Nanocomposite Ti–Si–N coatings were prepared by reactive dc
magnetron sputtering in a mixture of Ar and N2 gases onto bio
implantable 316L stainless steel substrates. X-ray diffraction
analysis revealed that the Ti–Si–N nanocomposite coatings are
mainly composed of amorphous Si3N4 and TiN crystals. The
presence of different phases like TiN, TiO2, and Si3N4 was
confirmed from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.
Raman spectra of the as-deposited composite coatings exhibited
characteristic peaks at 207.5, 305.8, 442.5, and 571.8
cm
�1. HRTEM indicated columnar microstructure. A higher
hardness value of 35 GPa for the nanocomposite coatings was
observed. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy measurements showed that the
Ti–Si–N nanocomposite coatings exhibited superior corrosion
resistance compared with the Si3N4, TiN single layer, and the
bare substrate in simulated body fluid solutio