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Structural characterization of Fe–C coatings prepared by reactive triode-magnetron sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Isabelle Jouanny ,
Valérie Demange ,
Jaafar Ghanbaja  and
Elisabeth Bauer-Grosse
Isabelle Jouanny
Affiliation:
Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198 CNRS–Nancy-Université–UPV-Metz, Ecole des Mines de Nancy, 54042 Nancy Cedex, France
Valérie Demange*
Affiliation:
Sciences Chimiques de Rennes UMR 6226 CNRS–Université Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
Jaafar Ghanbaja
Affiliation:
Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198 CNRS–Nancy-Université–UPV-Metz, Ecole des Mines de Nancy, 54042 Nancy Cedex, France; and Service Commun de Microscopies Electroniques et Microanalyses X, 54506 Vandoeuvre-Lès-Nancy, France
Elisabeth Bauer-Grosse
Affiliation:
Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198 CNRS–Nancy-Université–UPV-Metz, Ecole des Mines de Nancy, 54042 Nancy Cedex, France
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: valerie.demange@univ-rennes1.fr
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Abstract

Fe1–xCx coatings were synthesized by triode magnetron sputtering of an iron target in a methane/argon atmosphere with a large range of composition (x = 0.3 to 0.6 ± 0.06). Film surfaces were characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, to study effects of the variation of the methane gas flow rate on their structural properties. The coatings were constituted of the ε-Fe3C carbide (x = 0.3 and 0.36), in which carbon atoms are in octahedral sites, and of nanocomposite structure constituted of disordered and crystalline carbide nanograins embedded in a carbon matrix made of an amorphous and poorly crystallized graphenelike material (x = 0.55 and 0.60). In situ annealing of the nanocomposite Fe0.45C0.55 coating led to the formation of carbides θ-Fe3C and Fe7C3 (with carbon atoms in prismatic sites) and C-rich cubic carbide possibly related to the τ2-Fe2C7 compound.

Keywords

NanostructureSputteringTransmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 25 , Issue 9 , September 2010 , pp. 1859 - 1869
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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