Thermo-barrier nanostructure microplasma coatings of ZrO2

This work shows the formation of oxide ceramic coating ZrO2. The coating is formed on a copper substrate in the series of layers. Two different methods are used for deposition of metallic layers: vacuum arc deposition (PVD) and magnetron sputtering. The last metal layer is converted into oxide by microplasma oxidation. As a result, microplasma nanostructured coating is formed on the surface. Morphology and elemental composition of these coatings are investigated by means of a scanning electron microscope with attachment for element analysis. Thermocyclic stability of coatings is determined. Thermal cycling tests for the coatings have demonstrated promising results of lifetimes more than 1000 cycles.