Abstract Incorporating nitrogen into non-stoichiometric molybdenum disulfide (MoSx) thin films is a promising approach in order to improve the mechanical properties. Nevertheless, the adhesion between the film and the substrate is still challenging and the interaction between the mechanical and the tribological properties is not fully understood yet. Subsequently, reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) is used to deposit nitrogen doped MoSx thin films with different nitrogen amounts on 16MnCr5 steel. The interaction between the structural changes, the mechanical properties and the tribological behavior depending on the nitrogen amount is investigated. The results prove that an increasing amount of nitrogen significantly affects the structure and the tribo-mechanical properties of the thin films. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a transformation from crystalline to amorphous with an increasing amount of nitrogen from (7.1 ± 0.3) at.-% to (19.5 ± 0.5) at.-%. This transformation is related to a suppression of the columnar microstructure as well as an increasing hardness and Young‘s modulus from (0.14 ± 0.02) GPa, and (5.28 ± 0.32) GPa for the undoped film, to (5.12 ± 0.32) GPa and (92.5 ± 6.2) GPa, for the film with the highest nitrogen amount. The results of the Rockwell indentation tests show that the films with a small amount of nitrogen exhibit an improved adhesion behavior. The wear coefficient can be reduced to a quarter of the value of the undoped MoSx film, whereas coefficients of friction are at similar level of 0.2 in ambient air. Reactive HiPIMS has proven to be promising to deposit nitrogen doped MoSx thin films on steel substrates, which reveal improved mechanical properties and an excellent transfer film built-up during the tribo-tests without failures.

中文翻译：

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通过反应性高功率脉冲磁控溅射溅射的 MoSx 薄膜的氮掺杂

摘要 将氮掺入非化学计量的二硫化钼 (MoSx) 薄膜是改善机械性能的一种很有前景的方法。尽管如此，薄膜和基材之间的粘附仍然具有挑战性，机械性能和摩擦学性能之间的相互作用尚未完全了解。随后，反应性高功率脉冲磁控溅射 (HiPIMS) 用于在 16MnCr5 钢上沉积具有不同氮含量的氮掺杂 MoSx 薄膜。研究了取决于氮量的结构变化、机械性能和摩擦学行为之间的相互作用。结果证明，增加氮量会显着影响薄膜的结构和摩擦机械性能。X 射线衍射分析显示，随着氮量从 (7.1 ± 0.3) at.-% 增加到 (19.5 ± 0.5) at.-%，从结晶转变为无定形。这种转变与柱状微观结构的抑制以及硬度和杨氏模量的增加有关，未掺杂膜的硬度和杨氏模量从 (0.14 ± 0.02) GPa 和 (5.28 ± 0.32) GPa 增加到 (5.12 ± 0.32) GPa 和 (92.5) ± 6.2) GPa，氮含量最高的薄膜。洛氏压痕测试的结果表明，含有少量氮的薄膜表现出改善的粘附行为。磨损系数可以降低到未掺杂的 MoSx 膜值的四分之一，而摩擦系数在环境空气中处于类似的 0.2 水平。