The Influence of Deposition Pressure from the Mixture of Argon and Liquefied Petroleum Gass on the Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is an important material for the mechanical industry, specifically in producing components for cutting tools, automobiles, and industrial equipment. The films of DLC can be formed on the surface of AISI D2 using plasma-plasma-liquified petroleum gas (LPG). Therefore, this research aimed to determine the influence of pressure from deposition process on the tribological and mechanical properties of DLC films on AISI D2. The results showed that an increase in the pressure led to an increment in the hardness and a reduction in the wear coefficient. Moreover, the films were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). SEM characterization was used to determine the thickness of the films while the optical microscope focused on wear debris and a transfer layer on the contact surface. Raman spectroscopy also analyzed the two wavenumbers which were 1322 and 1577 cm-1 with the downshift in D and G peaks of graphite applied to determine the presence of DLC films. Based on XRD analysis, five strong peaks were observed in the spectra. Furthermore, this research achieved a better tribological and mechanical performance for DLC films by adjusting deposition pressure, leading to the conclusion that the material could be made affordable for the production of car parts and cutting devices.

AISI D2; Chemical vapour deposition; Diamond-like carbon; Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG); Ratio sp3/sp2

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