Microstructure evolution during annealing of TiAlN-coatings : A combined in-situ SAXS and phase field study

• This paper describes in detail the microstructure evolution of Ti0.33Al0.67N and Ti0.50Al0.50N coatings during isothermal annealing studied by in-situ small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) in combination with phase field simulations. We show that the decomposition occurs in two stages consistent with spinodal decomposition. During the initial stage, the phase segregation proceeds with a constant size of AlN- and TiN-rich domains with a radius of ~0.7 nm for 5 and 20 min at 900 and 850 ◦C respectively in the Ti0.50Al0.50N alloy. The length of the initial stage depends on the temperature as well as the composition, and is shorter for the higher Al content coating. Following the initial stage, the AlN- and TiN-rich domains coarsen. The decomposition process is discussed in terms of Gibbs free energy, diffusion, and gradient energies. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy of the post annealed coatings confirm a decomposed microstructure with coherent domains rich in AlN and TiN of the same size as determined by SAXS.

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NATURAL SCIENCES

NATURVETENSKAP

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vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)