| In recent years, much development has been made in the world of nanotechnologies. Hence, nanomaterials, which possess unique characteristics and excellent mechanical properties, are now being used in innovative and advanced applications. Despite the incredible potential of nanomaterials, their use is still at an embryonic stage as a result of the difficulty to mass-produce them. Among the potentially viable application remains the fabrication of nanostructured powders to produce high temperature oxidation resistance coatings.;Nanostructured coatings were obtained by thermally spraying cryomilled CoNiCrAlY and NiCoCrAlY feedstock using the HVOF technique. It was found that the milling process used to prepare the powder significantly altered the microstructure of the alloy. In addition to achieving grain size refinement, significant aluminum segregation at grain boundaries was observed. Upon oxidation experiments up to 96 hours in static air at 1000°C an oxide scale composed of an adherent and dense alpha-Al2O3 inner layer with a top layer of fast growing oxides such as NiO, Cr2O3, CoAl2O4 and NiAl2O4 evolved from the coatings. It was found that the formation of a two-layer scale could be prevented through surface grinding prior to oxidation. Moreover, the comparison of the oxidation results of the powders and those of the coatings revealed that the spraying process has a considerable influence on the oxidation behavior of MCrAlYs attributable to the formation of oxide seeds during the spraying process. |
