Synthesizing High-Entropy Cutting Tool Coatings Using the Magnetron Sputtering Method

This article covers the problem of improving the wear resistance of cutting tools. This problem can be solved by modifying the surface layer of the cutting edge of the tool by synthesizing wear-resistance coatings made of high-entropy alloys. Despite the significant interest in high-entropy alloys in our country and abroad, the problems of high-entropy coating synthesis require detailed revision and experimentation. This paper presents a synthesis procedure for high-entropy coatings using the vacuum ion-plasma magnetron sputtering in the ionic escorting conditions. To obtain high-entropy coatings, the authors used a cathodic target made of a high-entropy Ti–Zr–Cr–Ni–W–Mo–Nb alloy produced with spark plasma sintering. The production processes of applying high-entropy coatings for an upgraded NNV-type unit were determined in experiments. The authors present the results of experiments confirming the possibility of obtaining high-entropy coatings using the vacuum ion-plasma magnetron sputtering method with a high-entropy cathodic target made by the spark-plasma sintering method. They studied the impacts of the vacuum ion-plasma synthesis modes on the properties and structure of high-entropy coatings. The results confirm the feasibility of producing high-entropy coatings using the vacuum ion-plasma magnetron sputtering method with a high-entropy target cathode made with the spark plasma sintering method to improve the operating properties of cutting tools.