SBIR Phase I: A Superior Corrosion Resistant Undercoating for Vapor Deposited Hard Coatings

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种新型的耐腐蚀底漆，用于金属基材，然后通过物理气相沉积（PVD）沉积硬装饰面漆。PVD金属氮化涂层（如TiN和ZrN）非常坚硬，因此具有优异的耐划伤和耐磨性。然而，由于微米级的缺陷作为腐蚀部位，它们不能提供足够的耐腐蚀性，因此需要一个耐腐蚀的底层。底漆必须光滑，足够坚硬以支撑硬PVD涂层，并对基材和PVD涂层提供良好的附着力。理想情况下，底漆将提供平整效果，以尽量减少金属基材的抛光。最近，研究出了一种在金属表面涂上一层薄玻璃的新方法。该涂层被优化为抛光铝的保护外涂层，具有成功的PVD底涂层的许多属性，包括耐腐蚀性，硬度和流平性。关键的技术步骤将是在这种玻璃涂层和PVD涂层之间发展良好的粘附性，这将是提出的研究的主要重点。PVD涂层广泛用于既需要耐用性又需要美观的应用；例如，金属氮化涂层可以制作得非常像抛光金属，包括黄铜、金和铬。目前的应用包括个人物品（钢笔，眼镜，手表，珠宝等），门五金，管道装置，汽车装饰饰边和建筑细节。所有这些PVD应用都需要底层涂层来提高耐腐蚀性，但由于成本和环境影响等原因，目前的底层涂层选择不足。电镀，最广泛使用的底涂层，使用了大量的有毒化学物质。因此，一种既能满足性能和成本要求，又对环境友好的新型底涂料将具有重大和直接的市场潜力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a new type of corrosionresistant undercoating for application to metal substrates prior to the deposition of a hard decorative top coat applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD). PVD metal nitride coatings such as TiN and ZrN are extremely hard, and thus provide excellent scratch and wear resistance. However, they do not provide adequate corrosion resistance because of micron-scale flaws that act as corrosion sites, and thus a corrosion-resistant underlayer is needed. This undercoat must be smooth, sufficiently hard to support the hard PVD coating, and provide good adhesion to both the substrate and to the PVD coating. Ideally, the undercoat would provide a leveling effect to minimize polishing of the metal substrate. Recently, a new method for coating metal with a thin layer of glass has been developed. This coating, which is being optimized as a protective outercoating for polished aluminum, has many of the attributes of a successful PVD undercoating including corrosion resistance, hardness, and leveling. The key technological step will be to develop good adhesion between this glass coating and a PVD coating, and that will be the main focus of the proposed research.PVD coatings are widely used for applications that require both durability and an attractive appearance; for example, metal-nitride coatings can be made to closely resemble polished metals including brass, gold, and chrome. Current applications include personal items (pens, glasses, watches, jewelry, etc.), door hardware, plumbing fixtures, decorative trim on automobiles, and architectural detailing. All these PVD applications require an undercoating to improve corrosion resistance, but current undercoating options are inadequate for a number of reasons such as cost and environmental impact. Electroplating, the most widely used undercoating, uses significant amounts of toxic chemicals. A new type of undercoating which could meet performance and cost requirements while being environmentally friendly would thus have significant and immediate market potential.