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Protection of Silver‐Based Alloys from Tarnishing by Means of Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
Author(s) -
d'Agostino Riccardo,
Fracassi Francesco,
Palumbo Fabio,
Angelini Emma,
Grassini Sabrina,
Rosalbino Francesco
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.200400031
Subject(s) - plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , materials science , alloy , scanning electron microscope , chemical vapor deposition , analytical chemistry (journal) , oxygen , plasma , chemical engineering , metallurgy , composite material , nanotechnology , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary: SiO 2 ‐like coatings have been deposited onto silver‐based alloys by means of plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) fed with a tetraethoxysilane/oxygen mixture in order to study their capability to protect the alloys from tarnishing. Chemical and morphological characterization of the coatings has been carried out by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared absorption spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, while tarnishing susceptibility has been evaluated by means of visual inspection after intermittent immersions in Na 2 S solution at room temperature. It has been found that coatings deposited from oxygen‐rich mixtures at high input power are characterized by excellent protective properties.An Ag90Cu10 alloy sample after 24 h of immersion in 0.1 M Na 2 S solution having been coated with a 900 nm PECVD SiO x film after H 2 ‐plasma treatment.