Cu-Zn-Al2O3 nanocomposites:study of microstructure,corrosion,and wear properties

Alumina nanoparticles were added to a Cu-Zn alloy to investigate their effect on the microstructural, tribological, and corrosion properties of the prepared alloys. Alloying was performed using a mixture of copper and zinc powders with 0vol% and 5vol% of α-Al nanopowder in a satellite ball mill. The results showed that the Cu-Zn solid solution formed after 18 h of mechanical alloying. The mechanically alloyed powder was compacted followed by sintering of the obtained green compacts at 750℃ for 30 min. Alumina nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the matrix of the Cu-Zn alloy. The tribological properties were evaluated by pin-on-disk wear tests, which revealed that, upon the addition of alumina nanoparticles, the coefficient of friction and the wear rate were reduced to 20% and 40%, respectively. The corrosion properties of the samples exposed to a 3.5wt% NaCl solution were studied using the immersion and potentiodynamic polarization methods, which revealed that the addition of alumina nanoparticles reduced the corrosion current of the nanocomposite by 90%.     

Corrosion behavior of as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloy in 3.5wt% NaCl solution

Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys (x = 0.5wt%, 1.0wt%, and 1.5wt%) were prepared through a casting route in an electric resistance furnace under a controlled atmosphere. The cast alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys were studied under salt spray tests in 3.5wt% NaCl solution at 35°C, in accordance with standard ASTM B–117, in conjunction with potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) tests. The results show that the addition of Ce to Mg–8Li–3Al (LA83) alloy results in the formation of Al₂Ce intermetallic phase, refines both the α-Mg phase and the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallic phase, and then increases the microhardness of the alloys. The results of PDP and salt spray tests reveal that an increase in Ce content to 1.5wt% decreases the corrosion rate. The best corrosion resistance is observed for the LA83 alloy sample with 1.0wt% Ce.     

Comparative study on the corrosion behavior of X52, 3Cr,and 13Cr steel in an O2-H2O-CO2 system:products,reaction kinetics,and pitting sensitivity

The corrosion behaviors of X52, 3Cr low-alloy steel, and 13Cr stainless steel were investigated in an O₂-H₂O-CO₂ environment at various temperatures and O₂-CO₂ partial-pressure ratios. The results showed that the corrosion rates of X52, 3Cr, and 13Cr steels increased with increasing temperature. The corrosion rates slowly increased at temperatures less than 100℃ and increased sharply when the temperature exceeded 100℃. In the absence of O₂, X52, 3Cr, and 13Cr exhibited uniform corrosion morphology and FeCO₃ was the main corrosion product. When O₂ was introduced into the system, various forms of Fe₂O₃ appeared on the surface of the samples. The Cr content strongly influenced the corrosion resistance. The 3Cr steel with a low Cr content was more sensitive to pitting than the X52 or 13Cr steel. Thus, pitting occurred on the surface of 3Cr when 1.25 MPa of O₂ was added; this phenomenon is related to the non-uniform distribution of Cr in 3Cr.     

Glass-forming ability,microhardness, corrosion resistance,and dealloying treatment of Mg60-xCu40Ndx alloy ribbons

The influence of Nd addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA), microhardness, and corrosion resistance of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, at%) alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, Vickers-type hardness tests, and electrochemical methods. The results suggest that the GFA and microhardness of the amorphous alloys increase until the Nd content reaches 20at%. The corrosion potential and corrosion current density obtained from the Tafel curves indicate that the Mg₃₅Cu₄₀Nd₂₅ ternary alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance among the investigated alloys. Notably, nanoporous copper (NPC) was synthesized through a single-step dealloying of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) ternary alloys in 0.04 mol·L-1 H₂SO₄ solution under free corrosion conditions. The influence of dealloying process parameters, such as dealloying time and temperature, on the microstructure of the ribbons was also studied using the surface diffusivity theory. The formation mechanism of dealloyed samples with a multilayered structure was also discussed.     

