Nanocomposite Fe-Al Intermetallic Coating Obtained by Gas Detonation Spraying of Milled Self-Decomposing Powder

Abstract

The nanocomposite structure of Fe-Al intermetallic coating, created in situ during gas detonation spraying (GDS) of as-milled self-decomposing powder and containing disordered 8 nm FeAl nanocrystals, was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and x-ray diffraction methods. It is found that the Fe-Al coating is characterized by a sublayer morphology consisting of flattened and partially melted splats containing a wide Al range from about 26 to 52 at.%, as well as Al2O3 oxides, created in situ at the internal interfaces of splats during the GDS process. The complex oxide films, identified as amorphous Al2O3, which are formed in the nanocrystalline Fe-Al matrix of the GDS coating behave like a composite reinforcement in the intermetallic Fe-Al coating. The combined presence of nanosized subgrains in the Fe-Al matrix and the Al2O3 nanoceramic dispersoids significantly increases the microhardness of the coating.