A new enabling technology for coating the interior surfaces of pipes with a hard, corrosion and wear resistant diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coating is described. The method uses PACVD technology combined with generation of high density hollow cathode plasma within the pipe using DC pulse biasing, resulting in a very high deposition rate.

Improving component lifetime under exposure to corrosive and abrasive environments is a high priority for military applications. Properties of this coating are shown for different environments including; exposure to hot and room temperature HCL, NaCl and H₂S. Mechanical properties include high hardness, high adhesion, and good wear resistance in dry, wet and sand slurry environments.