Influence of B content on microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of CVD Ti(B,N) coatings

Within this work the effect of the B content on the microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of CVD Ti(B,N) coatings is investigated. Ti(B,N) coatings with B contents from 0 (fcc-TiN) to ∼5, ∼15, ∼30, ∼45 and 66 (h-TiB2) at.% have been deposited by CVD. The elemental composition of the coatings was confirmed by ERDA and their microstructure was investigated using XRD and SEM. With increasing B content, a transition from a fcc to a h-dominated structure via dual-phase fcc/h-Ti(B,N) was observed, which was accompanied by a decreasing grain size from the µm to nm range. Combinatorial use of Raman spectroscopy, XPS and APT measurements indicated B-rich grain boundary segregat…