Investigation of Microstructure Effects on Hardness and Oxidation Resistance of New Generation Ceramic Coatings
Abstract
This work was motivated by the demand for a new generation of materials capable for harsh
environment applications, and focused on developing a better understanding of the effects of elemental
composition and microstructure on the mechanical and thermal properties of coatings. The knowledge
gained from this work can be used to design protective coatings with tailored properties for harsh
environment applications in the future. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and
electron diffraction have been mainly employed in the microstructure studies of the new generation
ceramics, with the assistance of other materials characterization techniques, such as x-ray diffraction
(XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-indentation
measurements.