The influence of rare earth oxide CeO_2 on microstructure and wear resistance of M_(80)S_(20) thermal sprayand thermal spray welding coatings is studied using optical microscope,scanning electron microscope,X-rayenergy dispersion spectroscope,X-ray diffractometer and wear testing machine.The results show that the addi-tion of 8% CeO_2 can improve the microstructure,microhardness and wear resistance of coatings significantly