Effect of Al2O3 and Y2O3 on the corrosion behavior of ZrO2-benzotriazole nanostructured coatings applied on AA2024 via a sol-gel method

zirconia-based nanostructured coatings were deposited on AA2024 to improve the corrosion resistance properties. Three different nanostructured coatings, namely, zirconia-benzotriazole, zirconia-alumina-benzotriazole, and zirconia-yttria-benzotriazole, were applied on AA2024 via a sol-gel method using the dip-coating technique. Next, the coatings were annealed at 150℃ after each dipping period. The phases and morphologies of the coatings were investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion properties were evaluated using electrochemical methods, including polarization and electrochemical impedance techniques in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. The obtained results confirm the formation of homogeneous and crack free zirconia-benzotriazole-based nanostructured coatings. The average roughness values for zirconia-benzotriazole, zirconia-alumina-benzotriazole, and zirconia-yttria-benzotriazole nanostructured coatings were 30, 8, and 6 nm, respectively. The presence of alumina as a stabilizer on zirconia coating was found to have a beneficial impact on the stability of the corrosion resistance for different immersion times. In fact, the addition of alumina resulted in the dominance of the healing behavior in competition with the corrosion process of zirconia-benzotriazole nanostructured coating.     

Relationship between the specific surface area of rust and the electrochemical behavior of rusted steel in a wet-dry acid corrosion environment

The relationship between the specific surface area (SSA) of rust and the electrochemical behavior of rusted steel under wet-dry acid corrosion conditions was investigated. The results showed that the corrosion current density first increased and then decreased with increasing SSA of the rust during the corrosion process. The structure of the rust changed from single-layer to double-layer, and the γ-FeOOH content decreased in the inner layer of the rust with increasing corrosion time; by contrast, the γ-FeOOH content in the outer layer was constant. When the SSA of the rust was lower than the critical SSA corresponding to the relative humidity during the drying period, condensed water in the micropores of the rust could evaporate, which prompted the diffusion of O₂ into the rust and the following formation process of γ-FeOOH, leading to an increase of corrosion current density with increasing corrosion time. However, when the SSA of the rust reached or exceeded the critical SSA, condensate water in the micro-pores of the inner layer of the rust could not evaporate which inhibited the diffusion of O₂ and decreased the γ-FeOOH content in the inner rust, leading to a decrease of corrosion current density with increasing corrosion time.     

Effects of HNO3 concentration on the pit morphologies of aluminum foil etched in HNO3–HCl and HNO3–H2SO4–HCl solutions

In this work, the effects of HNO₃ concentration on the pit morphologies of high-cubic-texture aluminum foil etched in HNO₃–HCl and HNO₃–H₂SO₄–HCl solutions were investigated. When the aluminum foil was etched in HNO₃–HCl solutions, the morphologies of pits transformed from irregular tunnels to typical tunnels (as inverted pyramids) and shallow cuboids as the HNO₃ concentration in the etchant solution was increased. However, as the HCl concentration in the etchant solution was increased, the morphologies of pits transformed from shallow cuboids to typical tunnels (as inverted pyramids) and irregular tunnels. When the aluminum foil was etched in n N HNO₃–(7.2?n) N H₂SO₄–0.8 N HCl solutions, the morphologies of the pits transformed from typical tunnels (i.e., the number of sub-tunnels formed on the main tunnels increased) to irregular tunnels (corrugated tunnels and polyline tunnels) as the HNO₃ concentration in the etchant solution was increased. These effects are attributed primarily to corrosion on the (100) and (010) faces of pits being accelerated and to the (001) faces being prone to passivation to different degrees when various concentrations of HNO₃ are added to the etchant solutions.     

Catalytic oxidation of phenol in wastewater-A new application of the amorphous Fe78Si9B13 alloy

The amorphous Fe78Si9B13 alloy was used as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst in the process of phenol degradation.The influences of main operating parameters such as reaction temperature,catalyst amount,hydrogen peroxide dosage and initial pH of solution on phenol degradation rate were investigated.The maximum mineralization of phenol was achieved at 60°C,6 g/L Fe78Si9B13, 0.31 mol/L hydrogen peroxide,with an initial pH of 2.5.More than 99%of phenol was completely removed under the optimum conditions within 10 min for a solution containing 1000 mg/L of phenol.Batch experiments for solutions containing phenol con- centrations ranging from 50 to 2000 mg/L were investigated under the above conditions and the same excellent degradation rate was obtained.The Fe78Si9B13 showed better catalytic activity than iron powder and Fe 2+ .Addition of n-butannol(hydroxyl radical scavenger)decreased the degradation rate of phenol,which demonstrates that hydroxyl radicals were mainly responsible for the removal of phenol.We demonstrated that phenol may be degraded by hydroxyl radicals decomposed by hydrogen peroxide on the surface of Fe78Si9B13 and illustrated the reaction mechanism for this process.This amorphous alloy exhibited high stability in recycling experiments and showed excellent reuse performance even after continuous operations of 8 cycles.     

