The study of self-lubricant coatings is a rapidly developing research field that is expected to address major issues arising from operation under high loads and thermal stresses of machine parts. It is of utmost importance that various critical tribological pairs such as crankshaft bearings, piston rings, etc. maintain their integrity, thus contributing to the engines efficient and reliable operation for long periods of time. Therefore, a choice of high-strength metals is required, with special treatments and/or coatings in combination with sufficient lubrication. In the present study, liquid lubricants encapsulated in poly(urea-formaldehyde) were incorporated in ceramic-metal matrices for the production of composite coatings by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying. Aspects concerning the survival of the capsules during their flight through the high temperature plasma flame, the maintenance of their integrity at impact with the substrate with high kinetic energy, their homogeneous dispersion within the coating mass, thermal spray deposition parameters adjustment and optimization are thoroughly discussed. Coating properties such as roughness, friction, adhesion strength, and wear behaviour were also investigated. Microstructural characteristics and friction-wear behaviour were found to be critical to the durability of coating.

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are required to protect SiC based composites in high temperature, steam containing combustion environments found in the latest generation of high efficiency gas turbine aeroengines. Ytterbium disilicate has shown promise as an environmental barrier coating, showing excellent phase stability at high temperature and a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of SiC; however, its performance is dependent on the conditions under which the coating was deposited. In this work, a parametric study was undertaken to demonstrate how processing parameters using a widely used Praxair SG-100 atmospheric plasma spraying torch affect the phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of ytterbium disilicate environmental barrier coatings. Ytterbium disilicate coatings were deposited using 5 sets of spray parameters, varying arc current and secondary gas flow. The phases present in these coatings were quantified using X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement, and the level of porosity was measured. Using this data, the relationship between processing parameters and phase composition and microstructure was examined. Abradable coatings are used throughout gas turbine engines to increase efficiency in the compression and combustion phases of the turbine. Abradable coatings are soft enough to be worn away by turbine blade tips (without damaging the tip itself), allowing for tighter clearances to be used, limiting leakages and increasing efficiency. Using the optimum process parameter window determined in this work, a low density abradable Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 layer will be deposited in future research.

This study aims at investigating the antiviral properties of HAp/Titania composite coating. TiO 2 has promising photocatalytic activity and good efficiency in destroying the bacteria, and various viral species. SPPS is an emerging technology which can use solution to synthesis oxides. This study is focused to understand the basic mechanism of titanium complex and coating formation method in order to produce oxygen deficient type visible light sensitive coating. Coating surface was studied using XPS, UPS and REELS to understand the electronic structure and optical properties. XPS result indicated the crystallinity of HAp coating has increased as compared to conventional plasma sprayed coating and Ti 3+ species & oxygen vacancy was formed on the surface of the titania coating which can act as a charge trap. Band gap, ionization energy and electron affinity of the coating were also evaluated to further support the photocatalytic performance of this coating. There was increment in optical absorption area on the coating surface from rutile & anatase form of TiO 2 . Antiviral test will be carried out to reveal its virucidal effectiveness.

The growth kinetics of thermally grown oxide (TGO) silica in Yb-disilicate (YbDS) environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) significantly affects the durability of EBCs. The oxygen permeability can control the TGO growth kinetics and thus could play an essential role in determining EBCs life. Therefore, the oxygen permeability constant of YbDS and TGO is systematically evaluated and quantified in terms of thermodynamics using defect reactions and the parabolic rate constant (kp), respectively. Dry oxygen and wet oxygen conditions as well as different temperatures, partial pressures and top coat modifiers are investigated. The results offer evidence that the oxygen permeability constant for the YbDS top coat is an order of magnitude higher than for the TGO. As such, the TGO hinders the oxidant diffusion stronger, proving to be the diffusion rate controlling layer. Moreover, water vapor strongly increases the oxygen permeability with defect reactions playing a key role. It is suggested that the mass transfer through the top coat is primarily by outward ytterbium ion diffusion and inward oxygen ion movement, with the latter being dominant, particularly in wet environments. The effect of top coat modifiers on oxidant permeation is composition sensitive and seems to be related to their interaction with oxygen ions and their mobility.

