Structure and properties of chromium-based nanostructured coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

Technological capabilities of a magnetron sputtering vacuum installation equipped with an ion source for preliminary treatment of the substrate surface with argon ions are considered. The adhesive strength and corrosion resistance of chromium-based nanostructured coatings produced by magnetron sputtering were studied. It was found that deposited chromium coatings have a high corrosion resistance in solutions of nitric and hydrofluoric acid. With an increase in the thickness of nanostructured coatings, its corrosion resistance increases significantly: in a coating with a thickness of <1 μm, the number of corrosion points (pores in the coating) was 5-10 times greater than in a coating with a thickness of 2.3-2.5 μm. With the help of electron microscopy, the surface morphology and size distribution of nanoparticles in the structure of chromium coatings have been investigated. Depending on the deposition mode, the coating consists of crystallites with sizes from 45 to 200 nm.