LAUSR

Abstract Superhard titania coatings were prepared by high-temperature oxidation of commercially pure (cp) titanium using induction heat treatment (IHT). IHT was performed at the temperatures in the range of 850–1300 °C for 1–300 s in air atmosphere. According to the results of energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro- and nanoindentation tests, titania coatings with submicron crystals characterized by high hardness H = 52–65 GPa, plasticity index H/E = 0.1–0.13, and brittle fracture resistance H3/E2 = 0.55–1.09 GPa were formed on cp-Ti due to IHT at T = 1200–1250 °C and exposure duration t = 3–5 s. The resulting TiO2 coatings indicate that there is a possibility for creating superhard materials using high-temperature conditions for the growth of crystals at the atmospheric pressure of air.