Achieving high anti-wear ability of V-C-N coatings in seawater by carbon content design

The V-C-N coatings with various carbon contents were prepared by multi-arc ion plating method on 304 stainless steel and Si (100) substrates. The effects of carbon content on microstructure, mechanical behavior, tribological behavior and corrosion behavior of V-C-N coating were systematically evaluated. Results showed that the VC phase and amorphous phase were formed after the addition of carbon into VN coating. In the meantime, the critical load and hardness of V-C-N coating increased to 40 N and 36.5 GPa when the carbon content increased to 14.73 at%, respectively. Moreover, the incorporation of carbon could enhance the toughness, corrosion resistance and wear resistance of VN coating. By comparison, the V-C-N coating with 14.73 at.% C showed the lowest friction coefficient (COF = 0.12) and wear rate (7.2 x 10(-7) mm(3)/Nm), implying a great potential for the protection of mechanical component in marine environment.