In-depth analyses of the anti-oxidation behavior and structure of γ-TiAl alloys are of great significant for their maintenance and repair in engineering applications. In this work, fluorine-treated Ti-45Al-8.5Nb alloys and fluorine-treated oxidized specimens with artificial defects were prepared by isothermal oxidation treatment at 1000 °C. Several characterization methods, including SEM, EDS, XRD and TEM, were used to evaluate the surface microstructure of the fluorine-treated Ti-45Al-8.5Nb alloys and fluorine-treated oxidized specimens with artificial defects. The results indicate that the fluorine promoted the formation of an outer protective film of Al2O3, which significantly improved the oxidation resistance. The microcracks of oxidized specimens with the artificial defects provided a rapid diffusion passage for Ti and O elements during the 1000 °C/2 h isothermal oxidation treatment process, resulting in the quick growth of TiO2 toward the outside. The fine Al2O3 constituted a continuous film after the 1000 °C/100 h isothermal oxidation treatment. In particular, Al2O3 particles grew toward the substrate, which was ascribed to the good oxidation resistance and adhesion. These results may provide an approach for the repair of protective oxide film on the surface of blades and turbine disks based on γ-TiAl alloys.

The effects of Al and Mo elements on the microstructure and hardness of TNM TiAl alloys (Ti-43.5Al-4Nb-1Mo-0.1B) were studied by decreasing 0.5 at.% Mo and/or increasing 1.5 at.% Al. The results showed that the changed composition of the alloy had a slight influence on the morphology, but had important effects on the volume fraction, size, and composition of each phase. All the alloys had nearly full lamellar (NL) microstructures, with a few β_o phases at the boundaries of the colony or in the lamellar colony. The lamellar colony size and the lamellar spacing increased with the decrease in Mo and the increase in Al. The reduction in Mo content reduced the content of each phase in proportion, but the increase in Al content in the alloys led to the corresponding increase in Al content in the α₂ and γ phases. The hardness of the alloys decreased with the increase in Al content and the decrease in Mo content. This is mainly due to the increase in lamellar spacing caused by the change in composition. Therefore, the increased content of Al and decreased Mo content are unbeneficial for the microstructure. The relationship between the Vickers hardness and the lamellar spacing obeyed the Hall–Petch relationship.