Researchers at the IOM and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg have published new insights on selective surface treatments of duplex stainless steel.

The work was conducted as part of the project “Surface Segregation Effects in Duplex Stainless Steel During Plasma Diffusion Treatments Using a Solid Carbon Precursor”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) over a period of 36 months (project number 557879687. The project is led by Dr. Darina Manova, a research associate in the IOM cross-sectional unit “Tools”, and Dr. Anke Dalke head of the “Thermochemical Heat Treatment” research group at the Institute of Materials Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

In the journal Surface and Coatings Technology, they published together with Dr. Stephan Mändl from the cross-sectional unit “Tools” and Dr. Jürgen Gerlach from the research field “Barrier and Precision Coatings” at IOM the first detailed investigations into transport and phase formation processes during the nitrocarburization of duplex steel. Different treatment times and temperatures were analyzed.

A particular emphasis was placed on the use of in-situ X-ray diffraction. This method made it possible to determine the phase composition with a high depth resolution across the entire treated layer, which was up to 16 micrometers thick. The results provide a more precise understanding of the processes occurring during plasma diffusion treatment and represent a first step toward improved surface treatments for durable and high-performance materials used in industrial applications.

Publication:

D. Manova, J. W. Gerlach, A. Dalke, S. Mändl
Transport of nitrogen and carbon in duplex stainless steel 318LN during nitrocarburizing
Surf. Coat. Technol. 535 (2026), 133739
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133739