A typical structure of thermal spray coatings consisted of molten particles, semi-molten particles, oxides, pores and cracks. These factors caused the porosity of sprayed coatings, leading to a great influence on the coating properties, especially their wear-corrosion resistance. In this study, a post-spray sealing treatment of Cr3C2-NiCr/Al2O3-TiO2 plasma sprayed coatings was carried out, then their corrosion properties were evaluated, before and after the treatment. For sealing process, aluminum phosphate (APP) containing aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles (~10 nm) was used. The permeability of APP into the sprayed coating was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The treatment efficiency for porosity and corrosion resistance of sprayed coatings were evaluated by electrochemical measurements, such as the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, the wear-corrosion resistance of the sealed coating was examined in 3.5 wt.% NaCl circulation solution containing 0.25 wt.% SiO2 particles. The obtained results showed that APP penetrated deeply through the sprayed coating. The incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles into APP sealant enhanced the treatment efficiency of porosity for sprayed coating. The effect of the post-treatment on corrosion protection of the sprayed coating has been discussed.

Tungsten carbide (WC) is a well-known material used to increase the wear resistance of iron-based composite materials that exhibit a favorable wettability with iron alloy particles. In this work, two different additive manufacturing technologies, i.e., cold-spray additive-manufacturing (CSAM) and selective laser melting (SLM), were used to fabricate WC/maraging steel 300 (WC/MS300) composites. An investigation comparing the microstructure and tribological behaviors of the composites was carried out. In addition, the evolution of the reinforcement phase during these two processes was characterized by SEM and EDS methods.

In this investigation, commercial Al 2 O 3 and Y 2 O 3 nanopowders were used to produce a composite powder feedstock that was plasma sprayed on graphite substrates. An Al 2 O 3 /Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (YAG) eutectic crystalline structure was expected in the coating due to the high enthalpy, large temperature gradient, and rapid solidification of the plasma spraying process, but microstructure and phase analysis of as-sprayed deposits revealed only a small amount of crystalline grains in an amorphous coating matrix. After heat treating, the expected structure was obtained and found to have excellent microstructure and microhardness stability at high temperatures.

This study evaluates a method for producing Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 /SrZrO 3 , a ceramic-matrix composite considered for use as a thermal barrier coating. GdZrO/SrZrO powders are synthesized by co-precipitation, then cold pressed and sintered to form the bulk composite material. Phase stability of the powder and bulk material is assessed by X-ray diffraction and several bulk material properties are determined, including microhardness, Young’s modulus, fracture toughness, thermal expansion coefficient, heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity. The results are presented and discussed.

In this work, a low-temperature melting composition located within the glass-forming region of the Y 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 (YAS) system is proposed and tested as a protective coating for SiC ceramics. Glassy coatings 197 µm thick were obtained by flame spraying YAS granules on SiC substrates that had been grit blasted and coated with a Si bond layer. Bulk glasses of the same composition were also produced for use as a reference material. The hardness, elastic modulus, and thermal conductivity of the coatings and bulk specimens were evaluated and compared and the effect of heat treatment was investigated. Crystallization occurred in both the bulk glass and coating during isothermal treatments in air at 1100-1350 °C, but it did not compromise system integrity due to crack healing.

Alumina-zirconia ceramic material has been plasma sprayed using a water stabilized plasma torch (WSP) to produce free standing coatings. The as-sprayed coatings have very low porosity and are mostly amorphous. The amorphous material crystallizes at temperatures above 900 °C. A spark plasma sintering apparatus has been used to heat the as-sprayed samples to temperatures above 900 °C to induce crystallization while at the same time a uniaxial pressure of 80 GPa has been applied to the their surface. After such post-treatment, the ceramic samples are crystalline and exhibit very low open porosity. The as-sprayed amorphous materials also exhibit high hardness and high abrasion resistance. Both properties are significantly improved in the heat-treated samples whose microstructure is best described as nanocomposite with the very small crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix.

