On the chemistry, photocatalytical, and corrosion behavior of co-sputtered tantalum and titanium oxynitride thin films

Direct current magnetron co-sputtered titanium and tantalum based oxynitride coatings (TaTiON) were analyzed in terms of their chemistry, surface morphology, surface energy, photocatalytic activity, and corrosion resistance. The variable parameter for the deposition was the applied current on each target, changing between 0.75A and 0.25A for the Ta target, and from 0.25A to 0.75 A for the Ti target, to obtain a total current of 1A. Reference single-sputtered samples (TaON and TiON) were deposited under identical conditions. It was observed that a higher degree of oxidation occurred in the samples deposited with higher current on the Ti target, while nitriding and oxynitriding processes occurred only on the surfaces of the films containing Ta. In terms of surface roughness, the co-sputtered coatings exhibited significantly smaller values, compared to the single-sputtered coatings. The highest photodegradation efficiency was registered for the co-sputtered sample which contains the highest N concentration. The corrosion rate, obtained from electrochemical tests, varies in a rather large domain, as function of the chemical species in the coatings.