Preparation and characterization of SiO2 non-catalytic nucleation coating for the solidification of undercooled melt

SiO2 non-catalytic nucleation films were coated onto a ceramic substrate and the inner surface of a ceramic crucible by the Sol-Gel method. The surface morphology of the coatings was characterized with an atomic force microscope and a scanning electronic microscope. The non-catalytic effect of the coating on the heterogeneous nucleation of metal melts was tested through measuring the nucleation undercooling. Investigation results indicated that the prepared coating could act as a baffle-wall to prevent the metal melt from nucleating heterogeneously on the inner surface of the crystalline crucible. The tiny holes with a diameter below 2 μm and heaves on the coating surface have no evident effect on the undercooling of metal melts. For a poly-layer coating, the super-layer can cover the cracks in the sub-layers, which prevents the cracks in the coating from spreading in the direction vertical to the coating layers and thus eliminates the effect of cracks on the coating.     

In situ synthesis of Fe-based alloy clad coatings containing TiB_2–TiN –(h-BN)

Fe-based alloy coatings containing TiB2–TiN –(h-BN) were synthesized in situ on Q235 steel substrates by a plasma cladding process using the powders of Fe901 alloy, Ti, and h-BN as raw materials. The effects of Ti/h-BN mass ratio on interfacial bonds between the coating and substrate along with the microstructures and microhardnesses of the coatings were investigated. The results show that the Ti/h-BN mass ratio is a vital factor in the formation of the coatings. Free h-BN can be introduced into the coatings by adding an excess amount of h-BN into the precursor. Decreases in the Ti/h-BN mass ratio improve the microstructural uniformity and compactness and enhance the interfacial bonds of the coatings. At a Ti/h-BN mass ratio of 10/20, the coating is free of cracks and micropores, and mainly consists of Fe-Cr, Fe3B, TiB2, TiN, Ti2N, TiB, FeN, FeB, Fe2B, and h-BN phases. Its average microhardness in the zone between 0.1–2.8 mm from the coating surface is about Hv0.2 551.5.     

Effect of pickling processes on the microstructure and properties of electroless Ni–P coating on Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloy

The electroless plating Ni–P is prepared on the surface of Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloys with different pickling processes.The microstructure and properties of Ni–P coating are investigated.The results show that the Ni–P coatings deposited using the different pickling processes have a different high phosphorus content amorphous Ni–P solid solution structure,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit higher hardness.There is higher phosphorus content of Ni–P amorphous coating using 125 g/L Cr O3and 110 ml/L HNO3(w68%)than using 180 g/L Cr O3and 1 g/L KF during pre-treatment,and the coating structure is more compact,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit more excellent adhesion with substrate(Fcup to22 N).The corrosion potential of Ni–P coating is improved and exhibits good corrosion resistance.As a result,Mg-7.5Li-2Zn-1Y alloy is remarkably protected by the Ni–P coating.     

Predicting Interdiffusion in High Temperature Coatings

Introduction When high temperature coatings interdiffuse with their underlying substrate, the changes in composition can reduce the life of a part either by reducing the oxida- tion resistance of the coating or by compromising the mechanical properties of the coating and/or substrate. In such cases, interdiffusion predictions can be equated to life-time predictions. Interdiffusion can be predicted using various meth- ods depending on the accuracy needed and the data- bases available. Of these,…     

Cathodic micro-arc electrodeposition of yttrium stabilized zirconia （YSZ） coatings on FeCrAI alloy

The formation of ceramic coatings on metal substrate by cathodic electrolytic deposition (CELD) has received more attention in recent years. But only thin filmscan be prepared via CELD. Yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic coatings were deposited on FeCrAI alloy by a novel technique--cathodic micro-arc electrodeposition (CMED).The result shows that, when a high pulse electric field is applied to the cathode which was pre-deposited with a thin YSZ film, dielectric breakdown occurs and micro-arc discharges appear. Coatings with reasonably thickness of-300μm and crystalline structure can be deposited on the cathode by utilizing the energy of the micro-arc. The thickness of the as-deposited coating is dominated by the voltage and the frequency. Y2O3 is co-deposited with ZrO2 when Y(NO3)3 was added to the electrolyte, which stabilize t-phase, t′-phase and c-phase of ZrO2 at room temperature. The amount of the m-ZrO2 in the coating is diminished by increasing the concentration of Y(NO3)3 in the electrolyte.This report describes the processing of CMED and studies the microstructure of the deposited YSZ coatings.     

