Effects of Structure on Properties of Fe-based Amorphous Coatings Prepared by Electrothermal Explosion

LI Guang; WANG Xiaodong; ZHANG Jing; WANG Peng; SHI Yu; ZHU Liang; GU Yufen

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.008

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (18) : 77-85. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.008

Corrosion and Protection

Effects of Structure on Properties of Fe-based Amorphous Coatings Prepared by Electrothermal Explosion

LI Guang, WANG Xiaodong, ZHANG Jing, WANG Peng, SHI Yu, ZHU Liang, GU Yufen^*

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Abstract

The work aims to investigate the effect of different initial voltages on the microstructure, interface bonding strength, and corrosion resistance of Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared by electrothermal explosion spraying. Under three different initial voltage conditions (10, 12.5, 15 kV), coatings were prepared with a self-developed continuous wire feed electrothermal explosion device. SEM, TEM, XRD, and optical profilometry were employed to analyze the micro-morphology, phase structure, and surface roughness of Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared under different processes. The interface bonding strength and corrosion resistance of the Fe-based amorphous coatings were tested with three-point bending and electrochemical methods, respectively. The Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared by electric explosion spraying had no lamellar structure, and there was no obvious interface between the coating and the substrate. XRD results showed that under all three process parameters, the Fe-based amorphous coatings displayed a characteristic broad diffraction peak between 40° and 50° in the 2θ range, indicating that the coatings were fully amorphous. Both excessively high and low initial voltages resulted in increased porosity and roughness in the coatings. When the initial voltage was too low (10 kV), a large number of explosive particles did not fully melt, and the particles failed to flatten and spread on the substrate. The stacked particles formed voids, leading to an increase in porosity (4.3±0.54)% and a surface with sharp peaks, which reduced the continuity of the coating. When the initial voltage was too high (15 kV), a large number of particles were vaporized during the explosion, and splashing occurred when the particles struck the substrate surface, forming pores during solidification, which further reduced the deposition efficiency. The coating prepared at an initial voltage of 12.5 kV exhibited the best results, with the lowest porosity (1.2±0.17)% and surface roughness (0.74 μm). Under this process parameter, most particles were able to flatten and spread, with sufficient energy for deformation to fill the gaps between particles, leading to a higher coating density. Three-point bending tests showed that coatings prepared at initial voltages of 10 kV and 15 kV both cracked at the interface between the coating and the substrate, whereas the coating prepared at 12.5 kV exhibited the highest fracture strength and interface adhesion strength. No transverse or interfacial cracks were observed in this coating, and the low porosity effectively delayed crack initiation and propagation. The bonding mechanism between the coating and substrate was metallurgical, with significant grain refinement at the interface. In a solution of 3.5% NaCl by mass, the coating exhibited the highest corrosion potential of -0.296 V and the lowest corrosion current density of 7.512×10^-8 A/cm² at an initial voltage of 12.5 kV. This was due to the low porosity of the coating, which made it difficult for the corrosion medium to penetrate and effectively blocked the entry of Cl^- ions, thus slowing down the internal corrosion of the coating. Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared at an appropriate initial voltage (12.5 kV) exhibited higher interface bonding strength and corrosion resistance. The results of this study provide a new method and fundamental data for supporting the preparation of Fe-based amorphous coatings for small precision components.

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electrothermal explosion / Fe-based amorphous coating / microstructure / porosity / bonding strength / corrosion in NaCl solution

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LI Guang, WANG Xiaodong, ZHANG Jing, WANG Peng, SHI Yu, ZHU Liang, GU Yufen. Effects of Structure on Properties of Fe-based Amorphous Coatings Prepared by Electrothermal Explosion[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(18): 77-85 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.008

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