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<p>Tantalum, with its exceptional mechanical compatibility with steel substrates, is a promising candidate for protective coatings; however, sputtered Ta films often suffer from brittle metastable β-phase formation that compromises performance. In this study, α-Ta coatings were deposited on PCrNi1MoA alloy steel substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering, and the combined effects of sputtering pressure (0.1–2.0&#xa0;Pa) and target–substrate distance (60–90&#xa0;mm) on phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. Low sputtering pressure (0.1&#xa0;Pa) and short target–substrate distance (60&#xa0;mm) can synergistically promote α-phase formation, yielding dense and fine-grained coatings with superior hardness (13.6 GPa), high H/E ratio (≈ 0.07), indicative of improved toughness, and excellent adhesion (critical load Lc ≈ 18.4 N, HF1). In contrast, higher pressure and longer distance resulted in increased scattering and energy loss of sputtered atoms, leading to porosity, coarser grains, and reduced mechanical performance. These findings highlight the crucial role of gas-phase scattering and energy regulation in tailoring α-Ta phase stability and provide practical guidelines for the design of high-performance Ta protective coatings for applications in extreme environments.</p>

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Effects of Sputtering Pressure and Target–Substrate Distance on Phase Formation and Mechanical Behavior of Magnetron-Sputtered α-Ta Coatings

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月17日

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  • Shupeng Xu,
  • Cuicui Liu,
  • Lin Luo

摘要

Tantalum, with its exceptional mechanical compatibility with steel substrates, is a promising candidate for protective coatings; however, sputtered Ta films often suffer from brittle metastable β-phase formation that compromises performance. In this study, α-Ta coatings were deposited on PCrNi1MoA alloy steel substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering, and the combined effects of sputtering pressure (0.1–2.0 Pa) and target–substrate distance (60–90 mm) on phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. Low sputtering pressure (0.1 Pa) and short target–substrate distance (60 mm) can synergistically promote α-phase formation, yielding dense and fine-grained coatings with superior hardness (13.6 GPa), high H/E ratio (≈ 0.07), indicative of improved toughness, and excellent adhesion (critical load Lc ≈ 18.4 N, HF1). In contrast, higher pressure and longer distance resulted in increased scattering and energy loss of sputtered atoms, leading to porosity, coarser grains, and reduced mechanical performance. These findings highlight the crucial role of gas-phase scattering and energy regulation in tailoring α-Ta phase stability and provide practical guidelines for the design of high-performance Ta protective coatings for applications in extreme environments.