Work

Formation of continuous tribofilm and wear in multilayer high entropy nitride coatings

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Formation and stability of tribofilm during the friction process are critical to the tribological properties of coatings. In this study, an amorphous phase was successfully introduced into the columnar-structured high-entropy nitride (TiAlTaCrZr)N coating by incorporating silicon. The multilayer coating with an amorphous-wrapped nanocrystalline structure readily formed a continuous tribofilm, which was observed after the tribological test and was mainly composed of metal oxides and a Si-O-rich amorphous phase under room-temperature friction conditions. Meanwhile, the interlayer interfaces in the multilayer structure effectively alleviate stress concentration at crack tips and suppress crack propagation. The friction coefficient decreased to 0.43, while the wear rate was reduced by 69.8% compared with that of the single-layer (TiAlTaCrZr)N coating. In addition, this composite structure refines the grains and restricts the plastic flow of internal dislocations, while the amorphous phase structure enhances the coordination capability of plastic deformation. Consequently, the coating exhibited a simultaneous increase in hardness by 9.3% and toughness by 32.1%, while achieving an adhesion of 130 N. This strategy that synergistically enhances the hardness, toughness and wear resistance of coatings via interfacial engineering and tribochemically induced evolution provides a valuable design guideline for the development of advanced wear-resistant coatings.

Source: Applied Surface Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.168553