Pulsed laser deposition of corrosion protective Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3) coating

Among ceramics and oxides, Yttria (Y2O3) films have been widely investigated as potential corrosion protective coatings largely on account of their wear resistant and non-wettable properties. Results presented here describe successful use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique for deposition of thin film Yttria coating on stainless steel substrates. Deposited Yttria coatings have been characterized in terms of their microstructure, crystalline phase and hardness using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scratch test techniques, respectively. Characterization tests of these coatings of thickness up to 50 mu m have shown strong bonding with substrate surface and a high degree of homogeneity and compaction. Resistance of these PLD based Yttria coatings to molten uranium have also been studied via Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). Our results on DTA tests evaluating compatibility of the Yttria coatings with molten uranium have established the excellent corrosion resistance property of such Y2O3 coatings when exposed to molten uranium. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.