Investigation of the Properties of Boron Coatings Obtained by Electron-Beam Evaporation of Pure Boron

The method of electron-beam evaporation of a solid target at forevacuum pressure was used to deposit boron coatings several microns thick on substrates made of A284 steel and a special reactor alloy ZrNb1. The deposited coatings were further modified by a repetitively-pulsed wide-aperture electron beam. The surface morphology of the thus formed boron coatings was studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The deposited coatings are characterized by good adhesion to the substrate, high microhardness, high wear resistance and anticorrosion properties. Structural-phase characteristics of the coatings were studied by X-ray phase analysis with high instrumental resolution using synchrotron radiation. This analysis demonstrated that boron, both in modified and unmodified coatings, was in an amorphous or ultra-dispersive phase, and boron did not crystallize under the action of an electron beam. The coatings are highly stable when heated to a temperature of 1200°C in a vacuum of 0.5 Pa. It is expected that pure boron coatings may find application in a number of fields.