Thermal Oxidation of Heavily Deformed Zn Coatings Produced by Cold Spray and Formation of ZnO Nanowires

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is known for its rich diverse structures and has been attracting lots of attention for its broad unique mechanical and physical properties. It has been a material of interest in different areas such as optoelectronics, sensors and the general ceramic industry. It also has been a material of interest in biomedicine due to its antimicrobial characteristics and biocompatibility properties. By controlling the growth kinetics and mechanical properties of the raw zinc material, a wide range of ZnO nanostructures can be formed. The main objective of this study is to isolate and investigate the influence of severe plastic deformation of the native zinc material on the surface zinc oxide growth mechanisms and nanostructure characteristics. For this purpose, the cold spray process was used to produce zinc coatings using different feedstock powders that required different process parameters to obtain coatings with severely deformed zinc particles. A non-catalyst thermal oxidation method was used and the as-grown nanomaterial was investigated in detail using electron scanning microscopy, revealing the effect of the original feedstock powder, severe plastic deformation as well as the coating porosities on the oxidation deformation and growth characteristics of the ZnO nanostructures.