Direct Fabrication and Characterization of Zirconia Thick Coatings on Zirconium Hydride as a Hydrogen Permeation Barrier

The present work attempted to produce thick zirconia coatings formed by micro-arc oxidation as a hydrogen permeation barrier on zirconium hydride alloy. A novel multiphase zirconia coating was achieved, exhibiting superior hydrogen permeation barrier performance. The growth dynamics, formation mechanism, and phase evolution behavior of thick zirconia coatings were explored, and the hydrogen permeation barrier performance was evaluated by means of vacuum dehydrogenation experiment. The hydrogen desorption quantity was monitored by analyzing pressure changes with a quadruple mass spectrometer (QMS). Experimental results show that the multiphase coatings were composed of monoclinic ZrO₂ (m-ZrO₂), tetragonal ZrO₂ (t-ZrO₂), and a trace of cubic ZrO₂ (c-ZrO₂). The coatings were generally divided into a dense and uniform inner, intermediate layer, and a porous top layer. The quantitative analysis indicates an increased amount of m-ZrO₂ toward the coating surface and an increased amount of t-ZrO₂ toward the oxide/metal interface. This novel multiphase thick zirconia coating can noticeably improve hydrogen permeation resistance, and the permeation reduction factor (PRF) value is improved by nearly 13 times compared with bare zirconium hydride. It is demonstrated that hydrogen desorption is retarded to some extent in the presence of thick zirconia coating. Hydrogen desorption of the sample with ceramic coating started at 660 °C, which was apparently higher than that of the sample without coating.