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Relationship between mechanical properties of thin nitride-based films and their behaviour in nano-scratch tests

Choosing the optimal type of coating for an engineering application is complicated. The set of material properties needs to be chosen carefully to optimise performance. The same material with outstanding properties can behave quite differently if working conditions change. This paper continued a collaboration with an industrial partner and on the basis of thorough coatings comparison allowed us to show that the highest hardness and Young modulus values by themselves cannot guarantee the best performance in conditions where critical film failure is imminent and, for the first time, how to choose a set of mechanical parameters for the best performance.