Suspension medium’s impact on the EPD of nano-YSZ on Fecralloy

Abstract

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was employed to coat yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) on Fecralloy. Various non-aqueous solvents were utilised to achieve smooth crack-free YSZ coatings. The EPD parameters, including solvent type, sedimentation height, zeta potential, particle size, pH and deposition weight, were studied. The micro-structural evolution and mechanical properties of the coatings were studied by the field emission scanning electron microscopy and micro-hardness, respectively. It was found that coatings obtained from 0.4 g L⁻¹ I₂ acetyl–acetone were uniform, smooth and crack free. Also they had narrow particle size distributions and higher zeta potential in the suspension. The experimental results revealed that suspension stability was a requirement for obtaining high-quality coatings and deposition yield for stable suspensions was higher; however, particle coagulation resulted in coatings with low green density and poor sinter ability. A transition in deposition mechanism from linear to parabolic was observed during EPD where deposition rate was decreased by time.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Electrophoretic deposition
• YSZ film
• Non-aqueous solvents
• Suspension stability
• Scanning electron microscopy
• Non-aqueous solvents
• Micro-hardness measurements
• Fecralloy

ORCID

M. Rajabi http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7299-2246