Producing superhard coatings by decomposition of complex salts in shaped-charge explosion

The behavior of two new complex salts containing cobalt and tungsten atoms was studied under different thermal conditions. It was found that when heated in air, the salt [Со(NH$_3$)$_6$](WO$_4$)NO$_3$ exploded at 260$^\circ$C, and further heating to 800$^\circ$C led to the formation of a mixture of oxide phases. Heating of [CoEn$_3$]$_2$(W$_7$О$_{24}$) $\cdot$ $n$Н$_2$О was not accompanied by explosion and also led to the formation of cobalt and tungsten oxides. The complex salts were used to produce superhard (Vickers microhardness up to 35.8 GPa) coatings on titanium disks by means of shaped-charge explosion. High microhardness is associated with the formation of carbonitride crystalline phases on the target surfaces.