Four Cr doped diamond-like carbon (a-C:Cr) films were deposited by the synergy of pulse cathode arc and direct-current cathode arc, and Cr content was adjusted by changing the pulse frequency. The microstructure, composition, surface morphology, the hydrophobicity and corrosion resistance of the films were investigated by Raman, XPS, EDS, AFM, contact angle measurements and potentiodynamic polarization tests, respectively. It is shown that a-C-10Hz:Cr has the best comprehensive performance, and its corrosion resistance is the most prominent. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.