Multiple-Response Optimization of Aluminum Oxide Nanocoating Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition Using Taguchi Design

Abstract

In this work, an aluminum oxide nanocoating was prepared using the pulsed laser deposition technique to study the properties of the coating and to find the optimal conditions to achieve the highest quality of the aluminum oxide nanocoating. The structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the aluminum oxide nanocoatings were alpha phase polycrystalline structures. The surface topography was studied using atomic force microscopy. The surface topography showed that the average surface roughness ranged from 1.26 nm to 7 nm. The optical properties were studied using a UV-VIS spectrometer. It showed the energy gap within the range 4.09 eV to 3.98 eV. The hardness of the aluminum oxide nanocoatings were calculated using the nanoindentation technique and found within the range of 32.79 GPa to 10.41 GPa. According to the present work, the effect of the input parameters represented by the pulse energy and the number of pulses on the responses represented by the energy gap, hardness, and surface roughness were studied. The experiments were designed based on the L9 orthogonal array with the Taguchi approach. A multiple responsive optimizations of Takeuchi's design was done using the desirability function.