Investigation on the structural properties and corrosion inhibition of W coatings on stainless steel AISI 304 using PF device

Abstract

In this paper, thin films of tungsten are coated on 304 type stainless steel substrates using a low energy (1.6kJ) plasma focus device. 35 focus shots are applied each at 6, 8, 10 and 12cm axial distances from the top of the anode and at 0° angular position with respect to anode axis to deposit the W films on SS-304 substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the degree of crystallinity of W films strongly depends on axial distances from the anode tip. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrate that the sample deposited at 8cm distance has a relatively smooth, uniform and homogeneous surface. Also, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis reveals the existence of the elemental composition of W in the exposed samples. The corrosion test of samples shows that the highest corrosion resistance belongs to the sample deposited at 8cm distance. Moreover, in order to observe the effect of corrosion on the surface of samples, we have utilized SEM analysis after the corrosion test.