Bonding strength of graded anti-corrosive coatings of fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP)/polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)

Fluororesin-based anti-corrosive coatings including graded FEP/PPS were prepared on carbon steel by melt powder coating, the bonding strength of all coating systems was determined by the pull-off test. It is found that the poor adhesion of fluororesin coatings to metallic substrates is improved obviously by the graded coating structure of FEP/PPS, and the bonding strength reaches up to 11.8 MPa for the five-layer system. Examination by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) verifies that the distribution of main components is graded in the five-layer system, which is responsible for the enhancement of the interfacial bonding.     

Effect of magnesium and nickel coatings on the wetting behavior of alumina toughened zirconia by molten Al-Mg alloy

The wettability of alumina toughened zirconia (ZTA) by Al-Mg alloy was investigated using the sessile drop technique. The effects of nickel coating, magnesium content, nitrogen atmosphere, and processing temperature on the contact angle between the molten alloy and the substrate were determined. Likewise, the effect of these factors on the wetting properties was studied. The results showed that the nickel coating on the ceramic substrate caused a significant reduction in solid/liquid surface energy and the contact angle decreased obviously. The presence of magnesium in the molten aluminum alloy in nitrogen atmosphere reduced the contact angle effectively. The presence of magnesium in the alloy must be at a minimum amount of 2wt%-3wt%. Moreover, it was suggested that some chemical reactions in the Al-Mg-N system led to the production of Mg₃N₂ and AlN compositions. These compositions improved the wetting properties of the systems by reducing the surface energy of the molten. It was shown that increasing the temperature is also an effective factor for the enhancement of wetting properties.     

PLGA/硬石复合涂层镁基纳米复合材料在植入应用时的体外生物活性和腐蚀行为

A type of polymer/ceramic coating was introduced on a magnesium-based nanocomposite, and the nanocomposite was evaluated for implant applications. The microstructure, corrosion, and bioactivity of the coated and uncoated samples were assessed. Mechanical alloying followed by sintering was applied to fabricate the Mg–3Zn–0.5Ag–15NiTi nanocomposite substrate. Moreover, different contents of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) coatings were studied, and 10wt% of PLGA content was selected. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the bulk nanocomposite showed an acceptable homogenous dispersion of the NiTi nanoparticles (NPs) in the Mg-based matrix. In the in vitro bioactivity evaluation, following the immersion of the uncoated and coated samples in a simulated body fluid (SBF) solution, the Ca/P atomic ratio demonstrated that the apatite formation amount on the coated sample was greater than that on the uncoated nanocomposite. Furthermore, assessing the corrosion resistance indicated that the coatings on the Mg-based substrate led to a corrosion current density (i_corr) that was considerably lower than that of the substrate. Such a condition revealed that the coating would provide an obstacle for the corrosion. Based on this study, the PLGA/hardystonite (HT) composite-coated Mg–3Zn–0.5Ag–15NiTi nanocomposite may be suitably applied as an orthopedic implant biomaterial.     

Effect of Electrospark Alloying Process on Microstructure and Properties of the coating

Using electrospark alloying machine, a series of experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of electrospark surface strengthening process on the microstructure and the properties of the coatings with ultrafine cemented carbide as electrode material and white cast iron as substrate material. The results indicated that the optimum process parameters to be used reached a satisfying coating surface. Wear test results showed the coatings had a high wear-resistance.     

Acoustic band gaps of two-dimensional three-component composite

Numerical analyses of the band-gaps in the two-dimensional three-component periodic composite are presented in this paper. The three-component composite is composed of an array of coated cylinders embedded in a resin. The coated cylinder consists of a hard inner core and a soft coating, which has much smaller wave velocity and mass density than the matrix and the inner material. The calculated band gaps appear in a lower frequency domain in contrast to the two-component counterpart composite because of the localized resonance in the elastically soft coating ring. The influence of the properties of the different coating materials and the geometry of the crystal on the band gaps is also investigated.     

