Oxidation and crystallization mechanisms in plasma-sprayed Cu-based bulk metallic glass coatings

Cu-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) coatings were built-up by the atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) process at different hydrogen flow rates. As the hydrogen flow rate increased, thermal energy in the plasma jet increased the melting state of the Cu-based BMG particles. Although it was expected that the difference in melting states would quantitatively affect the amorphous fractions in the coatings, both the amorphous fraction and the oxide content of the layers were independent of hydrogen flow rate. However, different melting states resulting from different hydrogen gas flow rates, and the subsequent oxidation which inevitably occurred during spraying, generated different crystallization processes in the coating. In this paper, crystallization mechanisms in plasma-sprayed BMG were studied using their microstructures. Specific analyses of the particles deposited at high travel speed and quenched in cold water also served for further understanding of the melting state and change in composition of the particles undergo during deposition. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.