Acidic catalysis of microporous polyoxometalate H3PW12O40/Sio2 in acetal reaction between benzaldehyde and ethylene glycol

Microporous Keggin-type polyoxometalate material was synthesised by supporting H3PW12O40 into a silica matrix via a sol-gel technique. The silica-supported 12-tungstophosphoric acid ( H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/Sio₂ ) obtained is insoluble and readily separable porous materials with uniform micropores (0. 57 nm) and a high specific surface area (350. 5 m2/g) in oxygen-containing polar solvents. H3PW12 O4o/Si02 was characterized by infrared spectrophotometer (IR). ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis). inductively coupled plasma (ICP)> thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Brunner-Emmett-Teller method (BET) measurements. H3PWi204o/Si02 obtained catalyzed the acetal reaction between benzaldehyde and ethylene glycol to produce 2-phenyl-l > 3-dioxolane more efficiently than the typical solid acids such as SO4 /ZrO2' Nafion-H and H-ZSM-5. Conversion was 93. 8% for benzaldehyde during the reaction period of 2 h. H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/Sio₂ kept its initial activity during three times of reuse. The initial acetal reaction follows a second-order kinetics model at 298 K.     

Shear-thinning behavior of the CaO-SiO2-CaF2-Si3N4 system mold flux and its practical application

Satisfying the mold-flux performance requirements for high-speed continuous casting necessitates the development of a new non-Newtonian-fluid mold flux with shear-thinning behavior, i.e., a mold flux whose viscosity is relatively high under lower shear rates and relatively low under higher shear rates. In this work, a mold flux that exhibits shear-thinning behavior was developed by adding different amounts of Si₃N₄ to the CaO-SiO₂-CaF₂ mold flux. The shear-thinning behavior was investigated using a rotational viscometer. In addition, the microstructure of the newly prepared slags was studied by high-temperature Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the mechanism of shear-thinning was attributable to a temporary viscosity loss caused by the one-way shear stress, whereas the corresponding magnitude of shear-thinning was closely related to the degree of polymerization (DP). Finally, the non-Newtonian fluid mold flux was used for laboratory casting tests, which revealed that the mold flux could reduce slag entrapment and positively affect the continuous casting optimization.     

Corrosion-wear behavior of nanocrystalline Fe88Si12 alloy in acid and alkaline solutions

The corrosion?wear behavior of a nanocrystalline Fe88Si12 alloy disc coupled with a Si3N4 ball was investigated in acid (pH 3) and alkaline (pH 9) aqueous solutions. The dry wear was also measured for reference. The average friction coefficient of Fe88Si12 alloy in the pH 9 solution was approximately 0.2, which was lower than those observed for Fe88Si12 alloy in the pH 3 solution and in the case of dry wear. The fluctuation of the friction coefficient of samples subjected to the pH 9 solution also showed similar characteristics. The wear rate in the pH 9 solution slightly increased with increasing applied load. The wear rate was approximately one order of magnitude less than that in the pH 3 solution and was far lower than that in the case of dry wear, especially at high applied load. The wear traces of Fe88Si12 alloy under dif-ferent wear conditions were examined and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the tribo-chemical reactions that involve oxidation of the worn surface and hydrolysis of the Si3N4 ball in the acid solution were restricted in the pH 9 aqueous solution. Thus, water lubrication can effectively improve the wear resistance of nanocrystalline Fe88Si12 alloy in the pH 9 aqueous solution.     

Corrosion-wear behavior of nanocrystalline Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy in acid and alkaline solutions

The corrosion-wear behavior of a nanocrystalline Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy disc coupled with a Si_3N_4 ball was investigated in acid(pH 3) and alkaline(pH 9) aqueous solutions. The dry wear was also measured for reference. The average friction coefficient of Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy in the pH 9 solution was approximately 0.2, which was lower than those observed for Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy in the pH 3 solution and in the case of dry wear. The fluctuation of the friction coefficient of samples subjected to the pH 9 solution also showed similar characteristics. The wear rate in the pH 9 solution slightly increased with increasing applied load. The wear rate was approximately one order of magnitude less than that in the pH 3 solution and was far lower than that in the case of dry wear, especially at high applied load. The wear traces of Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy under different wear conditions were examined and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the tribo-chemical reactions that involve oxidation of the worn surface and hydrolysis of the Si_3N_4 ball in the acid solution were restricted in the pH 9 aqueous solution. Thus, water lubrication can effectively improve the wear resistance of nanocrystalline Fe_(88)Si_(12) alloy in the pH 9 aqueous solution.     

