SBIR Phase I: Environment Benign High Rate Deposition of Alloy Coatings for Electrolytic Hard Chrome Replacement

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发一种混合磁控溅射沉积工艺，在基材上应用合金涂层，以取代使用六价溶液（一种已知的致癌物质）的电解硬铬（EHC）电镀。传统的磁控溅射在环境影响、后加工、工艺温度、与基材的粘附性、均匀性和金属光泽等方面优于化学镀和高速氧燃料喷涂（HVOF）等其他潜在的EHC替代工艺。本课题将采用混合工艺克服传统磁控溅射沉积速率低、电离受限、靶材利用率低、严格视距沉积等缺点。铬涂层将在使用定制的沉积硬件的批量涂布机中沉积。预计所制备的涂层不仅可以用于新零件的磨损和腐蚀防护，还可以用于磨损零件的修复。该项目更广泛的商业影响将是用一种环保、高沉积速率和相对低成本的混合磁控溅射工艺取代EHC电镀。替代品将回应联邦机构和国际机构的紧急呼吁，逐步淘汰EHC，消除电镀车间操作员接触的致癌雾，并为现有制造商提供一种简单的工艺，以满足其关键的硬涂层需求。该项目的预期成果是工艺专有技术和专有涂层系统。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a hybrid magnetron sputtering deposition process to apply alloy coatings on substrates as the replacement of electrolytic hard chrome (EHC) plating that utilizes hexavalent solution, a known carcinogen. Conventional magnetron sputtering is superior to other potential EHC replacement processes, such as electroless plating and high velocity oxygen fuel spray (HVOF) in terms of environmental impact, post machining, process temperature, adhesion to substrates, uniformity, and metallic luster. In this project, a hybrid process will be used to overcome the drawbacks of low deposition rate, limited ionization, low target utilization, and strictly line of sight deposition of traditional magnetron sputtering. Chromium coatings will be deposited in a batch coater using customized deposition hardware. It is anticipated that the resulted coatings can be applied not only to new parts for wear and corrosion protection, but also to worn parts for repair.The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to replace EHC plating with an environmentally-benign, high deposition rate, and relatively low-cost hybrid magnetron sputtering process. The replacement will answer the urgent calls from federal agencies and international bodies to phase out EHC, eliminate carcinogenic mist exposure to plating shop operators, and provide current manufacturers an easy process for their critical hard coating needs. The expected outcomes of this project are process know-how and a proprietary coating system.