Microstructure and tribological properties of Ni3Al-Cr3C2/Ni3Al micro-laminate composite films fabricated by electrohydrodynamic atomization technique

Micro-laminate composite films perform better than monomer films due to their small layer-spacing and multi-interface. Armed with this information, this work aims to offer efficient technology for the preparation of micro-laminate composite films and then to study their tribological properties. For this study, both Ni3Al monomer film and Ni3Al-Cr3C2/Ni3Al micro-laminate composite films were deposited on 316L stainless steel via electro-hydrodynamic atomization technology. Then, the microstructure and mechanical properties of these two kinds of films were comparatively investigated. Additionally, the wear resistance of the two films was analyzed according to the wear volume, friction coefficient curves, and 3D profiles of the wear tracks. The results revealed that both the mechanical properties and wear resistance of the micro-laminate composite films were superior to the monomer film. This improved wear resistance of the micro-laminate composite films was attributed to the strengthening effects from the Cr3C2 reinforcement phase and the construction of the laminated structure. The worn surface morphologies demonstrated that the wear mechanism of the Ni3Al film was a combination of adhesion wear and abrasive wear, while the wear mechanism of the micro-laminate composite films was abrasive wear.