Nb-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon coated biodiesel injectors material: Synthesis, structure and properties

Despite the economic and environmental benefits of biodiesel, it poses significant challenges, including coking on metal surface and increased wear on diesel engine injector nozzles. Therefore, this study investigates the synthesis of niobium-doped diamond-like carbon (Nb-DLC) coatings on two types of injector nozzle materials (viz. H13 steel, AISI 420 stainless steel) using the Closed-Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering (CFUBMS) technique. Comprehensive characterizations, including microstructural analysis, crystal structure evaluation, hardness assessment, and tribological property assessment, were conducted. The Nb-DLC coatings demonstrated a stable friction coefficient, with values four times lower than that of the substrate materials. The present findings demonstrate significant enhancements in terms of structural composition, crystalline phase, hardness, friction coefficients, and adhesion properties due to the Nb-DLC coatings. Therefore, Nb-DLC coated materials could be the promising candidate material for biodiesel engine injector nozzle applications. This emphasizes their potential to contribute significantly to the sustainable consolidation of biodiesel within automotive engine.