Corrosion and tribological behavior of Cr–Y–N multilayers grown by HIPIMS as a function of progressive changes in the coating architecture

This research investigated multilayer coatings created on AISI 304L steel by using physical vapor deposition associated with high-power impulse magnetron sputtering and dynamic glancing angle deposition. The coatings were subject to an extensive analysis, which included structural, electrochemical, mechanical, and tribological. The findings indicated that the coatings exhibited a periodic zig-zag nanostructure characterized by a corrugated pattern in the sublayers. This architecture was achieved through the dynamic modulation of the angular coordinates of the vapor source. The hardness an upward trend from 25 GPa (no substrate oscillation, 0°) to approximately 33 GPa for intermediate pendular displacements of ±10° and ±15°. Wear performance was most effective for pendular displacements of ±5°, ±10°, and ±15°, showcasing significantly reduced wear rates. The ±10° condition exhibited wear volumes approximately 7.5 and 5 times smaller compared to the 0° and ±25° conditions, respectively. The conditions of ±5°, ±10°, and ±15° exhibited a corrosion protection efficiency exceeding 98 %, whereas the 0° condition demonstrated an efficiency of merely 58 % when exposed to a 0.5 mol L⁻¹ sulfuric acid solution.