Interfacial modification and adhesion improvement of MoC and WC nanolayers by ion irradiation
Racz A, Nemeth M, Krafcsik O, Kentsch U, Panjan M, Göken M, Wurmshuber M, Fogarassy Z (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Original Authors: A.S. Racz, M. Nemeth, O. Krafcsik, U. Kentsch, M. Panjan, M. Göken, M. Wurmshuber, Z. Fogarassy
Article Number: 133868
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133868
Abstract
The adhesion of coatings to substrates is a critical requirement in a wide range of applications, including catalysis and protective coatings. Ion irradiation can improve coating adhesion through ion mixing at the coating–substrate interface. Herein, carbide-rich nanolayers were produced by irradiating C/Mo and C/W multilayer systems deposited on silicon with Xe ions (40–120 keV, 0.25–0.5 × 1016 ions/cm2). XPS depth profiling confirmed the formation of carbide-rich regions at the interface. Coating adhesion was evaluated by ramped-load scratch testing using a nanoindenter. Depending on the irradiation conditions, the critical load for delamination increased from 18.2 to 45.1 mN for the C/W multilayer and from 27.2 to approximately 36.9 mN for the C/Mo multilayer. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the structural changes along selected regions of the scratch tracks. Clear differences were observed between irradiated and non-irradiated coatings: while non-irradiated coatings exhibited interfacial delamination and substrate cracking, irradiated coatings showed buckling with reduced crack propagation, indicating improved coating–substrate adhesion. The larger adhesion improvement of the C/W multilayer is attributed to more pronounced irradiation-induced interfacial mixing and substrate amorphization. The results demonstrate that ion irradiation effectively modifies the coating–substrate interface and enhances the adhesion of carbide-rich nanolayers.
Authors with CRIS profile
Mathias Göken
Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften)
Michael Wurmshuber
Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften)
Involved external institutions
Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) / Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem
Hungary (HU)
Jožef Stefan Institute
Slovenia (SI)
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
Germany (DE)
Hungary (HU)
Jožef Stefan Institute
Slovenia (SI)
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Racz, A., Nemeth, M., Krafcsik, O., Kentsch, U., Panjan, M., Göken, M.,... Fogarassy, Z. (2026). Interfacial modification and adhesion improvement of MoC and WC nanolayers by ion irradiation. Surface & Coatings Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133868
MLA:
Racz, A.S., et al. "Interfacial modification and adhesion improvement of MoC and WC nanolayers by ion irradiation." Surface & Coatings Technology (2026).
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