Effect of TiO2 addition on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of Al2O3 Suspension Plasma Sprayed coatings

Abstract

Alumina–titania coatings are widely used in industry for wear, abrasion or corrosion protection components. Such layers are commonly deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) using powder as feedstock. In this study, both Al2O3 and Al2O3–13 wt% TiO2 coatings were deposited on austenitic stainless steel coupons by suspension plasma spraying (SPS). Two commercial suspensions of nanosized Al2O3 and TiO2 particles were used as starting materials. The coatings microstructure and phase composition were fully characterised using FEG-SEM and XRD techniques. Nanoindentation technique was used to determine the coatings hardness and elastic modulus properties. Results have shown that the addition of titania to alumina SPS coatings causes different crystalline phases and a higher powder melting rate is reached. The higher melted material achieved, when titania is added leads to higher hardness and elastic modulus when the same spraying parameters are used