Plasma spray of Ti2AlC MAX phase powders: Effects of process parameters on coatings' properties

Abstract Plasma spraying was employed to spray commercial Ti 2 AlC MAX phase powders onto Inconel 600 substrates. Effects of different process parameters, including arc current, flow rates of primary Ar, secondary H 2 and carrier Ar, powder feedrate, spray distance as well as presence of cooling air on the backside on the substrate were systematically screened by evaluating the content of Ti 2 AlC in the coating through X-ray diffraction and Rietveld phase analysis. The highest content of the remaining Ti 2 AlC in the coating was achieved to be 26.0%. The coating with 26.0 wt% of Ti 2 AlC was further analyzed by a variety of techniques to probe its surface chemistry, morphology, cross-sectional microstructure, mechanical properties and salt fog corrosion resistance.