Abstract
Highly transparent, uniform and corrosion resistant Al 2O 3 films were prepared on stainless-steel and quartz substrates by the sol–gel process from stable coating solutions using aluminum-sec-butoxide, Al(OBu s) 3 as precursor, acetylacetone, AcAcH as chelating agent and nitric acid, HNO 3, as catalyzer. Films up to 1000 nm thick were prepared by multiple spin coating deposition, and were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical spectroscopy and micro Vickers hardness test. XRD of the film heat treated at 400°C showed that they had an amorphous structure. XPS confirmed that they were stoichiometric Al 2O 3. The refractive index ( n) and extinction coefficient ( k) were found to be n=1.56±0.01 and k=0.003±0.0002 at 600 nm, respectively. The surface microhardness and corrosion resistance investigations showed that Al 2O 3 films improved the surface properties of stainless-steel substrates.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
