Highly Oriented Zirconium Nitride and Oxynitride Coatings Deposited via High‐Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Crystal‐Facet‐Driven Corrosion Behavior in Domestic Wastewater. Issue 7 (15th April 2021) - Dettlaff, Anna
Abstract : Herein, highly crystalline Zr x N y and Zr x N y O z coatings are achieved by the deposition via high‐power impulse magnetron sputtering. Various N2 and N2 /O2 gas mixtures with argon are investigated. The chemical composition and, as a result, mechanical properties of the deposited layer can be tailored along with morphological and crystallographic structural changes. The corrosion resistance behavior is studied by potentiodynamic measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a sample of synthetic wastewater designed to imitate real‐life domestic wastewater. The corrosion current density of the Zr x N y O z coating is in the range of 33–70 μA cm −2, whereas for the zirconium nitride layers, values below 1.0 μA cm −2 are achieved. The highest corrosion resistance of 64 nm year −1 is observed for the Zr x N y coating deposited with 1.00% N2 content in the gas mixture with a corrosion potential of −0.41 V Ag/AgCl. Abstract : Zr x N y and Zr x N y O z coatings are prepared by high‐power impulse magnetron sputtering and investigated as potential corrosion‐inhibiting coatings for the partial protection of advanced electrodes, e.g., in bioelectrochemical systems for electricity generation. The influence of the nitrogen content in the coatings on the electrochemical properties and corrosion resistance is investigated.