SELECTING A SURFACE PREPARATION TREATMENT ON A MEDIUM ENTROPY Ti-Zr-Ta-Ag ALLOY

Abstract

All metallic alloys undergo some surface pretreatment before coating deposition. This preparation step influences the surface roughness and can also change the surface chemical composition, therefore influencing the coating adhesion and the physicochemical characteristics of the coated alloy. Choosing an appropriate surface pretreatment can maximize the coated alloys performances. In this work, we aimed to comparatively analyze the surface of the Ti-Zr-Ta-Ag alloy before and after two different surface pretreatments. The surface composition and morphology were investigated using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, while surface energy and mechanical properties were investigated using contact angle measurement and Vickers hardness test.