In this paper a numerical simulation of a planar DC magnetron discharge is performed with the Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC/MCC) method. The magnetic field used in the simulation is calculated with finite element method according to experimental configuration. The simulation is carried out under the condition of gas pressure of 0.665 Pa and voltage magnitude of 400V. Typical results such as the potential distribution, charged particle densities, the discharge current density and ion flux onto the target are calculated. The erosion profile from the simulation is compared with the experimental data. The maximum erosion position corresponds to the place where the magnetic field lines are parallel to the target surface.

Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is a well-established method to fabricate coatings. Since the coatings are piled up with splat, the morphology of splats is of significant importance for the microstructure and performance of coatings deposited by APS. In the current review, the influences of parameters in spraying processes on formation of splats were divided into three categories, namely the droplet-related factors, substrate-related factors and environmental-related factors. The influence of above mentioned factors on morphology of splats were systematically introduced. Among them, effect of powder size and substrates preheating were emphatically discussed. Future research direction was also pointed out based on the reviewed literature in this paper.