ThepurposeofthisstudywastoinvestigatetheeffectsofZrinterlayeronthestructureandmechanicalpropertiesofTiAlNfilms,whichweredepositedontheM2high-speedsteelsubstratesbymeansofplasma-enhancedmagnetronsputtering.TheresultshowsthatthecrystalorientationofZr/TiAlNfilmsissimilartothatofsingle-layeredTiAlNfilms,butthedifferenceisthatAlN(111)ofZr/TiAlNfilmsdisappearscompletely.WithrespecttoZrinterlayer,thetexturecoefficientofZr/TiAlNfilmsisapproximately1.Zr/TiAlNfilmsexhibitacompactisometricstructure,whichisdistinctlydifferentfromthecolumnarstructureexistinginthesingle-layeredTiAlNfilmsandTi/TiAlNfilms.ThehardnessandH3/E*2ofZr/TiAlNfilmsare,respectively,enhancedtobe36.6GPaand0.147.Withafewcracksemergingaroundtheindention,theadhesionstrengthofTiAlNfilmsisobviouslyadvancedbyaddingZrmetalinterlayer.
