2009 Volume 50 Issue 6 Pages 1313-1317
In this study, the microstructure and electrochemical properties of PVD TiN and (Ti, Al) N coatings on Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 bulk metallic glass were investigated. The microstructure of TiN or (Ti, Al) N coatings, the BMG substrate and the interface was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical behavior of PVD coatings on the Ti-based BMG was studied by measuring potentiodynamic polarization curves in Hanks’ solution. HREM observation revealed that the sputtering TiN ((Ti, Al) N) coating consisted of cubic TiN ((Ti, Al) N) phase with a lattice parameter of 0.426 (0.422) nm in nanoscale. The polarization curves showed that the open circuit potential shifted to a more positive potential and the passive current density decreased due to the protective TiN or (Ti, Al) N coating.