Electromagnetic modification of faceted-faceted Ni<Subscript>31</Subscript>Si<Subscript>12</Subscript>-Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si eutectic alloy

In an electromagnetic field, the morphology of a binary faceted-faceted (FF) Ni31Si12-Ni2Si eutectic microstructure and the alloy’s mechanical properties were investigated. Hardness experiments demonstrated that the solidified ingots were significantly strengthened, and the hardness was improved to 63.1 and 786.6 on the Rockwell hardness C and Vickers hardness scales, respectively. Tests of friction and wear in stirred FF eutectic alloys showed excellent anti-fatigue and anti-adhesion wear performance. Alloy changed from an anomalous microstructure to a refined quasi-regular structure, and there was an increase in the lamellar microstructure fraction. The formation process of the refined quasi-regular microstructure and the resulting mechanical properties were investigated.     

Temperature effect on the corrosion and passivation characterization of Ni<Subscript>82.3</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>7</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>Si<Subscript>4.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>3.2</Subscript> alloy in acidic media

The effects of temperature on corrosion and the electrochemical behavior of Ni_82.3Cr₇Fe₃Si_4.5B_3.2 glassy alloy in HCl, H₂SO₄, and H₃PO₄ acids were studied using AC and DC techniques. Impedance data reveal that the susceptibility to localized corrosion increases with increasing temperature. Potentiodynamic polarization curves reveal that the bulk glassy alloy is spontaneously passivated at all the investigated temperature in H₂SO₄ and H₃PO₄ solutions. A localized corrosion effect in HCl solution is clearly observed. The apparent activation energies in the regions of Tafel, active, and passive, as well as the enthalpies and entropies of the dissolution process were determined and discussed. The high apparent activation energy (E_a) value for H₃PO₄ solution in Tafel region is explained by the low aggressivity of PO₄3- ions.     

Surface tension and specific heat of liquid Ni<Subscript>70.2</Subscript>Si<Subscript>29.8</Subscript> alloy

The thermophysical properties of liquid alloys in me-tastable state are of importance for liquid-solid phase transformation under nonequilibrium conditions[1―10]. Sur-face tension and specific heat, two of the most important thermophysical properties, have significant influences on the process of crystal nucleation and growth. Furthermore, it is necessary to obtain these data so as to perform quan-titative research on rapid solidification[3―10]. The tradi-tional measurement methods, however,…     

Investigation on high magnetoresistance Ni0.81Fe0.19 films grown on （Ni0.81Fe0.19）1-xCrx underlayers

We have fabricated Ni0.18Fe0.19 films with (Ni0.18Fe0.19)1-xCrx films as underlayers by dc magnetron sputtering, the results show that larger anisotropic magnetoresistance (△R/R) values of Ni0.18Fe0.19 films are observed using the underlayers with Cr concentration of -36 at.% at an optimum underlayer thickness of -4.4 nm, the maximum AMR value is 3.35%. The results of atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) show that the △R/R enhancement is attributed to the formation of large average grain size and the strong(111)texture in the Ni0.18Fe0.19 films.     

Effect of reinforcement content on the adhesive wear behavior of Cu10Sn5Ni/Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> composites produced by stir casting

The main objective of this paper was to fabricate Cu10Sn5Ni alloy and its composites reinforced with various contents of Si₃N₄ particles (5wt%, 10wt%, and 15wt%) and to investigate their dry sliding wear behavior using a pin-on-disk tribometer. Microstructural examinations of the specimens revealed a uniform dispersion of Si₃N₄ particles in the copper matrix. Wear experiments were performed for all combinations of parameters, such as load (10, 20, and 30 N), sliding distance (500, 1000, and 1500 m), and sliding velocity (1, 2, and 3 m/s), for the alloy and the composites. The results revealed that wear rate increased with increasing load and increasing sliding distance, whereas the wear rate decreased and then increased with increasing sliding velocity. The primary wear mechanism encountered at low loads was mild adhesive wear, whereas that at high loads was severe delamination wear. An oxide layer was formed at low velocities, whereas a combination of shear and plastic deformation occurred at high velocities. The mechanism at short sliding distances was ploughing action of Si₃N₄ particles, which act as protrusions; by contrast, at long sliding distances, direct metal-metal contact occurred. Among the investigated samples, the Cu/10wt% Si₃N₄ composite exhibited the best wear resistance at a load of 10 N, a velocity of 2 m/s, and a sliding distance of 500 m.