Microstructure and wear behaviour of metal-containing diamond-like coatings

The excellent tribological performance of Me-C:H films can be attributed to a combination of favorable properties which are ceramic-like on the one hand, such as a considerable hardness, and polymer-like on the other: high elasticity and low surface energy. The friction coefficients of Me-C:H films show a complicated dependence on metal content, load and humidity. The metal content dependence of my is possibly responsible for the pronounced minima of abrasive wear rates. In addition to a high adhesive wear resistance, the very small counterpart wear is a characteristic of Me-C:H films.