Magnetron sputtering is one of the most commonly used deposition techniques, which has received considerable attention in industrial applications. In particular, owing to its compatibility with ...conventional fabrication processes, it can produce and fabricate high-quality dense thin films of a wide range of materials. In the present study, nitrogen (N) was combined with pure vanadium in order to form binary nitride to improve its mechanical and tribological performance. To evaluate the influence of nitrogen on the structure of the as-deposited vanadium nitride (VN) coatings, the following techniques were used: XPS, XRD, SEM, AFM and optical profilometry. The residual stresses were determined by the curvature method using Stoney’s formula. The hardness and Young’s modulus were obtained by nanoindentation measurements. The friction behavior and wear characteristics of the films were evaluated by using a ball-on-disk tribometer. The obtained results showed that the N/V ratio increased with increasing the N
2
flow rate while the deposition rate decreased. The preferred orientation was changed from (200) to (111) as the N
2
flow rate increased with the presence of V–N and V–O binding energies as confirmed by XPS analysis. The nitrogen addition resulted in a columnar morphology and a fine structure with fine surface roughness. The VN thin film containing 49.5 at.% of nitrogen showed the best performance: highest mechanical properties (hardness = 25 GPa), lowest friction coefficient (
μ
= 0.37) and lowest wear rate (W
s
= 2.72 × 10
−5
mm
3
N
−1
m
−1
). A good correlation between the film microstructure, crystallite size, residual stress and mechanical and tribological properties was observed.
In this study, simulation and experimental methods were used to investigate the influence of cold spray conditions on AISI 316L stainless steel coatings. The effect of both helium and nitrogen gases ...used was investigated. The temperature, particle sizes of spraying powder, and distance from the nozzle throat to the impinging point were estimated by using the Kinetics Spray Solutions GmbH software. The 316L stainless steel (SS) coatings were examined by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis. The tribological behavior was evaluated under different loads (2 N and 5 N) in dry conditions. It was found that the nitrogen and helium propellant gas with high speed and fine particles led to produce good coatings with dense microstructures. From the nanoindentation experiments, the Young's modulus and hardness of the SS 316L samples were enhanced of about 8% with helium due to the high particle velocity. It was shown that the wear resistance of SS 316L produced with helium was higher than that of the standard SS 316L coatings. The coatings produced with helium revealed lower friction coefficient (0.65) and wear rate (6.9 × 10
–4
mm
3
/Nm) under 2 N applied load than that obtained nitrogen. It was also found that the SS 316L cold sprayed by helium with dense structure presents high hardness and good tribological performance that can be suggested for several applications.
Graphical Abstract
To purify water at low cost for our daily life, the effect of ceramic-based (mullite–cristobalite) and (mullite–zircon) powders doped with different amounts of magnesium oxide (MgO) (10 and 20 wt%) ...was studied. These compounds are made of a local raw material DD3 with addition of zirconia (ZrO
2
) to create an open porosity. The powders were prepared by the traditional mixing method with the help of an automated crushing. The effect of MgO doping on structural, morphological and photocatalytic properties of the material was studied by various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, infrared, and UV–visible spectrometry. The results of XRD proved that there was a deformation in the crystal structure of the two types of ceramics after addition, which resulted in a shift of the spectra to the right, while SEM proved the presence of pores with a larger size as the proportion of MgO increases. The chemical composition of the basic components of the ceramic compounds as well as the additive was confirmed with EDS and IR spectra. The final results show that ceramics with added zirconia (DD3Z) and doped with 10% of MgO have a better photocatalytic efficiency than ceramics without zirconia. This important effect could be related to the higher rate of porosity, which provides a more active surface. The 10% MgO content showed a high photoactivity of 77.33% in only 15 min. The maximum hydrolysis rate obtained with Orange II was 92.95% after a period of 45 min with DD3Z/MgO powders.
