Mechanical, Tribological, and Anticorrosion Properties of the Coating Produced by Magnetron Sputtering of a Ni–Cr–B₄C Composite Target

In surface engineering technology, coatings have attracted widespread attention due to their ability to impart excellent tribological and anti-corrosion properties to the surface of materials. However, to improve the protective and functional properties of coatings, a more complex combination of elemental composition is largely assumed. In the present work, the mechanical, tribological, and anticorrosive properties of a Ni–B–Cr–C composite coating deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on a Ni–Cr–B₄C composite target are investigated. The composite film showed good mechanical properties with a hardness of 10 GPa and an elastic modulus of 271 GPa. Wear tests carried out with a ball-on-disk tribometer showed that the Ni–B–Cr–C coating had good wear resistance. The mechanical wear of the composite coating is dominated by abrasive, oxidative and adhesive wear in the atmospheric environment. The coefficient of friction of the composite coating is in the range from 0.84 to 1.01. It has been established that the Ni–B–Cr–C composite coating increases the corrosion resistance of the steel substrate.