Effect of AlN Thickness on Structure and Properties of AlN/Al Dual Protective Coatings on NdFeB by DC Magnetron Sputtering

In order to improve the corrosion resistance of NdFeB,AlN/Al dual protective coatings were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering in a home-made industrial apparatus.The inner Al layer with an excellent toughness was deposited onto NdFeB substrate firstly.And then the outmost AlN layer with a higher hardness was prepared with the nitrogen/argon mixture gas of the nitrogen partial pressure at 50%of the total pressure of 0.5 Pa and depositing time of 30,50 and 70 min,respectively.The denser outmost AlN layer was formed on the inner Al crystal layer.There is an occurrence of the interfacial reaction and metallurgy bonding in the interface layer between the coatings and NdFeB substrate.It has been found that the thickness of outmost AlN layer has a significant impact on corrosion resistance.For 50 min to deposit outmost AlN layer,AlN/Al coated NdFeB has the best corrosion resistance.