Reactive magnetron-sputtered ZrN, ZrO, and ZrON monolayers and ZrO/ZrN multilayers for hydrophobic and tribomechanically enhanced nanostructured coatings

Authors

• Linda Aissani, Matter Sciences Department
• Ahlam Belgroune, Matter Sciences Department
• Ahcene Keziz, National School of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Abdelhak Ayad, Laboratory of Microstructures and Defects in Materials
• Sara Fares, Laboratory of Microstructures and Defects in Materials
• Akram Alhussein, Universite De Technologie De Troyes
• Taha Abdel Mohaymen Taha, Physics and Engineering Mathematics Department
• Ali Alsalme, Department of Chemistry
• Mikhael Bechelany, University Montpellier
• Altaf Hussain, Institute for Advanced Study
• Ahmed Barhoum, School of Chemical and BioPharmaceutical Science

ORCID

• Ahmed Barhoum: 0000-0002-4859-5264

Abstract

Surface degradation under mechanical and tribological stresses is strongly influenced by coating composition, microstructure, and environmental conditions. Despite advances in nanostructured coatings, the synergistic mechanisms governing their mechanical and wear performance remain insufficiently understood. In this study, ZrN, ZrO, ZrON monolayers, and ZrO/ZrN multilayer coatings were deposited on Ti₆Al₄V via reactive magnetron sputtering to investigate the effects of composition on microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance. The study demonstrated that the successful formation of cubic ZrN and monoclinic ZrO₂ phases was confirmed through X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Beneficially, the multilayer deposition effectively reduced the grain size from (18-12.7) nm in monolayers to 7.2 nm among the deposited multilayers. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analysis indicated controlled incorporation of nitrogen (48 at. %) and oxygen (51 at. %) in the respective coatings. Measurements of the contact angle between the film surface and the water droplet showed that the surface hydrophobicity increased with increasing roughness of the coatings. Nanoindentation measurements showed hardness values of 21.1 ± 0.5 GPa (ZrN), 25.0 ± 0.5 GPa (ZrO), 32.1 ± 0.5 GPa (ZrON), and 28.1 ± 1.2 GPa (ZrO/ZrN multilayer), respectively. The multilayer also exhibited high resistance to plastic deformation (H/E = 0.084; H³/E² = 0.198 GPa), with recorded friction coefficients of 0.52 (ZrN), 0.46 (ZrO), and 0.33 (ZrO/ZrN multilayer) at 3 N. Additionally, oxygen-containing layers developed compact tribo-oxidized films. Residual stress analysis indicated compressive ZrO (−461 MPa) partially offsetting tensile ZrN (+1099 MPa), stabilizing the coatings. The multilayer achieved the lowest wear rate (1.7×10⁻⁷mm³/Nm), nearly an order of magnitude lower than monolayers. The findings demonstrate that interface engineering and multilayer structures in Zr-N, and Zr-O-based coatings improve load-bearing capacity and offer hardness and wear resistance, thereby effectively reducing friction, and fatigue in harsh applications.

Keywords

Nanoindentation, Reactive magnetron sputtering, Residual stress, Wear resistance, Zirconium oxynitride, Zirconium-based coatings

DOI Link

10.1016/j.jmrt.2026.09.150

Publication Date

2026-11-01

Publication Title

Journal of Materials Research and Technology

Volume

45

ISSN

2238-7854

First Page

2847

Last Page

2862

Deposit Date

2026-11-09

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Additional Links

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105052006267

Recommended Citation

Aissani, L., Belgroune, A., Keziz, A., Ayad, A., Fares, S., Alhussein, A., Taha, T., Alsalme, A., Bechelany, M., Hussain, A., & Barhoum, A. (2026) 'Reactive magnetron-sputtered ZrN, ZrO, and ZrON monolayers and ZrO/ZrN multilayers for hydrophobic and tribomechanically enhanced nanostructured coatings', Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 45, pp. 2847-2862. Available at: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2026.09.150