In this study, ceramic-matrix composites consisting of elongated metal (CoNbZr) particles in a cordierite (MgAlSiO) matrix were produced by plasma spraying. The metal powder was injected into the plasma jet downstream of the ceramic powder to minimize metal decomposition and oxidation. The microstructure and composition of cermet coatings containing 5, 10, and 20 vol% metal were analyzed by SEM and XRD and their electromagnetic properties were evaluated via saturation magnetization, permittivity, and permeability measurements. As expected, flake-shaped metallic particles were obtained and all coatings exhibited soft ferromagnetic behavior.

Ceramic tiles are widely used as ballistic armor due to their ability to absorb high specific impact energy. However, ceramic materials often exhibit very low ductility and have a tendency to exhibit multiple fractures in spider-web patterns around the point of impact. One method used to introduce ductility is to encapsulate the tile in a metal jacket, or to provide a strongly adhered metallic backing plate. Aluminum and titanium metals are of primary interest to decrease the overall weight of the armor material system. The low temperature Kinetic Metallization (KM) process allows direct deposition of the metals onto the ceramic tiles. This is not possible with thermal spray processes due to the extreme mismatch in thermal expansion and adverse metallic-ceramic chemical reactions at high temperatures. Kinetic Metallization has been used to deposit aluminum and titanium coatings onto silicon carbide (SiC) and proprietary ceramic matrix composite (CMC) tiles. Ballistic testing of coated tiles has shown decreased fracturing of the armor material, leading to improved performance for subsequent impacts.

Coatings containing up to 65 volume % of silicon carbide were deposited by plasma spray. Potential applications can be found in the protection of CMC (Ceramic Matrix Composite) against wear and high temperature oxidation. It is well known that SiC can not be deposited by thermal spray because it decomposes before melting. To face this problem, a mixture of SiC and ZrB 2 was deposited, since those two compounds form an eutectic phase, at a temperature lower to the one of SiC decomposition. Coatings microstructure was characterised by XRD, SEM, and EDS, confirming the presence of SiC in the deposited layer and the formation of the eutectic phase during spraying. Samples of the coatings were exposed in air at high temperature, in the range between 1373 and 1873 K. The oxide scale was investigated by means of SEM and EDS. It was constituted by a SiO 2 layer, which includes islands of ZrO 2 . Test results showed the good potentiality of the material investigated to be used as a protection against the high temperature oxidation.

The quality of thermally sprayed coatings depends on a lot of parameters (spraying power, feedstock injection, morphology of the parts, kinetics and environment). But among them, adherence between the coating and the substrate appears as the fundamental point. To favor a good interaction and also a good adherence between the coating and the substrate, it is often necessary to clean and prepare the substrate surface. Conventionally, solvents and sand-blasting are applied to remove the contaminants and increase the surface roughness for a mechanical anchorage. But according to the substrate nature (ceramic) or the substrate morphology, it can be prejudicial to apply a mechanical treatment due to a peeling of the surface or a decrease of the global properties. By this way some other treatments have to be investigated in order to obtain an appropriate preparation. From all of them (water jet, ice blasting, heating treatment, etc.), laser ablation can be an interesting technology to prepare the substrate surface. The aim of this work was to study the modifications induced by 10 ns single or cumulative pulses of a Q-switched Nd:YAG near-infrared laser and its influence on the interface adhesion. The case of an alumina coating sprayed on a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) has been studied. In these conditions, the laser treatment seems favorable from the adherence point of view according to the mechanical effect (induced by a cone-like structure) and the chemical effect

In recent studies, titania has been added to hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings to impart photocatalytic properties. The benefits of such additions are maximized when titania is in nanocrystalline anatase form. In this study, nano-titania was synthesized in-flight from a liquid precursor consisting of ethanol and titanium isopropoxide. The precursor and HA powder were fed into a plasma gun, forming nano-titania particles that embedded in the HA. Coatings of pure titania and titania-embedded HA were deposited under different spray conditions on titanium coupons and then characterized via XRD and SEM analysis. The titania coatings contained ultrafine anatase and rutile particles with anatase being favored by more power input and rapid quenching. The composite coatings contained dispersed ultrafine titania particles in a matrix consisting primarily of HA with trace amounts of calcium phosphate and amorphous phases. The effect of spraying parameters on phase and microstructure evolution is discussed as well.

