Interlayer effect on the characterization of the La-Cr-O coatings with post-sputtering annealing treatment

The results showed that the three as-deposited La-Cr-O coatings had an amorphous structure. After annealing at 800 °C for 1 h in the air, the structure was transformed to the LaCrO3 perovskite phase. Compared with the coatings without an interlayer, the double-layered coatings did not show the Cr2O3 phase in the structure. It implies that the use of the interlayer in the coatings could efficiently prohibit the diffusion of Cr to form oxide on the out-layer. Based on the TGA/DSC analysis and the electrical resistance measurement, it is understood that the annealed La-Cr-O coating with the CrN interlayer turns in the best performance in both chemical stability at high temperature and electrical resistance.