Microstructure, mechanical and electrochemical properties of Ti3AlC2 coatings prepared by filtered cathode vacuum arc technology

• Ti 3 AlC 2 coatings were quickly prepared by FCVA and annealed at 800 °C for 1 h. • Ti 3 AlC 2 phase was formed in the coating at high C 2 H 2 flow rates (≥ 12 sccm). • Hardness and elastic modulus of coatings increased as the C 2 H 2 flow rate increased. • Ti 3 AlC 2 coatings showed high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance. Ti 3 AlC 2 MAX phases have attracted increasing attention due to their unique properties. However, high synthesis temperatures of Ti 3 AlC 2 bulk materials limit their further development. In this work, Ti 3 AlC 2 coatings were prepared by a two-step method with filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition at room temperature and annealing at 800 °C for 1 h. The structure and properties of coatings were investigated. The results showed that the formation of Ti 3 AlC 2 phase in the annealed coating depended on the C 2 H 2 flow rate during deposition. At low C 2 H 2 flow rates (≤ 9 sccm), almost no Ti 3 AlC 2 phase was formed. As the C 2 H 2 flow rate increased, the annealed coatings mainly exhibited Ti 3 AlC 2 phases, the texture of which transformed from (104) to (105) planes. Meantime, the hardness of Ti 3 AlC 2 coatings continuously increased to a maximum of 20.7 GPa, and the corrosion resistance first increased and then decreased with the increase of C 2 H 2 flow rate.