This study aims to better understand stress fields in composite coatings produced by plasma spraying. To that end, Al 2 O 3 -TiO 2 coatings are deposited under conditions that result in architectures differing in pore content, crack density, and crack orientation. SEM images of the coatings are divided into discrete stress domains that are analyzed by finite elements. FEA simulations show that network architecture has a significant influence on stress fields and that secondary phases have a particularly negative effect. The paper also proposes a generic method for stress analysis based on representative volume elements and points out its advantages and limitations.

Solid oxide fuel cell are being widely considered as the promising answer to the fossil energy decrease. To achieve high efficiency and longevity for SOFC stack it is essential to maintain stable hermetic sealing. In order to obtain an efficient airtightness between two SOFC layers, the authors had developed a solid seal composed with a ceramic matrix charged with glass particles. The seal is plasma-sprayed using low-cost manufacturing methods such as atmospheric plasma spraying. This technical deposit can be plasma-sprayed on a wide range of substrates: whatever its nature and shape. It is solid, distortable and adhesive to its support at ambient temperature. The sealing properties are acquired when the SOFC is put into service: the glassy phase migrates into the peculiar plasma-sprayed microstructure of the ceramic matrix towards the interface involving the airtightness. The performance of this seal are pretty good: the leak rate observed at 70 mbar is 0.0042 mbar.l/s whereas the preconisation of the US Department of Energy is 0.005 mbar.l/s.

Vacuum cold spray is a promising method to deposit nanocrystalline ceramic coating. The effective control of porous structure within nanostructured coating is essentially important to enhance the performance of the mesoporous nanocrystalline coatings for applications to catalyst and photo-electrode. In this study, the ceramic-polymer composite powders were employed as spray feedstocks for vacuum cold spray to control the pore structure in the deposits. The ceramic-polymer composite powders were made from nano-sized TiO 2 (25nm), ZrO 2 (30nm) and Al 2 O 3 (30nm) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The surface morphologies and the cross-sectional microstructures of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The pore size distribution was measured using a nitrogen adsorption approach. The results showed that the deposition during spraying was implemented through the composite particles in a size ranging from submicrometers to several micrometers. Through post-spray heat treatment of the deposit, the PEG can be completely removed to increase the porosity in the deposit. The pores exhibited a bimodal distribution. The small pores present the size from several nanometers to tens of nanometers. Moreover, the size of large pores is in micrometer scale. The porosity and pore size distribution can be controlled by the composition of the composite powder.

A new type of thermal barrier coating (TBC) based on metal-glass composite (MGC) has been recently presented. Beside the availability of conventional manufacturing routes of the coating, e.g. by vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) or slip casting, there are two main advantages of the new TBC: The thermal expansion coefficient can be easily adjusted to the substrate by changing the metal to glass ratio of the composite and the severe oxidation of the bondcoat layer can be reduced due to the gastightness of the glassy phase. Nevertheless, oxidation of the metal phases cannot be fully suppressed up to now. Concepts for a multilayer system and an improved oxidation resistance of a MGC based on suitable heat treatments and on alternative glass compositions have been developed. Results from isothermal oxidation experiments and from thermal cycling in burner rig facilities will be discussed.

Nose and wing leading edges for future generations space vehicles will withstand very high temperature in an oxidizing environment. UHTC (Ultra High Temperature Ceramics) materials are very promising candidate materials for such applications. An innovative, proprietary methodology was developed to produce, by plasma spraying deposition, a ceramic composite containing SiC particles (25 wt %) dispersed in a ZrB 2 matrix. With such a technique both coatings and self standing parts were fabricated. In the present paper, the results of mechanical characterisations, carried out on self standing samples, are presented. Tensile and bending properties were determined by mechanical tests on as sprayed samples and on samples exposed at high temperature (2173 K) in oxidising conditions. Experimental results clearly evidenced the possibility to use the plasma spraying technology and suggest that the so fabricated ZrB 2 -SiC material is suitable to be adopted as protective coating.