Superior corrosion resistance-dependent laser energy density in(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 high entropy alloy coating fabricated by laser cladding

(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 high entropy alloy(HEA)coatings were successfully fabricated on a substrate of Q235 steel by laser cladding technology.These(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coatings possess excellent properties,particularly corrosion resistance,which is clearly superior to that of some typical bulk HEA and common engineering alloys.In order to obtain appropriate laser cladding preparation process parameters,the effects of laser energy density on the microstructure,microhardness,and corrosion resistance of(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating were closely studied.Results showed that as the laser energy density increases,precipitation of the Laves phase in(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coating gradually decreases,and diffusion of the Fe element in the substrate intensifies,affecting the integrity of the(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA.This decreases the microhardness of(CoCrFeNi)95Nb5 HEA coatings.Moreover,the relative content of Cr2O3,Cr(OH)3,and Nb2O5 in the surface passive film of the coating decreases with increasing energy density,causing corrosion resistance to decrease.This study demonstrates the controllability of a high-performance HEA coating using laser cladding technology,which has significance for the laser cladding preparation of other CoCrFeNi-system HEA coatings.     

Study on Technology and Properties of Brush Plating Coatings

A new brush plating process with a soluble anode of nickel was introduced. TDY112 brush plating solution was used on the No. 20 carbon steel substrate. It has the higher deposit velocity, better properties and lower cost. Scanning electronic microscopy(SEM), optical microscope, microhardness testand wear test were adopted to detect the surface quality and the properties of the coating, such has micrograph, microstructure, micro-hardness wear resistance and adherence between the coating and the substrate. The experimental results showed that the suitable technological parameters to be used, the coatings had better the surface quality, higher hardness and wear resistance.     

Tribological behavior of Cr N-coated Cr–Mo–V steels used as die materials

DIN 1.2343 and 1.2367 steels are commonly used as die materials in aluminum extrusion, and single/duplex/multi-coatings enhance their surface properties. The design of an appropriate substrate/coating system is important for improving the tribological performance of these steels under service conditions because the load-carrying capacity of the system can be increased by decreasing the plastic deformation of the substrate. In this study, the tribological behavior of CrN-coated Cr–Mo–V steels(DIN 1.2343, 1.2367, and 1.2999 grades) was investigated using different setups and tribological pairs at room and elevated temperatures. The aim of this study was to reveal the wear resistance of a suggested system(1.2999/CrN) not yet studied and to understand both the wear and the failure characteristics of coated systems. The results showed that(i) among the steels studied, the DIN 1.2999 grade steel exhibited the lowest friction coefficient because it had the highest load-carrying capacity as a result of secondary hardening at elevated temperatures;(ii) at room temperature, both abrasive tracks and adhesive layers were observed on the worn surfaces; and(iii) a combination of chemical reactions and progressive oxidation caused aluminum adhesion on the worn surface, and the detachment of droplets and microcracking were the characteristic damage mechanisms at high temperatures.     

Corrosion behavior of Ni–P/nano-TiC composite coating prepared in electroless baths containing different types of surfactant

In current research, in order to enhance the incorporation of nano-sized TiC particles into electroless Ni–P (EN) coating, different types of surfactant (cationic, anionic, and polymeric) were added to the plating bath. The effects of addition of the surfactants on surface morphology, deposition rate, TiC and P contents of the prepared coatings were investigated. The surface morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was demonstrated that in the presence of the anionic, polymeric and somehow cationic surfactants, TiC nano-particles were embedded in the matrix which influenced the surface morphology. The effect of surfactant types on the corrosion properties of Ni–P/TiC coated steel was also studied. Corrosion behavior of the coated steel was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) which affected by the incorporation of TiC particles into the Ni–P matrix. The level of corrosion resistance improvement depended largely on the phosphorous and TiC concentration of the applied coating.     

Abrasive wear behavior of cast iron coatings plasma-sprayed at different mild steel substrate temperatures

Three kinds of cast iron coatings were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. During the spraying, the mild steel substrate temperature was controlled to be averagely 50, 180, and 240℃, respectively. Abrasive wear tests were conducted on the coatings under a dry friction condition. It is found that the abrasive wear resistance is enhanced with the substrate temperature increasing. SEM observations show that the wear losses of the coatings during the wear tests mainly result from the spalling of the splats. Furthermore, the improved wear resistance of the coatings mainly owes to the formation of oxides and the enhancement in the mechanical properties with the substrate temperature increasing.     

