LAUSR

Abstract The present work explores a magnetron sputtering route to deposit titanium oxide on MgO-ZrO 2 plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating at different substrate temperatures for purpose of exploring crystallographic orientation and thermo-optical performance. By employing a Ti target as a sputtering cathode, the effects of the substrate temperature on the composition, lattice orientation, solar absorptance and infrared emittance of the prepared coatings were investigated. The XRD results indicated that the coating was composed of srilankite(S)-TiO 2 , Mg-Ti-O and Zr-Ti-O composite oxides, as well as Magneli Ti n O 2n-1 phases belonging to substoichiometric oxides of titanium. Furthermore, lattice and crystal preferable orientation were seen to be influenced by the substrate temperature. The reduction of the solar absorptance after the sputtering process was attributed to the high refractive index of titanium oxides. The infrared emittance was increased first and then decreased with the increase of the substrate temperature. This variation can be theoretically deduced from the lattice vibration theory. This method presents a promising application prospect in satisfying different thermo-optical design requirements of the spacecraft.