Chromium carbide, vanadium carbide, and chromium–vanadium mixture coatings were deposited on AISI D2 steel via the thermo-reactive deposition/diffusion (TRD) technique. The carbides were obtained from a salt bath composed of molten borax, ferro-chrome, ferro-vanadium, and aluminum at 1020 °C for 4 h. Analysis of the morphology and microstructure of the coatings was done via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The hardness of the coatings was evaluated using nano-indentation, and the friction coefficient was determined via pin-on-disk (POD) testing. The electrochemical behavior was studied through potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The XRD results show evidence of the presence of V8C7 in the vanadium carbide coating and Cr23C6 and Cr7C3 in the chromium carbide coating. The hardness value for the vanadium–chromium carbide coating was 23 GPa, which was higher than the 6.70 ± 0.28 GPa for the uncoated steel. The wear and corrosion resistance obtained was higher for the niobium–chromium carbide coating, due to the nature of the ceramic carbide produced.

Bismuth thin films were grown onto glass substrates through the DC magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of substrate temperature on the microstructure of the films were evaluated. The structural behavior was analyzed via X-ray diffraction, and it showed a marked influence of the substrate temperature on the crystallite size and the micro-stress. The morphologies evaluated through Electron Probe Micro-analyzer images indicated a slight difference in the grain size with an increase in temperature as well as a significant increase in surface roughness, according to profilometer measurements.

We deposited of niobium-vanadium carbide coatings on tool steel AISI H13 using the thermo-reactive substrates deposition/diffusion (TRD) technique. The carbides were obtained using salt baths composed of molten borax, ferroniobium, vanadium and aluminum, by heating this mixture at 1020° C for 4 hours. The coatings were characterized morphologically via electron microscopy scanning (SEM), the chemical surface composition was determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX); the crystal structure was analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD), the mechanical properties of the coatings were evaluated using nano-indentation, The tribological properties of the coatings obtained were determined using a Pin-on-disk tribometer and the electrochemical behavior was studied through potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the hardness of the coated steel increased four times with respect to uncoated steel, and the electrochemical test established that the corrosion current is lower by one order of magnitude for coated steel.

The applications of Bismuth Titanate (Bi_xTi_yO_z) materials have been focused on their electronic and optical properties, but with respect to the use of these compounds in applications like corrosion resistance, have been very few or nonexistent. For this reason, in the present investigation Bi_xTi_yO_z thin films were deposited using RF magnetron sputtering onto silicon wafers, stainless steel 316L, and titanium alloy (Ti₆Al₄V) substrates, in order to carry out a study of the corrosion behavior of this compound. The structural properties of the coatings were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), the morphology was determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), the corrosion resistance behavior of the coated and uncoated substrates was evaluated via the Potentiodynamic Polarization technique, and surface chemical composition was evaluated through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD results indicated that the films were amorphous. The SEM micrographs showed that the deposited films were homogeneous, but in some cases there were cracks. The potentiodynamic polarization technique showed that the corrosion current in the coated substrates decreased by an order of two magnitudes with respect to the uncoated substrates, but in both cases the corrosion mechanism was pitting due to the pores in the film. The XPS analysis shows that the deposited films contain both Bi³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺.