In situ crystal lattice analysis of nitride single-component and multilayer ZrN/CrN coatings in the process of thermal cycling

Abstract

Introduction. Thermal expansion is an important thermal and physical characteristic of materials, showing its expansion when heated. Knowing this property is important both from a scientific point of view and for practical applications. Materials with low thermal expansion are widely used in electronics, thermal barrier coatings and other applications. Mismatch in thermal expansion between different materials can lead to thermal stress on contact surfaces. The in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction method can detect this mismatch. Thermal stress requires an analysis of the coefficient of thermal expansion. Bulk expansion behavior is observed in thermally sprayed coatings. The CTE is important for designing and predicting coating performance under thermal stresses. Changes in the KTE can cause cracking and degradation of the coating. In-situ X-ray diffraction analysis helps to understand thermal expansion, crystallite size and stress and strain variation with temperature change. The aim of this work is to interpret and use in-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction as an effective tool to study the thermal mismatch behavior of a W-Co alloy substrate (8 % w/w Co, WC — matrix) with CrN, ZrN and CrZrN multilayer coatings and the characteristic differences between single component coatings and its combination in a multilayer coating. Research Methodology. In this work, specimens of chromium and zirconium nitride coatings deposited on W-Co hard alloy substrates were investigated. The fundamental method in this work is in-situ analysis using synchrotron radiation. The lattice parameter as a function of cycling temperature, the coefficient of thermal expansion during heating and cooling, and the thermal expansion mismatch between the substrate-coating pair and the coating layers in the multilayer coating were evaluated. Results and discussion. The lattice parameters and thermal expansion of the coatings are investigated. The lattice parameter of all coatings decreased during thermal cycling, indicating nitrogen evaporation. The multilayer coating has the least change in the parameter, possibly due to diffusion barriers. Lattice distortions do not differ between single and multilayer coatings. All coatings exhibit thermal expansion similar to the substrate. The multilayer coating creates conditions for compressive stresses in one phase and tensile stresses in the other phase, so the lifetime of multilayer coatings is expected to be high.