Porous α-Al2O3 thermal barrier coatings with dispersed Pt particles prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition

Porous α-Al₂O₃ thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) containing dispersed Pt particles were prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED). The influence of the Pt particles on the microstructure of the coatings and the CPED process were studied. The prepared coatings were mainly composed of α-Al₂O₃. The average thickness of the coatings was approximately 100 μm. Such single-layer TBCs exhibited not only excellent high-temperature cyclic oxidation and spallation resistance, but also good thermal insulation properties. Porous α-Al₂O₃ TBCs inhibit further oxidation of alloy substrates because of their extremely low oxygen diffusion rate, provide good thermal insulation because of their porous structure, and exhibit excellent mechanical properties because of the toughening effect of the Pt particles and because of stress relaxation induced by deformation of the porous structure.     

ZrO2 and ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings deposited by double pulsed plasma arc

A novel surface technique has been developed to produce ZrO2 and ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings on the surface of alloys by using double pulsed plasma arc to react with a solution film containing nano-oxide particles. These coatings exhibit smooth surface and excellent adhesion with substrate. The morphologies of the ceramic coatings and phases were analyzed. It was shown that the oxidation resistance of l8-8 stainless steel was markedly improved by applying ZrO2 and ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings.     

Effect of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> pigment gradation on the properties of thermal insulation coatings

This study was designed to evaluate the thermal performance and mechanical properties of coatings with different gradations of TiO₂ pigments. The solar reflectance, cooling performance, wash resistance, and film adhesion strength of the coatings were investigated. The influence of TiO₂ powder gradation on the final properties of the coatings was studed. The solar reflectance and the thermal insulation were observed to increase with increasing content of nanosized TiO₂. The mechanical properties of the coatings, such as their wash resistance and film adhesion strength, were observed to increase with increased incorporation of nanosized TiO₂. Such improvements in the properties of the coatings were attributed to the greater specific surface area and lower thermal conductivity of nanosized TiO₂ particles compared to normal TiO₂ particles.     

The electrical property of MnCo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and its application for SUS 430 metallic interconnect

The conductivity of MnCo₂O₄ spinel, the best route to form the MnCo₂O₄ protective coating applied by the sol-gel process, and its effect on the intermediate temperature oxidation behavior of SUS 430 alloy, a typical material for the interconnect of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), was investigated. The phase structure and surface morphology of the coating and surface oxides were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS; the “4-probe” method was employed to determine the conductivity of MnCo₂O₄ spinel and the area specific resistance (ASR) of the surface oxides. The conductivity of MnCo₂O₄ spinel is excellent, which is 2 orders of magnitude better than that of MnCr₂O₄ spinel. Long-term thermally cyclic oxidation at 750°C in SOFC cathode atmosphere and ASR measurement have shown that calcined in reducing atmosphere followed by pre-oxidation in the air is the best technique for forming the MnCo₂O₄ protective coating, which enhances the oxidation resistance, and improves the electrical conductivity and adherence of coated SUS 430 alloy significantly. As a result, the MnCo₂O₄ spinel is the most potential candidate for SOFC metallic interconnect protective coating application.     

Preparation and electrochemical performance of double perovskite La<Subscript>2</Subscript>CoMnO<Subscript>6</Subscript> nanofibers

Through electrospinning, La₂CoMnO₆ nanofibers were prepared from a polyvinylpyrrolidone/lanthanum nitrate–cobalt acetate–manganese acetate (PVP/LCM) precursor and were used as electrode materials. The morphologies and structures of the samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area analysis. The results show that the prepared La₂CoMnO₆ nanofibers are stable, one-dimensional structures formed from interconnected La₂CoMnO₆ nanoparticles with a diamond-like crystal structure. The specific surface area of the fibers is 79.407 m2·g-1. Electrochemical performance tests with a three-electrode system reveal the specific capacitance of the La₂CoMnO₆ nanofibers as 109.7 F·g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A·g-1. After 1000 charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 1 A·g-1, the specific capacitance maintains 90.9% of its initial value, demonstrating a promising performance of the constraint capacitance and good cyclic stability.     

