Self-ion irradiation on hydrogenated amorphous carbon films at depth of adhesion interlayer: Radiation-induced atomic intermixing and degraded film properties

Jiao Xu, Li Qiao, Zewen Duan, Dengji Guo, Liqiang Chai, Xiaoyu Zhao, Peng Wang, Weimin Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films consisting of a top a-C:H layer, a gradient transient a-C:H:Ti layer, and a bottom Ti layer were irradiated by 1.1-MeV C+ ions, resulting in a maximum displacement damage of 1.0 dpa and a projected range inside the Ti layer. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, electron energy loss spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses were performed to investigate the compositional and structural transitions of a-C:H films after self-ion irradiation. The results revealed that C+ ions passing through the top a-C:H layer induced C–H fracture and hydrogen diffusion in this layer and then resulted in atomic intermixing in the multilayered adhesion interlayer. After local energy deposition of C+ ions, the initial sharp interfaces in the a-C:H:Ti layer became ambiguous due to interfacial mixing. In addition, titanium carbides formed in the Ti layer, with a gradual phase transition from TiCx to TiC with a diffusion depth of 200 nm. The broken compositional gradients of the adhesion interlayer resulted in a significant decrease in the adhesion strength of the films, which eventually resulted in degraded antiwear properties of the irradiated film in dry sliding tribotests.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)553-568
Number of pages16
JournalSurface and Interface Analysis
Volume52
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • adhesion strengths
  • atomic intermixing
  • properties degradations
  • self-ion irradiation
  • structural transitions

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