Achieving multifunctional coatings is generally difficult in single layers because the structural features required for each function are hard to consolidate. Here we report a magnetron sputtered 10-mu m-thick coating consisting of a single phase of supersaturated Cr(C) solid solution (~11 at.% C). It is characteristic of a smooth surface, a high compactness, and a fibrous growth structure. The coating displays a combination of high optical reflectance, high hardness, and excellent protection for Zr alloys to high-temperature steam oxidation resistance at 1473 K. These findings open new perspectives for injecting new functions into magnetron sputtered single-layer coatings.
NSTL
Elsevier