Abstract
The ToF-SIMS technique was applied to analyze thin ZrO2 coatings deposited on the surface of a Ni-Ti alloy. Due to its nanostructured nature, these films are difficult to characterize by conventional techniques. ZrO2 coatings were deposited on near equiatomic Ni-Ti wires by pulse electrodeposition. Part of the samples was electrolytically polished before the coating process. The coated samples were then analyzed by ToF-SIMS to evaluate the influence of the deposition time and previous surface electropolishing on the structure of the deposited coating. The results indicate that thicker coatings were produced on the electropolished samples, in comparison with the as-received ones. The best uniformity in thickness was achieved when Ni-Ti samples were previously electropolished followed by ZrO2 electrodeposition for 1200 seconds. Moreover, it was possible to observe by this technique that the inclusions in the Ni-Ti matrix were not entirely covered by the coating.
Highlights
Surface phenomena exert a significant influence on the properties of a material, and the understanding of these regions and their interactions with the environment is fundamental
Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToFSIMS), one of the leading advancement for the SIMS analysis, appears as a promising technique to overcome the challenges involved in the characterization of nanosurfaces
In ToF-SIMS analysis, the surface of the sample is bombarded by a bundle of primary ions, with energies usually ranging from 10 to 30 keV, which collides with the surface atoms resulting in a transfer of energy and particle tearing from the surface of the sample
Summary
Surface phenomena exert a significant influence on the properties of a material, and the understanding of these regions and their interactions with the environment is fundamental. In ToF-SIMS analysis, the surface of the sample is bombarded by a bundle of primary ions, with energies usually ranging from 10 to 30 keV, which collides with the surface atoms resulting in a transfer of energy and particle tearing from the surface of the sample. These particles, typically ions or molecular fragments, are accelerated towards the detector, and the “flight time” is defined as the amount of time spent between primary beam collision to the sample and the captured signal on the detector.
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