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Solution Precursor Plasma Spraying of Cr-Doped Al2O3 Thermochromic Coatings

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Abstract

Solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) presents a modern route to deposit coatings directly from liquid feedstock. In this study, unique ability of SPPS to intermix different precursors on the atomic scale was employed to deposit pure and Cr-doped Al2O3 (technically, synthetic ruby) from several mixtures of aluminum and chromium nitrates. Highly porous coatings (> 60% porosity) were deposited by high-enthalpy WSP-H torch. Homogeneous distribution of Cr atoms in Al2O3 resulted in coatings color ranging from pink to grayish-green correlated with increasing Cr content and change of lattice parameters as observed by x-ray diffraction. High content of over 80 wt.% of α-alumina phase was reached for all coatings. For the Cr-doped Al2O3 coatings, distinct and fully reversible thermochromic behavior was observed by temperature-resolved colorimetry. Further increase in α-phase content (up to 95 wt.%) and coating densification were achieved by additional surface remelting by plasma torch.

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Acknowledgment

Financial support of the 19-10246S grant “Deposition mechanisms and properties of multiphase plasma-sprayed coatings prepared with liquid feedstocks” funded by Czech Science Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Engineering, Institute of Plasma Physics CAS, v.v.i, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Tomas Tesar, Radek Musalek, Frantisek Lukac, Jan Medricky, Jan Cizek & Stefan Csaki

  2. Department of Materials, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Trojanova 13, 120 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Tomas Tesar & Jan Medricky

  3. Department of Graphic Arts and Photophysics, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 95, 532 10, Pardubice, Czech Republic

    Ondrej Panak & Marketa Drzkova

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  1. Tomas Tesar
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Tesar, T., Musalek, R., Lukac, F. et al. Solution Precursor Plasma Spraying of Cr-Doped Al2O3 Thermochromic Coatings. J Therm Spray Tech 29, 199–211 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-019-00945-2

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