A hard coating includes a three kinds of layers that are alternately laminated. The three kinds of layers consist of a single composition layer and two kinds of nanolayer-alternated layers. The single composition layer is constituted by one of an A composition (nitride of AlCrSiα), a B composition (nitride of CrBSiβ) and a C composition (nitride of AlCr(SiC)γ). The two kinds of nanolayer-alternated layers include nanolayers which are alternately laminated and which are constituted by two of three combinations consisting of a combination of the A composition and B composition, a combination of the A composition and C composition and a combination of the B composition and C composition. The single composition layer has a thickness of 0.5-1000 nm. Each of the nanolayers constituting the two kinds of nanolayer-alternated layers has a thickness of 0.5-500 nm, and each of the two kinds of nanolayer-alternated layers has a thickness of 1-1000 nm.

Described herein is a transparent conductive film including (a) a first laminate including at least two layers containing TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2 or HfO.sub.2, and a layer containing an organic compound in between the two layers containing TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2 or HfO.sub.2, (b) a metal layer, and (c) a second laminate including at least two layers containing ZnO, a layer containing an organic compound between the two layers containing ZnO, and a metallic dopant other than zinc.

A coated tool has a substrate and a hard material coating deposited on the substrate. The hard material coating has a layer structure in the following order, starting from the substrate: a titanium nitride layer, a titanium boron nitride transition layer, and a titanium diboride layer. The titanium boron nitride transition layer has a boron content that increases from the titanium nitride layer in the direction of the titanium diboride layer. The boron content does not exceed 15 at %.

A turbine article includes a substrate with a geometric surface having a multiple of divots recessed into the substrate, and a ceramic topcoat disposed over the geometric surface, the topcoat including at least a first layer having a first hardness and a second layer having a second hardness, the first hardness different than the second hardness.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a piston ring covered with a DLC coating that has excellent wear resistance and shows a low attacking property on a cylinder bore sliding surface. The problem is solved by a piston ring which is used in the presence of an engine lubricating oil and includes a DLC coating on an outer peripheral sliding surface. The DLC coating has an sp.sup.2 component ratio of 0.5 to 0.85 as determined from a TEM-EELS spectrum obtained by a combination of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), as well as a coating hardness of 12 GPa to 26 GPa and a Young's modulus of 250 GPa or less as measured by a nanoindentation method.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and a coating layer provided on the substrate, the coating layer including a multilayer structure layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer, and a lone layer, the lone layer including cubic Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN crystal grains, an atomic ratio z of Ti in the Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN being 0.55 or more and 0.7 or less, the lone layer having a thickness with an average value of 2.5 nm or more and 10 nm or less, the multilayer structure layer having a thickness with an average value of 10 nm or more and 45 nm or less, one multilayer structure layer and one lone layer forming a repetitive unit having a thickness with an average value of 20 nm to 50 nm, a maximum value of 40 nm to 60 nm, and a minimum value of 10 nm to 30 nm.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and a coating layer provided on the substrate, the coating layer including a multilayer structure layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer, and a lone layer, the lone layer including cubic Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN crystal grains, an atomic ratio z of Ti in the Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN being 0.55 or more and 0.7 or less, the lone layer having a thickness with an average value of 2.5 nm or more and 10 nm or less, the multilayer structure layer having a thickness with an average value of 40 nm or more and 95 nm or less, one multilayer structure layer and one lone layer forming a repetitive unit having a thickness with an average value of 50 nm to 100 nm, a maximum value of 90 nm to 110 nm, and a minimum value of 40 nm to 60 nm.

Proposed is an anodic oxide film structure that includes an anodic oxide film sheet and has high strength, chemical resistance and corrosion resistance.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and a coating layer provided on the substrate, the coating layer including a multilayer structure layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer, and a lone layer, the lone layer including cubic Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN crystal grains, an atomic ratio z of Ti in the Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN being 0.4 or more and less than 0.55, the lone layer having a thickness with an average value of 2.5 nm or more and 10 nm or less, the multilayer structure layer having a thickness with an average value of 40 nm or more and 95 nm or less, one multilayer structure layer and one lone layer forming a repetitive unit having a thickness with an average value of 50 nm to 100 nm, a maximum value of 90 nm to 110 nm, and a minimum value of 40 nm to 60 nm.

A hard coating includes three kinds of alternately laminated layers. The three kinds of layers consist of two kinds of single composition layers and a nanolayer-alternated layer. The two kinds of single composition layers are constituted by respective two of an A composition, a B composition and a C composition, wherein the A composition is a nitride of AlCrα, the B composition is a nitride of AlCrSiβ, and the C composition is a nitride of AlCr(SiC)γ. The nanolayer-alternated layer includes two kinds of nanolayers which are constituted by respective two of the A composition, the B composition and the C composition and which are alternately laminated. Each of the two kinds of single composition layers has a thickness of 0.5-1000 nm. Each of the two kinds of nanolayers has a thickness of 0.5-500 nm, and the nanolayer-alternated layer has a thickness of 1-1000 nm.