Microstructure and properties of high emissivity coatings

A new coating on lining in industrial furnace for energy saving has been developed. Properties and microstructure of the coatings were revealed by emissivity instrument,X-ray diffraction (XRD),transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM),respectively. The result indicates that the emissivity of coatings is higher than 0.90 and the thickness of coatings is about 200 μm. ZrO₂,Cr₂O₃ and SiC in the coating benefit practical applications of coatings at high temperature with durable high emissivity and the continuous structure between the coatings and the substrate makes the coatings high cohesion and excellent adhesion for both specimens with and without sintering at high temperature. Result from laboratory experiment shows that the heating speed of specimen with coating is higher than that of controlled specimen and the temperature increases 30℃ during the heating. The average temperature drop of specimen with coatings has a 13.5% improvement in the cooling speed. The application of coatings on the checker brick in a blast furnace of 1750m3 indicates that the coating causes the blast temperature to an average increase of 28℃,reduces the fluctuation of blast temperature before the blowing-in and leads to a fuel saving of 10% approximately.     

Relative damage stress and its application in the case of temperature cycling load

Void damage is the main failure characteristics of constrained ductile metal foil. In order to evaluate the mechanical response of ductile metal under different temperatures, the concept of equivalent damage stress proposed by Lemaitre is modified by temperature normalization. A new concept of relative damage stress is advanced, and in the light of this concept, a reasonable explanation is given to the thermal fatigue life data of solder joints under temperature cycling.     

Corrosion mechanism of micro-arc oxidation treated biocompatible AZ31 magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid

The rapid degradation of magnesium(Mg) based alloys has prevented their further use in orthopedic trauma fixation and vascular intervention,and therefore it is essential to investigate the corrosion mechanism for improving the corrosion resistance of these alloys. In this work, the effect of applied voltage on the surface morphology and the corrosion behavior of micro-arc oxidation(MAO) with different voltages were carried out to obtain biocompatible ceramic coatings on AZ31 Mg alloy. The effects of applied voltage on the surface morphology and the corrosion behavior of MAO samples in the simulated body fluid(SBF) were studied systematically. Scanning electron microscope(SEM) and X-ray diffractometer(XRD)were employed to characterize the morphologies and phase compositions of coating before and after corrosion. The results showed that corrosion resistance of the MAO coating obtained at 250 V was better than the others in SBF. The dense layer of MAO coating and the corrosion precipitation were the key factors for corrosion behavior. The corrosion of precipitation Mg(OH)2and the calcium phosphate(Ca–P) minerals on the surface of MAO coatings could enhance their corrosion resistance effectively. In addition, the mechanism of MAO coated Mg alloys was proposed.     

Preface： Advanced Thin Film Developments and Nano Structures

In this special issue, we invited a few leading materials researchers to present topics in thin films, coatings, and nano structures. Readers will find most recent developments in topics, including recent advances in hard, tough, and low friction nanocomposite coatings; thin films for coating nanomaterials; electroless plating of silver thin films on porous Al2O3 substrate; CrN/Nano Cr interlayer coatings; nano-structured carbide derived carbon （CDC） films and their tribology; predicting interdiffusion in high-temperature coatings; gallium-catalyzed silica nanowire growth; and corrosion protection properties of organofunctional silanes. Authors are from both national laboratories and academia.     

Fatigue characteristics and microcosmic mechanism of Al-Si-Mg alloys under multiaxial proportional loadings

With the increasing use of Al-Si-Mg alloys in the automotive industry, the fatigue performance of Al-Si-Mg alloy has become a major concern with regard to their reliability. The fatigue characteristics and microcosmic mechanism of an Al-Si-Mg alloy under multiaxial proportional loadings were investigated in this research. As low cycle fatigue life and material strengthening behavior are closely related, the effect of equivalent strain amplitude on the multiaxial fatigue properties was analyzed. Fatigue tests were conducted to determine the influence of equivalent strain amplitude on the multiaxial proportional fatigue properties. The fatigue life exhibits a stable behavior under multiaxial proportional loadings. The dislocation structures of the Al-Si-Mg alloy were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dislocation structure evolution of the Al-Si-Mg alloy under multiaxial proportional loadings during low cycle fatigue develops step by step by increasing fatigue cycles. Simultaneously, the dislocation structure changes with the change in equivalent strain amplitude under multiaxial proportional loadings. The experimental evidence indicates that the multiaxial fatigue behavior and life are strongly dependent on the microstructure of the material, which is caused by multiaxial proportional loadings.