Al2O3梯度陶瓷涂层高温抗氧化性能的研究

主要研究了Al2O3耐热梯度陶瓷涂层的抗氧化性能并与相应的ZrO2耐热涂层进行了比较。在800℃和1000℃氧化实验结果表明：Al2O3涂层的抗氧化性能优于相应的ZrO2涂层；涂层的孔隙率，尤其是通孔率是影响涂层抗氧化性能的关键因素，此外，梯度涂层的良好过渡也有利于抗氧化性能的提高。     

Epitaxial growth of ultrathin ZrO2（111） films on Pt（111）

Ordered epitaxial ZrO2 films were grown on Pt(111) and characterized by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The films were prepared by vapor deposition of zirconium in an O2 atmosphere followed by annealing under ultra high vacuum. At low coverages, the films grew as discontinuous two-dimentional islands with ordered structures. The size and structure of these islands were dependent on the coverage of Zr...     

Synthesis, characterization and properties of ruthenium-substituted polyoxometallic acid H_6Ru(H_2O)FeW_(11)O_(39)·18H_2O with Keggin structure

The ruthenium-substituted polyoxometallic acid H6 [Ru(H2O)FeW 11O39 ]·18H2O was synthesized by stepwise acidification and stepwise addition of solutions of the component elements, and an ion-exchange-cooling method. The product was characterized using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (UV), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that this complex has the Keggin structure. The determination of the thermal stability and proton conductivi...     

Microstructures and properties of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> dispersion-strengthened copper alloys prepared through different methods

Al₂O₃ dispersion copper alloy powder was prepared by internal oxidation, and three consolidation methods—high-velocity compaction (HVC), hot pressing (HP), and hot extrusion (HE)—were used to prepare Al₂O₃ dispersion-strengthened copper (Cu–Al₂O₃) alloys. The microstructures and properties of these alloys were investigated and compared. The results show that the alloys prepared by the HP and HE methods exhibited the coarsest and finest grain sizes, respectively. The alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibited the lowest relative density (98.3% vs. 99.5% for HP and 100% for HE), which resulted in the lowest electrical conductivity (81% IACS vs. 86% IACS for HP and 87% IACS for HE). However, this alloy also exhibited the highest hardness (77 HRB vs. 69 HRB for HP and 70 HRB for HE), the highest compressive strength (443 MPa vs. 386 MPa for HP and 378 MPa for HE), and the best hardness retention among the investigated alloys. The results illustrate that the alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibits high softening temperature and good mechanical properties at high temperatures, which imply long service life when used as spot-welding electrodes.     

Growth characteristics of directionally solidified Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/YAG/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> ternary hypereutectic <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> composites under ultra-high temperature gradient

Oxide eutectic ceramic in situ composites have attracted significant interest in the application of high-temperature structural materials because of their excellent high-temperature strength, oxidation and creep resistance, as well as outstanding microstructural stability. The directionally solidified ternary Al₂O₃/YAG/ZrO₂ hypereutectic in situ composite was successfully prepared by a laser zone remelting method, aiming to investigate the growth characteristic under ultra-high temperature gradient. The microstructures and phase composition of the as-solidified hypereutectic were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the composite presents a typical hypereutectic lamellar microstructure consisting of fine Al₂O₃ and YAG phases, and the enriched ZrO₂ phases with smaller sizes are randomly distributed at the Al₂O₃/YAG interface and in Al₂O₃ phases. Laser power and scanning rate strongly affect the sample quality and microstructure characteristic. Additionally, coarse colony microstructures were also observed, and their formation and the effect of temperature gradient on the microstructure were discussed.     

Effect of Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> addition on the oxidation induration mechanism of Hongge vanadium titanomagnetite pellets

As part of a research project to develop a novel clean smelting process for the comprehensive utilization of Hongge vanadium titanomagnetite (HVTM), in this study, the effect of Cr₂O₃ addition on the oxidation induration mechanism of HVTM pellets (HVTMPs) was investigated in detail. The results showed that the compressive strength of the HVTMPs was greatly weakened by the Cr₂O₃ addition, mainly because of a substantial increase in the porosity of the HVTMPs. The Cr₂O₃ addition marginally affected the phase composition but greatly affected the microstructural changes of the HVTMPs. Increased amounts of Cr₂O₃ resulted in a decrease in the uniform distribution of the hematite grains and in an increase in the Fe-Cr solid solutions (Fe_1.2Cr_0.8O₃ and Fe_0.7Cr_1.3O₃) embedded in the hematite grains. Moreover, the compact hematite was destroyed by forming a dispersed structure and the hematite recrystallization was hindered during the oxidation induration, which adversely affected the compressive strength. On the basis of these results, a schematic was formulated to describe the oxidation induration mechanism with different amounts of added Cr₂O₃. This study provides theoretical and technical foundations for the effective production of HVTMPs and a reference for chromium-bearing minerals.     

