Growth and properties of Functionally graded ceramic coatings deposited by grid-assisted magnetron sputtering

Many failure modes in engineering applications (such as corrosion and wear) are related to surface performance and can be avoided or minimized by proper material selection. The choice of materials with specific surface requirements; however, is a nontrivial task. It depends mainly on surface characteristics and properties, which can be optimized in different ways. Since the region of interest is really small—the surface, a popular strategy is to select an appropriate coating for this purpose. The development of new coating strategies is an active research line in many research groups around the world. Among the diversity of options, functionally graded coatings have gained attention in the last few years, especially functionally graded ceramic coatings. Usually, these materials present heterogeneous structures, which allow the combination of one or more physical characteristics in a spatially ordered way, to optimize the overall performance of the film.