Electrochemical corrosion behavior of SHS-synthesized dc magnetron composite TiC-based targets and sputtered thin films

A number of dense composite materials, based on titanium carbide, were synthesized using a coupled self propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS)-consolidation technique. These composite materials have been shown to posses both high hardness and good corrosion resistance. Thin films wen produced from these dense composite materials by using them as targets in d.c. magnetron sputtering. The corrosion resistance of both the dense composite targets, and the resulting thin films in aqueous HISO, and HCI solutions was studied for the following systems: TiC0.48; TiC0.98: 80%TiC-20%TiB2; 70%TiC-20%Ti-10%Mo;60%TiC-10%TaC-20%Ti-10%Mo; 60%TiC-12%Fe-8%Si-20%Mo; 72%TiC18%Cr3C2-10%Ni; 60%TiC-10%Mo2C-6%TiN-16%Ni3Al-5%Mo-2%Cr. Increasing the TiB2 content in either the target material or the thin film resulted in a decrease in the corrosion resistance, while the corrosion resistance of the thin films was two to three orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding bulk target material from which they were deposited. Thin films of 80%TiC-20%TiB2, TiC0.98, 60%TiC-10%TaC-20%Ti-10%Mo, and 60%TiC-12%Fe-8%Si-20%Mo were also compared under abrasive wear conditions in an aqueous medium containing SiC particles. The 80%TiC-20%TiB2 film exhibited the highest corrosion resistance.