Molybdenum and tungsten coatings for x- ray targets obtained through the low-pressure plasma spraying process

Low-pressure plasma spraying under an argon atmosphere was employed to deposit molybdenum and tungsten coatings on different metallic, ceramic, and composite substrates. Molybdenum coatings ob-tained through this technique presented a homogeneous structure with an average porosity of about 17 %. These coatings exhibited adhesion greater than 40 MPa on molybdenum and grey cast iron (FT25) substrates. No adhesion was observed on an A1N surface regardless of the preheating temperature and/or surface preparation. Adhesion on AIN-Mo (AM25) composite substrate, containing 25 % dispersed metal-lic phase by volume, showed intermediate results. Tungsten coatings exhibited porosity between 10 to 12% and a typical lamellar structure. The adhesion of tungsten coatings on molybdenum and FT25 sub-strates was around 40 MPa.