Effect of Methane Flow Rate on the Stoichiometry,Nonstructural and Corrosion Properties of Zr(C,N) FilmsPrepared by Ion Beam Sputtering on AISI Stainless Steel 304

The improvement of corrosion resistance of zrn1-x cx films (0 ≤x≤1) on aisi stainlesssteel (ss) 304 is studied as a function of methane flow rate introduced into mixed gas ofargon and nitrogen (ar+n2). the films were deposited using ion beam sputtering techniqueat 400 c and their corrosion resistance has been investigated via electrochemical test using 0.5 m h2so4 solution. scanning electron microscopy (sem) and x-ray diffraction (xrd)were performed to study the micro and nano-structures of the films. film stoichiometry was determined by rutherford backscattering (rbs) technique using simnra and rump codes. an average grain size of 7 nm was calculated for deposited films using scherers'fsformula. x-ray diffraction results showed the presence of a transition crystalline phase from zrn to zrc phase corresponding to the formation of zrn1-x cx crystalline phase. the electrochemical test revealed that the film corrosion resistance increased with increasing x values. furthermore, micrographs obtained by sem did not indicate any damage on the sample surface due to corrosive agent attacks for x>0.6.