Effects of Surface Preparation Techniques on the Adhesion of Tantalum Sputtered Coatings
Abstract
Oxalic acid brighteners are environmentally friendly and used commercially for metal and wood brightening, as well as for the removal of rust on household items (i.e., bathtubs, sinks, dishwashers). This study demonstrated that the prepared solution can be employed as a mild etchant for gun steel. Micro-scratch adhesion tests suggest that oxalic acid etching can improve the adhesion strength of a sputtered tantalum coating to steel. A potential advantage of this benign acid treatment would be the replacement of current electropolishing processes, which utilize acids (i.e., phosphoric, sulfuric, hydrochloric) to prepare the surface of gun steel prior to electro-plating. The use of these highly corrosive and toxic acids leads to high costs of hazardous material maintenance, cleanup, and disposal.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA419317
Entities
People
- Aisha Bishop
- Christopher P. Mulligan
Organizations
- United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center