FTIR studies of tungsten carbide in bulk material and thin film samples

The use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is proposed to characterize thin films of tungsten carbide (WC) coatings. For this reason, the IR reflection spectrum of a bulk sample was recorded and used as a reference. Three infrared bands were observed. They are located at 1067,1144, and 1220 cm−1. They were assigned to hexagonal and cubic phases of WC. These assignments are supported by XRD measurements. These results were used to characterize different WC films deposited on stainless steel substrates.