Abstract
Samples of steel St3 with Ni-Cr-B-Si-Fe coatings deposited using a plasma jet with subsequent partial melting of the coatings by a plasma jet have been investigated for the first time using the methods of Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nanoindentation. The structure and the phase and elemental compositions of these coatings have been studied. Ni-based nanocrystalline phases and CrNi 3 -based microcrystalline phases with crystals from 50 to 150 nm in size, extended defects of the microstructure, and nanoregions with different orientations of the crystal lattice and grain sizes on the order of 2–3 nm have been found.