Microstructure, mechanical properties and tribo-corrosion mechanism of (CrNbTiAlVMo)xN1−x coated 316 L stainless steel in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution

(CrNbTiAlVMo)xN1−x coatings were deposited on 316 L steel by sputtering method. The structure, mechanical and tribo-corrosion performances of the coating were studied. The results show that all coatings exhibit single FCC structure. With the increase of Mo content, the surface particle size increases, and the orientation changes from (111) to (200). The maximum hardness reaches 44.3 GPa and the corresponding elastic modulus is 405 GPa. Tribo-corrosion test show that the coatings exhibit better resistance to tribo-corrosion than 316 L steel. The coating with 8 at% Mo content has the lowest static current density (7.49 ×10−9 A/cm2) and dynamic current density (9.33 ×10−8 A/cm2), while the coating with 32 at% Mo content shows the smallest wear volume. The related synergistic mechanism of tribo-corrosion was discussed.