Titanium Oxide Coatings Deposited on MnZn Ferrite by a Molten Salt Reaction

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

1. In Results, the author stated that “there are no obvious impurities and other defects and also without pores” (for Fig. 2 and 3). However, from the picture, we can see a lot of pores and defects, especially in Fig. 3b we can clearly see many pores. Revise the figure or need explanation.
2. In Fig. 7, why there is no XRD pattern for 10 min, which is important to compare with that of 20 min.
3. Abbreviations for “SAD” should be given at the place where it comes first.
4. For Fig. 8 discussion, the author stated that “The morphology and structure of particles in the films were observed and analyzed by TEM. Fig. 8 (a) shows the TEM image of coating powder of the samples soaked in molten salt for 2 min”. Which one author used for TEM analysis, films or powder?
5. Figure 9 is typed as Figure 1 (for sheet resistance figure, Line 171)
6. After 10 min, there were no obvious changes (morphology, XRD, film thickness too) observed (for 20 min samples), author stated that after 10 min, it is saturated. Then why obvious changes/drops in sheet resistance after 10 min as shown in Fig.9.
7. Line 175, is it 103 Ω/□, or 103 KΩ/□,?

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Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

The present manuscript reports the technique of metallization on MnZn Ferrite surfaces and characterize the material for its structural properties. The manuscript lacks in signifying the novelty of the work. More emphasis should be done on addressing the the novelty of the work. The manuscript is interesting, but suffers from some shortcomings that must be addressed before publication in the Coatings can be recommended. 1. How the choice of molten salt to be used was made? Is that specific to the reaction that is being studied? Please specify. 2. Are there any other works in which such technique has been used for metallization over MnZn Ferrite surfaces? Please compare your work with other published works. Parameters such as sheet resistance and sheet thickness should be compared. 3. The authors mention that “In order to strengthen the adhesion of MnZn ferrite in electronic components, with metal electrodes, surface metallization is required.” However, no such report on the strength of the Ti film formed is reported. Experimental results focusing on the strength of the film should be included here. 4. Will a change in temperature (higher or lower) affect the thickness of the Ti film and the formation of the intermediate TiO2 phase? Moreover, the reaction is done at 850 oC, however, the G value is calculated at 800 C. Explain. 5. Please check for English and typos/grammar mistakes.

Author Response

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Reviewer 3 Report

1. The authors use term "metallization" and, actually, they tried to cover the MnZn ferrite by titanium metal. However the resulting coatings consisted of  Ti oxides, thus the term "metallization" is not appropriate. Therefore, the article title and any mentions of the process in the text should be corrected.

2. The abstract is not written very well. The authors should indicate the composition of the melt and reagents so that readers can understand what the article is about.  Also the electrical conductivity is related to "concentration of Ti2O3 in the film", however this is not studied in the work. The authors report that either TiO2 or Ti2O3 is formed on the surface, depending on the conditions, but not a mixture of them.

3. The authors should compare the sheet resistance of the samples with values reported previously in the literature for Ti oxide films.

4. Some minor issues:

• page 2, line 58: wt or mol %?
• page 6, line 171: Figure number is incorrect.
• page 6, lines 168 and 175: The values 103 kΩ/sqr and 103 Ω/sqr seem to be incorrect according to Fig.9.
• Grammar check is needed.

Author Response

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Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Revised manuscript addressed all the queries raised by the reviewers.