Acid etching process for fabrication of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8＋x stack

We adopted a new method, acid etching process, to fabricate the intrinsic Josephson junctions based on the Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 x single crystals. By soaking the crystals into the dilute hydrochloric acid, we fabricated a junction stack successfully, and meantime made the surrounding area insulated. A certain concentration of hydrochloric acid was used to maintain the roughness of the modified layer. The cur-rent-voltage characteristic was achieved through the four terminal measurement. We could control the junctions' number by changing the concentration and the soaking time. We also found that the thick-ness of the stack was equal to the average height of the insulation layer. Such a simple, convenient and controllable fabrication method with a high yield might widen the applications of the intrinsic Joseph-son junctions.     

Adsorption and catalytic combustion of ARB on CuO-Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

CuO-Fe2O3 composite material with strong magnetism and a large surface area is prepared by the co-precipitate method. Its adsorption properties towards Acid Red B (ARB) and the regeneration by catalytic combastion of organic compounds have been studied. The results show that the prepared CuO-Fe2O3 composite is an excellent adsorbent for ARB adsorption at acid condition. The presence of Cl^- has no effect on ARB adsorption. But the SO4^2- can inhibit ARB adsorption. After being recovered by the magnetic separation method, the adsorbent can be regenerated by catalytic oxidation of absorbate at 300℃ in air atmosphere. The combustion reactions of ARB in the presence or absence of CuO-Fe2O3 are studied by in situ diffuse refieclion FTIR. The results indicate that, in the presence of CuO-Fe2O3, the degradation temperature is significantly lowered by the catalysis of CuO-Fe2O3, and ARB can be oxidized completely without volatile organic compound by-product; in comparison, in the absence of CuO-Fe2O3, the temperature needed for oxidation of ARB is higher and the reaction is incomplete with some N-containing harmful compounds produced. The reusability of CuO-Fe2O3 is also studied in successive seven adsorption-regeneration cycles.     

Fabrication and properties of aluminum silicate fibrous materials with <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> synthesized K<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>6</Subscript>O<Subscript>13</Subscript> whiskers

To improve their mechanical and thermal insulation properties, aluminum silicate fibrous materials with in situ synthesized K₂Ti₆O₁₃ whiskers were prepared by firing a mixture of short aluminum silicate fibers and gel powders obtained from a sol-gel process. During the preparation process, the fiber surface was coated with K₂Ti₆O₁₃ whiskers after the fibers were subjected to a heat treatment carried out at various temperatures. The effects of process parameters on the microstructure, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were analyzed systematically. The results show that higher treatment temperatures and longer treatment durations promoted the development of K₂Ti₆O₁₃ whiskers on the surface of aluminum silicate fibers; in addition, the intersection structure between whiskers modulated the morphology and volume of the multi-aperture structure among fibers, substantially increasing the fibers' compressive strength and reducing their heat conduction and convective heat transfer at high temperatures.     

Effects of heat treatment on the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl11O19 thermal barrier coatings

LaMgAl11O19 thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were applied to carbon steels with a NiCoCrAlY bond coat by plasma spraying. The effects of heat treatment on the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl11O19 TBCs were investigated in 3.5wt% NaCl solution using polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffrac-tion (XRD). The results show that a large number of cracks are found in the LaMgAl11O19 TBCs after the samples are heat-treated, including some through-thickness cracks. The corrosion forms of the as-sprayed and heat-treated TBCs are uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion, respectively. The as-sprayed TBCs exhibit three EIS time constants after being immersed for less than 7 d, and then a new time constant ap-pears because of steel substrate corrosion. When the immersion time is increased to 56 d, a Warburg impedance (W) component appears in the EIS data. The EIS data for the heat-treated TBCs exhibit only two time constants after the samples are immersed for less than 14 d, and a new time constant appears when the immersion time is increased further. The heat treatment reduces the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl11O19 TBCs. The corrosion products are primarilyγ-FeOOH and Fe3O4.     

Preparation and luminescence properties of YeO3：Er^3＋/TiO2 with high specific surface area

The three composites Y2O3 :Er3+ , Y2O3 :Er3+ /Yb 3+ andY2O3 :Er3+ /TiO2 were prepared using coprecipitation and sol-gel techniques. Their morphology, specific surface area, porosity, UV-vis. absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra were measured using SEM, TEM, surface analysis, UV-vis. absorption and photoluminescence spectrophotometry. SEM and TEM showed that samples prepared using coprecipitation were dispersed, while Y2O3 :Er3+ /TiO2 particles possessed a mesoporous surface and average diameter of ab...     

