Titanium and its alloys are often used for corrosion protection because they are able to
offer high chemical resistance against various corrosive media. In this paper, shrouded plasma spray
technology was applied to produce titanium coatings. A solid shroud with an external shrouding
gas was used to plasma spray titanium powder feedstock with aim of reducing the oxide content
in the as-sprayed coatings. The titanium coatings were assessed by optical microscope, scanning
electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, LECO combustion method and Vickers microhardness testing.
The results showed that the presence of the shroud and the external shrouding gas led to a dense
microstructure with a low porosity in the plasma-sprayed titanium coatings. The oxygen and nitrogen
contents in the titanium coating were kept at a low level due to the shielding effect of the shroud
attachment and the external shrouding gas. The dominant phase in the shrouded titanium coatings
was mainly composed of α-Ti phase, which was very similar to the titanium feedstock powders.
The shrouded plasma-sprayed titanium coatings had a Vickers microhardness of 404.2 ± 103.2 HV.