Synthesis of boride-titanium coatings by magnetron sputtering of composite targetss

Abstract

The paper presents the results of investigations of the structure and phase composition of titanium boride coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering from a target of a complex composition onto a steel substrate. The target for magnetron sputtering was obtained by sintering boron carbide and titanium powders. The structure and elemental composition of the coating were studied using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the energy-dispersive spectral (EDS). It was established that the coatin g structure is a mixture of Ti₂B₅ and TiB₁₂ phases with the total boron content of ≈ 80 at %, which is 4 times higher than the boron concentration in the coatings obtained by plasma spraying of the B₄C powder. The use of magnetron sputtered coatings of titanium boride coatings as neutron-absorbing materials will allow to reduce the coating thickness in comparison with the coatings from boron carbide synthesized by plasma spraying methods.