Low pressure cold spraying of TiO2 on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

The deposition mechanism of low-pressure cold spraying of ceramics on polymeric substrates is still unclear. In the presented study titanium dioxide powders were self-synthesized on the sol-gel route and deposited on ABS polymer by low pressure cold spraying. Three variants of powders that differ in the structure were prepared: amorphous powder, anatase, and the mixture of them. The hard crystalline anatase particles, formed by the sintering of amorphous powder, penetrate the polymer mainly via aggregates fragmentation. As a result of delivering excessive energy, the polymer and coating are subjected to erosion. Increasing the working gas temperature or substrate pretreatment via grit-blasting only reduces deposition efficiency. The use of soft amorphous titanium dioxide agglomerates, an example of soft ceramics containing several pores, are characterized by relatively lower energy, allows to reduce the erosion of the substrate, and leads to the satisfactory coating of the untreated substrate material. After all, the performed analysis of topography and cross-sections shows that the highest deposition efficiency was obtained by using a lower working gas temperature (200 degrees C) and this applies to all types of used powers.

Automated summary

The study investigated the deposition mechanism of self-synthesized titanium dioxide powders on ABS polymer by low-pressure cold spraying. It was found that using soft amorphous titanium dioxide agglomerates can reduce erosion of the substrate and provide a satisfactory coating. Additionally, the results showed that the highest deposition efficiency was achieved by using a lower working gas temperature in all types of used powders.