Preparation and characterization of mocvd thin film chromium dioxide coatings

Abstract

Chromium dioxide (Cr2O3) films have been widely used to increase the corrosion and wear resistance of metallic substrates. Many techniques have been used to deposit Cr2O3 films on a variety of substrates. This paper presents the preparation of Cr2O3 thin films using a custom made horizontal metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) apparatus at 600 ºC with film growth pressure of 2 mbar. Chromium acetylacetonate was used as the chromium precursor and to select the temperature in nitrogen at which to use this precursor in the MOCVD apparatus, its mass loss as a function of temperature was determined with a thermobalance. The Cr2O3 films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. The isothermal oxidation behavior of Cr2O3 film coated carbon steel at 600 ºC in air was also determined using a thermogravimetric analyzer. The Cr2O3 thin film increased markedly the oxidation resistance of the steel.