tracks, with their generated tribofilms, as examined after testing using electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

A new tribological coating with potential as a coating for components for low-friction applications is tested and compared to three, state of the art, commercial low-friction PVD coatings. The new coating is an electrodeposited coating composed by a Ni-P matrix incorporating fullerene like nanoparticles of WS2. The performance of the new coating is compared with three reference coatings in a ball-on-disc setup. The tribological tests involved ball bearing steel balls slid on coated discs, under different conditions of humidity and also with or without oil lubrication. Both mating surfaces were closely investigated in a scanning electron microscope and the low-friction tribofilms formed were further analysed. The correlations found between coefficient of friction, surface roughness of the wear scar, tribofilm formation and contact conditions are discussed. The new coating exhibits a very low coefficient of friction at low humidity, a behaviour closely resembling that of the MoS2-based commercial reference, whereas the carbon based PVD coatings tested exhibit the reversed dependence of humidity. The low-friction behaviour of the new coating is correlated to the formation of a WS2 tribofilm with a superficial alignment of the basal planes parallel to the sliding direction. When lubricated with a base oil, the beneficial tribofilm is not formed and the coefficient of friction is much higher. The results show that even though the coating is an electrodeposited coating it can compete with state of the art commercial PVD coatings.