Preparation and characterization of Al2O3 coating by MOD method on CLF-1 RAFM steel

Metal organic decomposition (MOD) method was proposed to prepare Al2O3 TPB coatings on CLF-1 RAFM steel. A comprehensive characterization of SEM, XPS, and XRD demonstrated the formation of Al2O3 coatings. The effect of the preparation parameters, including annealing temperature Ta, withdrawal speed Vw and immersion time ti on the microstructure and properties of the coatings was investigated. It showed that amorphous aluminum oxide coating began to transform to γ-Al2O3 at temperature of Ta = 600 °C. The Al2O3 coating with Ta = 700 °C and Tb = 500 °C performed the best crystallization feature. The hardness of the coatings gradually increased with increasing Vw, while the corrosion resistance exhibited a reverse trend. Meanwhile, the nanohardness and corrosion resistance of the coating with ti = 300 s was improved as compared to the coating with ti = 0 s. Moreover, the effect of particle size and substrate oxidation on the mechanical property and corrosion resistance of the coatings was discussed.