Smart Surfaces: Functionally Graded Alumina–Titanium Surfaces

Abstract — Innovative thin functionally graded coatings for wear resistant articulating surfaces have been characterized through a combined experimental and computational approach. The final goal of this work is to design an articulating device exhibiting mechanical performances matching the properties of the currently available metal devices and those of the ceramic devices. To the purpose of this study, homogeneous and functionally graded Alumina-Titanium coatings were deposited by means of the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique on Silicon. Nanoindentation experiments and nanoscratch tests have been performed with the purpose to evaluate the mechanical resistance as well as the adhesion of the coatings and their failure mechanisms under severe wear conditions. Finite element analyses have also been performed with the aim of characterizing the materials and investigating the effect of the gradient in mechanical properties. The adopted combined experimental and computational procedure allowed assessing that the coatings performances are promising for their final application.