Characterization of VPS-W coating layers on molybdenum after heat exposure

Tungsten (W) coating layers were successfully deposited using a vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) technique on a molybdenum (Mo) substrate. Tungsten powder with a median size of 10 μm was applied to prepare coatings via a plasma spray system. For the VPS process, argon and hydrogen were used as plasma-forming gases, and the coatings were deposited in 35 mbar vacuum pressure. A coating with a thickness of 300 μm was obtained, and some unmelted W powders were observed in the coating layer. This heat exposure experiment was performed in a sapphire crystal growing furnace at 2100 °C up to 110 h. After heat exposure, the VPS-W coating layers were soundly bonded with the Mo substrate due to the interdiffusion between W and Mo.