Malihe Omrani

In this paper, we present the result of TiN nanocrystalline deposition on SS316L, using a 4 kJ plasma focus (PF) device for 10, 20, and 30 focus shots. The effect of different number of focus shots on micro-structural changes of thin film is characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope. Existence of grains in different size confirms the formation of TiN nanocrystals on the surface of SS316L substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the formation of a nanocrystalline titanium nitride coating on the surface of SS316L samples. The crystalline size of TiN obtained from XRD data is strongly dependent on the number of focus shots. Thickness of the elements found on the surface of the treated sample that obtain by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) analysis is in the range of 150 × 1015 − 200 × 1015 atoms /cm2. All the existence elements in the coated samples are identified by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) spectra. Investigation on the corrosion resistance of TiN coatings was performed using an electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization. Our results suggest that TiN nanocrystalline implantation with proper ion fluences using PF can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of SS316L.