Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Biira, Saphina
• Thabethe, T.T.
• Hlatshwayo, T.T.
• Bissett, H.
• Ntsoane, T.
• Malherbe, J.B.

Titel

Investigating the thermal stability of the chemical vapour deposited zirconium carbide layers

Ist Teil von

• Journal of alloys and compounds, 2020-09, Vol.834, p.155003, Article 155003

Ort / Verlag

Lausanne: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The effect of thermal treatment on zirconium carbide (ZrC) layers deposited by chemical vapour deposition process was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, nanoindention and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ZrC layers deposited at 1400 °C (composed of 96% ZrC and 4% C) were annealed at 1500, 1600, 1700 and 1800 °C for 2 h under high vacuum of 2.6 × 10−7 mbar. After annealing, the lattice constant and the average crystallite sizes were found to increase whereas the lattice strain and dislocation density decreased. The preferred orientation of the as-deposited layers was (220); it changed to (200) when annealed at 1500 °C and 1600 °C. At annealing temperature of 1700 °C and 1800 °C, the preferred orientation was (220) just like for the as-deposited ZrC layers. From Raman spectroscopy analysis, the ID/IG ratio reduced from 0.694 to 0.414 with annealing temperature indicating an improvement in crystallinity level and a decrease in the defects in the carbon material in the ZrC layers. The hardness of the layers was found to decrease slightly with annealing temperature from 26.4 ± 0.6 GPa to 21.3 ± 0.5 GPa. Some voids initially present in the as-deposited ZrC layers closed up and particles increased in size with annealing temperature. •ZrC layers were grown by chemical vapour deposition.•Lattice constant, average crystallite sizes, lattice strain and dislocation density were sensitive to annealing temperature.•The defects in the co-deposited carbon phase decreased with annealing temperature.•The hardness of the layers decreased with annealing temperature.•The ZrC surface morphology were sensitive to the variation in annealing temperature.