Tailoring Zr-N Thin Film Characteristics on Ti-6Al-4 V Alloy: Effect of Nitrogen and Bias Voltage

This work investigated the effect of varying N₂ content (0 to 25%) and negative substrate bias voltage (0 to − 100 V) on the structure, surface wettability, and electrochemical properties of Zr-N thin films deposited on Ti-6Al-4V alloy using reactive radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of different phases, including Zr, ZrN, ZrN_x, and Zr₃N₄. We demonstrated that in addition to roughness, the nitrogen content also affects the wettability properties. The corrosion resistance behavior was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. Results showed that the electrochemical impedance decreases with decreasing contact angle, while the constant phase element (CPE) value decreases with increasing roughness and exhibits higher charge transfer resistance.