Study on the structure and properties of ZrO2 buffer layers on stainless steel by XRD, IR and AES

ZrO2 buffer layers were successfully dip-coated on stainless steel (SS) foils via a sol±gel process, using 30 mol% SiO2 as a stabilizing agent and zirconyl chloride octahydrate (ZrOCl2 8H2O) as the precursor. The buffer layer was characterized by Xray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The introduction of SiO2 retarded ZrO2 phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic. The normal emittances of the Au/ZrO2/SS foils before and after heat-treatment in air at 8508C are 0.038 and 0.043, respectively. The ZrO2 buffer layer effectively suppresses interdiffusion between the gold ®lm and the SS substrate at high temperature. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.