Fluorine containing diamond-like carbon coatings

Abstract

Fluorine containing diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were obtained by CVD deposition using the destruction of gaseous hydrocarbons by a high-energy ion source with an anode layer. The chemical composition, structure, surface energy, mechano-tribological characteristics of the synthesized thin-film material were studied. It has been shown that the fluorine content in the deposited coatings reaches 31 at.%. It has been established that the presence of fluorine in the DLC coating promotes the formation of nanodispersed graphite-like structures. Fluorine containing coatings with a high content of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms and graphite fragments show a decrease in hardness. Such coatings have a very low coefficient of friction at the level of 0.03–0.07 due to the low surface energy, which can be reduced by 1.5 times compared to pure DLC. It has been established that different fluorine contents in thin-film diamond-like carbon material have different effects on the interaction of the DLC coating with polar/non-polar dielectrics. The research results can be used for the technology of producing solid lubricants in friction units of machines and mechanisms, and are also of interest for medicine, the food industry, the production of plastics, and chemical fibers as chemically inert and corrosion-resistant coatings.