Abstract Coating of metallic industrial parts with titanium nitride (TiN) is widely used with the aim to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of these parts. In the present work, TiN films were deposited via grid-assisted magnetron sputtering on aluminium substrates. The films were grown under different substrate bias voltage (-40, -75 or -100 V) and two different modes of nitrogen supply during deposition (constant and variable), resulting in homogeneous and N-graded films. The results of tension fractures observed in situ were correlated with the film microstructure and residual stress levels obtained through grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements. Elastic properties of the films were analysed via nanoindentation and adhesive properties were investigated by nanoscratching tests. Results show that the delamination load of the graded films is higher than in the homogeneous counterparts, suggesting the graded film have improved tribological properties.

中文翻译：

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均质和氮梯度 TiN 薄膜的机械性能

摘要 用氮化钛 (TiN) 涂层金属工业零件被广泛使用，目的是提高这些零件的机械和摩擦学性能。在目前的工作中，通过栅极辅助磁控溅射在铝基板上沉积 TiN 薄膜。薄膜在不同的衬底偏置电压（-40、-75 或 -100 V）和沉积过程中两种不同的氮供应模式（恒定和可变）下生长，从而产生均匀和 N 级的薄膜。原位观察到的拉伸断裂结果与通过掠入射 X 射线衍射测量获得的薄膜微观结构和残余应力水平相关。通过纳米压痕分析薄膜的弹性性能，通过纳米划痕试验研究粘合性能。