Study of hafnium-oxide coatings by means of nuclear backscattering spectrometry

Single-layer coatings made of hafnium oxide and double-layer structures with an intermediate nickel layer, the total thickness of which is 70 μm, are obtained via plasma spraying with a supersonic jet in a rarefied atmosphere. A nozzle extension capable of implementing a Prandtl–Meyer expansion fan is used to generate nanostructured coatings. The coatings are investigated via the nuclear backscattering of spectrometry 7.6 MeV protons, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction. The studies of the surface and transverse microsection of the coatings indicate that they comprise not only deformed particles of the sprayed powder with sizes of greater than 20 μm but also layers and conglomerates of nanoparticles with sizes of 30–60 nm. Depth profiling of the elemental composition performed by means of the nuclear backscattering spectrometry of protons demonstrates that transition layers exist at the interface between the substrate and coating layers characterizing the average size of the coating microparticles. A comparison of thicknesses defined by two methods allows estimation of the overall porosity of the hafnium-oxide layer. In accordance with X-ray diffraction data, the cubic and monoclinic phases of hafnium oxide with a high fraction of the amorphous component are formed in the coating.