Material selection for hard coatings

TLDR

Multicomponent refractory materials offer wear‑resistant coatings, with options grouped by bonding type and guided by periodic‑table relationships, but higher hardness often compromises toughness and adhesion. The study examines multicomponent boride, carbide, nitride, and oxide systems as coating candidates and explores microstructural tuning in multilayer and multiphase designs to optimize performance.

Abstract

Multicomponent refractory material systems can provide opportunities for specific materials for wear resistant coatings. The multitude of potential hard coating materials can be subdivided into three groups according to variations in chemical bonding character of the compounds. Many fundamental relations between the position of coating material components in the Periodic Table of the elements and the properties can be used to optimize these material selections. However, restrictions exist because of increasing hardness and strength which primarily decrease toughness and adherence. Multicomponent boride, carbide, nitride, and oxide systems are discussed in view of their potential as coating materials. Additional options for materials selection and optimization arise from the possibility of adjusting specific microstructures in the layers, especially in multilayer and multiphase coatings.