Synthesis and characterization of Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> prepared from atmospheric pressure acid leach liquors of nickel laterite ores

A chemical precipitation-thermal decomposition method was developed to synthesize Co₃O₄ nanoparticles using cobalt liquor obtained from the atmospheric pressure acid leaching process of nickel laterite ores. The effects of the precursor reaction temperature, the concentration of Co2+, and the calcination temperature on the specific surface area, morphology, and the electrochemical behavior of the obtained Co₃O₄ particles were investigated. The precursor basic cobaltous carbonate and cobaltosic oxide products were characterized and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area analysis, and electrochemical analysis. The results indicate that the specific surface area of the Co₃O₄ particles with a diameter of 30 nm, which were obtained under the optimum conditions of a precursor reaction temperature of 30℃, 0.25 mol/L Co2+, and a calcination temperature of 350℃, was 48.89 m2/g. Electrodes fabricated using Co₃O₄ nanoparticles exhibited good electrochemical properties, with a specific capacitance of 216.3 F/g at a scan rate of 100 mV/s.     

Super-plasticity of Zr<Subscript>64.80</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>14.85</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>10.35</Subscript>Al<Subscript>10</Subscript> bulk metallic glass at room temperature

Generally, bulk metallic glasses （BMGs） exhibit a very limited plastic deformation under a compression load at room temperature, often less than 2% before fracturing. In this letter, through an appropriate choice of BMGs＇ composition, an amorphous rod of Zr64.80Cu14.85Ni10.35Al10 with a diameter of 2 mm was prepared by using copper mold suction casting. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were utilized to determine its structure and thermal stability, and the uniaxial compression test was adopted to study its plastic deformation behavior at room temperature simultaneously. The results showed that the glass transition temperature and onset temperature of the exothermic reaction of the amorphous rod were 646 and 750 K, respectively, and its micro-hardness was 594.7 Hv. During compression, when the engineering strain and engineering stress arrived at 9.05% and 1732 MPa, respectively, i.e., the true strain and true stress reached 9.42% and 1560 MPa, respectively, the amorphous rod started to yield. After yielding, with the increase of load, the strain increased and the glass rod ulti- mately were compressed into flake-like form. Although the maximum engineering strain was larger than 70%, i.e., the maximum true strain exceeded by 120%, the amorphous specimen was not fractured, indicating that it has super-plasticity at room temperature. Through the appropriate choice of composition and optimization of the technological process, flexible BMG with super-plasticity at room temperature could be produced.     

Preparation of high emissivity NiCr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> powders with a spinel structure by spray drying

Spray-drying was used to produce the high emissivity NiCr₂O₄ powders with a spinel structure. Preliminary investigations focused on fabricating the high emissivity powders for infrared radiation coatings and finding the relationship between microstructure and emissivity. The NiCr₂O₄ powders were characterized for composition, microstructure, and infrared emissivity by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared radiant instrument, and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis show that the appropriate baking temperature for NiCr₂O₄ powder preparation is about 1200°C. The emissivity measurement and FT-IR spectra show that, because of the special spinel structure, the NiCr₂O₄ powders have a high emissivity about 0.91. Spray-drying is a suitable method to produce the high emissivity ceramic powders.     

Photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous benzene over nanosized TiO2 prepared by solvothermal method

Nanosized TiO2 particles were prepared by solvothermal method using tetrabutyl titanate as precursor,ethanol and water as solvents,and a facile immobilization method of nanosized TiO2 particles on woven glass fabric was developed. The samples obtained under various preparation conditions were charac-terized by means of thermo gravimetric analysis(TG) and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) ,X-ray diffraction(XRD) ,transmission electron microscopy(TEM) ,high resolution-transmission electron mi-croscopy(HR-TEM) ,and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) . The results show that the cube-shape of TiO2 prepared by solvothermal method has good crystallinity of(101) surface,higher thermal stability and large specific surface area. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images confirmed that the immobi-lized TiO2 film was uniformly distributed and clung to the substrate firmly. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was tested using photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous benzene. The results show that the TiO2 calcined after solvothermal treatment suffers from lower specific surface area,and hence de-creases its photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO2 by solvothermal treatment with or without calcination in degradation 400 mg/m3 benzene are 3.7 and 4.1 times as high as catalyst without solvothermal treatment,respectively.