Simultaneous enhancement of hardness, lubrication and corrosion resistance of solid solution Zr-Y-N film

Transition-metal nitrides (TMNs) can be widely applied as protective coatings for precision parts, and improving their key performance characteristics is essential to make them more robust and durable in harsh environments. High-performance TMNs require establishing the structure-property relationship, and structural modulation is an effective procedure for optimizing their properties. Herein, high hard Zr-Y-N solid solution structure film with trace of solute Y atom fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering and demonstrated excellent lubricating behavior under the condition of based oil, as well as superior corrosion resistance in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. It should be noted that the solid solution Zr-Y-N film is 40.1 % harder than pure ZrN film due to solid solution strengthening, resulting in a hardness of 29.0 GPa. During the sliding process of tribological behavior, the synergistic effect of in-situ formation Y2O3 and ZrO2 lubricating phase on the Zr-Y-N worn surface would significantly reduce the friction coefficient to 0.019. Additionally, based on the results obtained from the impedance spectrum and polarization curve, solute Y can enhance the corrosion resistance of ZrN by its compact solid solution structure, resulting in a corrosion current of S1 (1.71 E−05 A/cm2) that is much lower than that of ZrN (1.05 E−04 A/cm2), which is an important factor in optimizing the comprehensive performance of ZrN films. The novel strategy would be to open a window for more significantly improving the hardness of TMNs-based film by incorporating solute Y atoms, thereby further improving lubricating behavior and corrosion resistance. •ZrYN solid solution film combines high hardness, self-lubrication, and corrosion resistance.•ZrYN solid solution film achieve high hardness due to solid solution strengthening.•Self-lubrication was realized due to the synergistic effect of Y2O3 and ZrO2.•The excellent corrosion resistance of ZrYN film was subscribed to compact structure.