Abstract: Arc ion plating was adopted to prepare three sets of chromium nitride (CrN) thin films with pulsed bias voltages of 50, 100, and 150 V, respectively on silicon, stainless steel and glass substrates. The phase components, surface morphology, mechanical properties and hydrophobicity at different temperatures of the films were analyzed. The results show that the as-prepared samples present a pure component, and there are some macro-particles on the surface of the films. The films fabricated at 100 V show excellent mechanical properties despite there are a lot of macro-particles on the surface. The films fabricated at 150 V have high hardness and excellent Young modulus, while the films fabricated at 50 V have high adhesion strength, indicating that mechanical properties of the CrN thin films are excellent. The films exhibit good hydrophobicity at room temperature (20 ℃), and the substrate material has little effect on the hydrophobicity. The hydrophobicity of the films decreases with increasing environmental temperatures. The films deposited at 50 V lose hydrophobicity when the ambient temperature rises to 80 ℃, and the films deposited at 100 V have the optimized hydrophobicity.

Key words: CrN thin film, temperature, hydrophobic performance, mechanical property