20.500.12556/DiRROS-29988 Effects of boriding and niobium carbide coating on the microstructure, hardness, and tribocorrosion properties of Vanadis 6 tool steel Vanadis 6 (V6) cold work tool steel is widely used in cold forming applications due to its high wear resistance and toughness. However, tribocorrosion remains a major challenge in aggressive manufacturing conditions limiting the tool life. This study investigates the effect of boride and niobium (NbC) coatings on the microstructure, hardness, and tribocorrosion properties of V6 tool steel. Both uncoated and coated samples were tested in 0.1 M NaCl (pH 7), 0.001 M NaOH (pH 11), and Na-tetraborate (pH 10) solutions. The microstructural changes and phase analysis were examined via a scanning electron microscope coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction, while the hardness was evaluated using Vickers microhardness (HV). The tribocorrosion tests were performed by monitoring the open circuit potential (OCP) with a reciprocating pin-on-disk configuration. Wear surface analysis was conducted using 3D confocal microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDS techniques. The findings indicated that the application of coatings enhanced the surface hardness from 710 HV30 to 2000 HV0.1 and 1550 HV0.1 for boride and NbC coatings, respectively. During the tribocorrosion experiments, the samples coated with NbC and borides consistently displayed the highest open-circuit potential (OCP) in all the solutions. These results confirm that both NbC and borides improved the tribological and corrosion resistance of Vanadis 6 steel, with the NbC coating offering a more effective and stable protective layer. The outcome of this study emphasizes the critical role of coatings and the appropriate choice of electrolytes for comparative evaluation in the tribocorrosion behavior of cold work tool steels. Vanadis 6 steel surface modifications microstructure ribocorrosion Vanadis 6 jeklo površinske modifikacije mikrostruktura tribokorozija true false true Elsevier Results in Surfaces and Interfaces Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Authors Neznano 2026-06-11 08:11:34 2026-06-11 08:11:34 2026-06-12 03:54:40 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 29. 5. 2026; str. 1-15 [article no.] 100850 Vol. 24 Aug. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-05-24 544.5/.6 2666-8459 10.1016/j.rsurfi.2026.100850 279781891 RAZ_Yarasu_Venu_2026.pdf RAZ_Yarasu_Venu_2026.pdf 1 918802169D8733889BDDCA5EB938088C 53c78b14cf25e60ebb5c9ea050b75e7c283459e1083ff47d16269ee3fe51dd2c 166681bc-655d-11f1-9215-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=45182 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266684592600142X 1 66e20248-655c-11f1-9215-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=45181 Inštitut za kovinske materiale in tehnologije 0 0 0