Mechanism and enhanced surface properties of rare earth Y catalyzed plasma nitriding for CuTi alloy
摘要
Pre-cladded layers of Ti and Ti/Y were deposited on CuTi alloy via laser cladding, followed by plasma nitriding. The effects of the addition of rare earth Y on nitriding mechanism and surface properties were systematically investigated. After nitriding, the Ti/Y composite modified layer exhibited a gradient structure comprising a high-N area (TiN and Ti2N) on the surface, a low-N area (TiN0.3) in the intermediate zone and the substrate. The incorporation of Y significantly enhanced nitrogen diffusion and nitride formation, increased nitride content and generated a nitride with higher N content. The surface hardness of the Ti/Y composite modified layer reached 794.59 HV0.3 (208% higher than the substrate), with a wear rate of 0.0763 μm2/N, approximately 1/4 that before nitriding. Electrochemical tests revealed a notable shift in corrosion potential and a 93.7% reduction in corrosion current density for the Ti/Y composite modified layer, indicating superior corrosion resistance.