Considerable progress has been made over the last decades in thermal spray technologies, practices and applications. However, like other technologies, they have to continuously evolve to meet new problems and market requirements. This article aims to identify the current challenges limiting the evolution of these technologies and to propose research directions and priorities to meet these challenges. It was prepared on the basis of a collection of short articles written by experts in thermal spray who were asked to present a snapshot of the current state of their specific field, give their views on current challenges faced by the field and provide some guidance as to the R&D required to meet these challenges. The article is divided in three sections that deal with the emerging thermal spray processes, coating properties and function, and biomedical, electronic, aerospace and energy generation applications.

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Thermal spray coatings from liquid feedstock such as suspensions and solution precursors have received increasing interest due to the unique coating properties obtainable by these processes. Several research groups are working on the basis of plasma as well as on high-velocity oxy-fuel approaches to manufacture advanced nanostructured and nanophased materials. These activities are reflected in various recent publications and conference presentations about feedstock preparation, equipment and process design, modeling techniques, in-process diagnostics, coating characterization, and emerging applications. This article will review these recent developments to give an up-to-date overview and to trace the current trends.

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Al 2 O 3 coatings were manufactured by the high-velocity suspension flame spraying (HVSFS) technique using a nanopowder suspension. Their structural and microstructural characteristics, micromechanical behavior, and tribological properties were studied and compared to conventional atmospheric plasma sprayed and high-velocity oxygen-fuel-sprayed Al 2 O 3 coatings manufactured using commercially available feedstock. The HVSFS process enables near full melting of the nanopowder particles, resulting in very small and well flattened lamellae (thickness range 100 nm to 1 lm), almost free of transverse microcracking, with very few unmelted inclusions. Thus, porosity is much lower and pores are smaller than in conventional coatings. Moreover, few interlamellar or intralamellar cracks exist, resulting in reduced pore interconnectivity (evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). Such strong interlamellar cohesion favors much better dry sliding wear resistance at room temperature and at 400°C.

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The high-velocity suspension flame spraying technique (HVSFS) was employed in order to deposit 45S5 bioactive glass coatings onto titanium substrates, using a suspension of micron-sized glass powders dispersed in a water + isopropanol mixture as feedstock. By modifying the process parameters, five coatings with different thickness and porosity were obtained. The coatings were entirely glassy but exhibited a through-thickness microstructural gradient, as the deposition mechanisms of the glass droplets changed at every torch cycle because of the increase in the system temperature during spraying. After soaking in simulated body fluid, all of the coatings were soon covered by a layer of hydroxyapatite; furthermore, the coatings exhibited no cytotoxicity and human osteosarcoma cells could adhere and proliferate well onto their surfaces. HVSFS-deposited 45S5 bioglass coatings are therefore highly bioactive and have potentials as replacement of conventional hydroxyapatite in order to favour osseointegration of dental and prosthetic implants.