Period-Tuned a-C/a-C:H Multilayer DLC Coating for Tribocorrosion Protection of HSLA-100 Steel

By alternately depositing hydrogen-free amorphous carbon (a-C) and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) nanolayers on HSLA-100 steel through arc-ion plating, multilayer diamond-like carbon (DLC) architectures were engineered, with the modulation period adjusted from 1 to 10 cycles. SEM and Raman spectroscopy served as the analytical tools for characterizing the microstructure. For assessing key functional behaviors, nanoindentation was used to test mechanical properties, dry-sliding tribometry and in-situ tribocorrosion tests targeted tribological and tribocorrosion performance, and polarization tests focused on corrosion resistance. Introducing C2H2 increased the sp3 fraction and hardness relative to pure a-C. The ten-period film (S5) yielded the highest H/E (0.0767) and H3/E2 (0.171), reflecting the best hardness–toughness synergy. All coatings lowered the dry friction coefficient to 0.08–0.10 and cut wear by more than 1 order of magnitude versus the substrate; the ten-period film (S5) showed the minimum dry wear rate (1.39 × 10−7 mm3·N−1·m−1) and tribocorrosion wear rate (4.53 × 10−7 mm3·N−1·m−1) in 3.5 wt% NaCl. The superior performance is due to interlayer interfaces that dissipate stresses, arrest crack propagation, and block electrolyte ingress through defects. These findings indicate that the rational stacking of a-C/a-C:H significantly improves the tribological and tribocorrosion resistance of HSLA-100, providing a reliable protective approach for components used in marine services.