Photoelectrochemical imaging of metal-scale decohesion on titanium thermally oxidised in oxygen

Important compressive stress developed in TiO2 films thermally grown on pure titanium in oxygen is known to induce scale decohesion at the metal–oxide interface. If such a phenomenon is identified in the literature to play a key role on life time of many materials used at high temperatures, no data at the microscopic level can be found at this time. In the present work using photoelectrochemical microscopy, new information in the form of two specific images ICI (interface cohesion image) and SQI (structural quality image) could be obtained. Such images revealed the level of scale decohesion induced by growth stress as well as the structural quality of the oxide layer.