Electrochemical Processing of a New Class of Composite Materials

Ceramic layer coatings obtained by air plasma spraying processes contain pores and cracks. By filling the open pores of these layers with an element having physical and chemical properties complementary and compatible with those of the ceramics, the authors developed a simple process for producing a new class of materials. Two examples illustrating possible applications of this process for corrosion-protection and autolubrication purposes are presented in the second part of this paper. ZrO{sub 2}-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} ceramic layer coatings present interesting properties which were improved or modified by adding specific materials to their open pores.