Effect of TiO₂ on the microstructure and phase composition of Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃–TiO₂ APS sprayed coatings

Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings serve as protective layers and are frequently exposed to aggressive wear, corrosion, or high-temperature environment. Currently, alumina and alumina-titania are some of the most popular protective ceramic composite coatings used in the industry. The present work deals with the investigation of the influence of TiO₂ content in the feedstock powder on the resulting microstructure and properties of Al₂O₃, Al₂O₃ + 3 wt% TiO₂, Al₂O₃ + 13 wt% TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ + 40 wt% TiO₂ coatings developed via atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). Specifically, the phase composition, morphology, and microstructure, as well as the mechanical and tribological performance of the coatings were examined. Results revealed that higher content of TiO₂ induced the transformation of phases, leading to the formation of intermediary Al₂TiO₅ and Al₂- xTi₁- xO₅ phases. Also, the dominant α–Al₂O₃ to γ–Al₂O₃ transformation confirmed the formulation of well-melted lamellas within the coating structure. It was also shown that the increase in TiO₂ content decreased the micro-hardness of the coatings due to the formation of the intermediary phases as mentioned above and thus, affected their tribological performance. The lowest volumetric wear, equal to 7.2×10⁻⁵ mm³/(N ∙ m), was reported for Al₂O₃ + 13 wt% TiO₂ coating.