In recent years, the MoO 3 in different morphologies and phases have attracted
attention due to their physical and chemical properties, mainly in the form of thin
films. In this study„ we present the growth of thin films of molybdenum trioxide
on AISI 316 steel using the cathodic cage plasma deposition (CCPD) technique
at low temperature, in fluctuating potential and with a variation of the gas flow,
argon and oxygen. Our study revealed, for the first time that the films deposited
under 50:50 (50 sccm Ar/50 sccm O 2 ) and 80:20 (80 sccm Ar/20 sccm O 2 )
gases composition crystallized in the orthorhombic phase (α-MoO 3 ), without
secondary phases and with a thickness of 4,7μm and 2,5μm, respectively. The
80:20 sample had a higher roughness and consequently a larger grain. Vickers
microhardness measurements show that low-temperature plasma deposition
maximizes the surface hardness of AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel
(80:20–545 HV/50:50–465 HV/AISI 316–187 HV) with excellent adhesion,
classified as HF1, with nos cracks or detachment regions, which indicates a
good level of plasticity of the films.