Effect of laser surface modification on high-temperature oxidation and corrosion behaviour of alloys and coatings

Abstract

During laser irradiation, with or without foreign particle injection, the substrate surface can be modified by changing either its alloy composition and structure, or only its structure. It has been shown that laser treatment can extend the metastable solubility, form metastable phases, refine the grain size, eliminate some harmful phases and hence improve the oxidation, corrosion and abrasion properties of the treated materials. As a consequence, laser surface treatment appears to be a very versatile process with good potential for modifying the surfaces of alloys and coatings to improve their resistance to high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion. In this paper, the positive aspects of laser irradiation in producing surface-modified layers of alloys and coatings to enhance their high-temperature corrosion resistance will be reviewed and the need for further research efforts will be briefly discussed.