Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Ag–N and Ti–Cr–N superhard nanostructured coatings

Ti–Ag–N (mutually immiscible materials) and Ti–Cr–N (mutually miscible materials) nanocomposite films with various silver and chromium contents were synthesized by arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering hybrid system. The structure and mechanical properties of these films were found to be dependent on the silver and chromium concentration. X-ray diffraction showed that the grain size in films decreases with the increasing Ag and Cr content, while no sign of Ag and Cr phase was observed. Ti–Cr–N films are formed as solid solution in the large amount of Cr and the maximum hardness of Ti–Ag–N and Ti–Cr–N films showed approximately 38 GPa.