Abstract
In this study, titanium carbonitride (TiCN) coatings are obtained by atmospheric plasma spray synthesis, or reactive plasma spraying. In order to promote reactions between Ti particles and reactive gases, an extended gas tunnel was mounted at the end of a conventional plasma gun. The oxidation behavior of the TiCN coatings was investigated over a wide temperature range, showing that the coatings suffered severe oxidation at temperatures above 700 °C and were entirely oxidized to the TiO2 phase at 1100 °C. The principal oxidation mechanism was revealed, indicating that oxygen can penetrate into the TiCN coatings at high temperatures. Changes in microhardness were also investigated as a function of temperature, showing a precipitous drop over the range of 700-1100 °C.
