Oxidation and Corrosion Behavior of Nanolaminated MAX-Phase Ti2AlC Film Synthesized by High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering and Annealing

Nanolaminated MAX-phase Ti2AlC thin films were synthesized by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) from a MAX-phase Ti2AlC target. The amorphous matrix Ti-Al-C films were deposited at room temperature, while the MAX-phase Ti2AlC films were obtained through annealing process of the as-deposited amorphous matrix films. The microstructure, oxidation resistance, and corrosion behavior of these two films were comparatively investigated. The results indicated that the MAX-phase Ti2AlC films had superior antioxidation and anticorrosion properties than the amorphous matrix Ti-Al-C films, which is attributed to the rapid formation of dense Al2O3 layer on the top of MAX-phase Ti2AlC films because of the rapid diffusion of Al atoms in the typical nanolaminated structure of MAX phase.