Interfacial modification and adhesion improvement of MoC and WC nanolayers by ion irradiation

Rácz, Adél Sarolta and Németh, Miklós László and Homokiné Krafcsik, Olga and Kentsch, U. and Panjan, M. and Göken, M. and Wurmshuber, M. and Fogarassy, Zsolt (2026) Interfacial modification and adhesion improvement of MoC and WC nanolayers by ion irradiation. SURFACE AND COATINGS TECHNOLOGY, 538. No. 133868. ISSN 0257-8972

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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.

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