Properties of titanium nitride fabricated on stainless steel by plasma-based ion implantation/deposition

Plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) is a burgeoning surface treatment tech nique as it offers the possibility of treating complex-shaped and large sam ples without target manipulation. However, the technique has not been widel y adopted in the metallurgical industry due to the difficulty to achieve a thick modified layer at low temperature. In this paper, we describe a metho d combining PBII and ion mixing to synthesize titanium nitride (TIN) on 304 stainless steel. Titanium and nitrogen ions are generated by a metal are p lasma source and hot filament glow discharge, respectively. By using three different sets of experimental conditions, we investigate the effects of di fferent implantation and deposition parameters on the surface properties of TiN. Results from Anger electron spectroscopy, glancing X-ray diffraction, pin-on-disk test, and microhardness determination reveal significantly imp roved tribological properties. The enhancement is a consequence of the syne rgistic effects of the coexistence of titanium, oxygen, and nitrogen, as we ll as the ion mixed interface. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights re served.