Flame synthesis and characterization of TiO2 particles for the production of nanostructured coatings

This work reports a one-step method for the production of TiO2 nanoparticle coatings on aluminum alloys substrates. 5 nm diameter anatase nanoparticles have been synthesized by means of an Aerosol Flame Synthesis (AFS) system. A deposition system, constituted by a rotating disc, has been developed and operated to directly produce homogeneous nanostructured coatings by thermophoresis. Different coatings can be obtained by varying the total deposition time of the substrates. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) has been used to characterize the surface and the electrochemical behavior of the coatings. An improvement of the electrochemical properties due to the presence of nano-TiO2 coatings is demonstrated.