Abstract
Titanium oxide coatings were suspension plasma sprayed onto different substrates. The suspension was formulated using fine rutile pigment in the mixture of water with ethanol. The zeta potential of the suspension was determined. The spray process parameters were designed using a full factorial plan using spray distance and torch scan velocity as the variables. The temperature at spray process was monitored using a pyrometer. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis enabled to find out the crystalline phases in sprayed deposits and, in particular, the anatase content. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) enabled to characterize the coatings’ microstructure. The coatings included well molten lamellas and zones of loosely agglomerated and sintered grains. The scratch test of the coatings enabled to determine their mechanical properties such as critical load and scratch hardness.