In this study, heat-treated and multisurface engineered DIN 1.2367 tool steel was subjected to room and elevated temperature wear tests, and the effect of nitriding on its tribological behavior was ...investigated. CrN, AlTiN, and CrN/AlTiN coatings with a total thickness of 2 µm were obtained by arc cathodic physical vapor deposition on conventional heat-treated and gas-nitrided steels. The white layer formed during nitriding was removed, and a diffusion layer (100 µm) was achieved in the cross section of the steel having a tempered martensitic matrix. The highest surface hardness was attained with an integral coating (CrN/AlTiN), and surface hardness increased even more after nitriding due to the formation of a multicomponent ceramic layer on top of the diffusion layer. The room temperature wear tests performed against an alumina counterpart revealed that (i) CrN/AlTiN-coated steel had the highest friction coefficient of 0.26, which further increased to 0.33 by nitriding due to the increase in shear strength, and that (ii) with increasing surface hardness, the specific wear rates (W) of the heat-treated and coated steels could be ranked as follows: W
< W
< W
. The wear rates decreased when nitriding was carried out prior to coating. In order to simulate the aluminum extrusion conditions, hot wear behavior of the surfaces against AA6080 alloy at 450 °C was investigated. The hot wear tests revealed that (i) high friction coefficients were reached due to the adhesive characteristic of aluminum to the surfaces, (ii) the nitrided and CrN/AlTiN-coated sample exhibited the lowest wear rate among all studied surfaces, and (iii) the film damage on the worn surfaces mostly occurred in the form of droplet delamination.
Porous TiNi alloys fabricated by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) are biomaterials designed for medical application in substituting tissue lesions and they were clinically deployed ...more than 30 years ago. The SHS process, as a very fast and economically justified route of powder metallurgy, has distinctive features which impart special attributes to the resultant implant, facilitating its integration in terms of bio-mechanical/chemical compatibility. On the phenomenological level, the fact of high biocompatibility of porous SHS TiNi (PTN) material in vivo has been recognized and is not in dispute presently, but the rationale is somewhat disputable. The features of the SHS TiNi process led to a multifarious intermetallic Ti
Ni
(O,N,C)-based constituents in the amorphous-nanocrystalline superficial layer which entirely conceals the matrix and enhances the corrosion resistance of the unwrought alloy. In the current article, we briefly explore issues of the high biocompatibility level on which additional studies could be carried out, as well as recent progress and key fields of clinical application, yet allowing innovative solutions.
Nowadays, the recycled fine aggregate sourced from construction and demolition waste is not frequently used in manufacturing of epoxy resin coatings. Therefore, the main novelty of the article is to ...prepare green epoxy resin coatings modified with recycled fine aggregate in a replacement ratio of natural fine aggregate ranged from 20 to 100%. The microstructural properties of the aggregates and epoxy resin were analyzed using micro-computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation. The macroscopic mechanical properties were examined using pull-off strength tests. The highest improvement of the mechanical properties was observed for epoxy resin coatings modified with 20% of natural fine aggregate and 80% of recycled fine aggregate. It has been found that even 100% of natural fine aggregate can be successfully replaced using the recycled fine aggregate with consequent improvement of the pull-off strength of analyzed epoxy resin coatings. In order to confirm the assumptions resulting from the conducted research, an original analytical and numerical failure model proved the superior behavior of modified coating was developed.
The microstructural and functional behavior of TiNi-based wires with a silver content of 0–1.5 at.% was evaluated. The concentration range for Ag doping determined for the TiNi wires with potential ...for the medical industry was 0–0.2 at.%. Microstructure analysis of TiNi wires with different silver contents at room temperature indicated a multiphase structural state. Various internal structures with tangled grain boundaries were formed by intense plastic deformation. The nanocrystalline structure and phase state of wire with the minimum silver content (0.1 at.% Ag) provide full shape recovery, the greatest reversible strain, and optimal strength and ductility. TiNi ingots with a high Ag content (0.5–1.5 at.%) cracked under minimum load due to excess silver that crystallized along the grain boundaries and broke cohesion bonds between the TiNi grains.
In this work was prepared α-Al2O3 alloys from laboratory aluminum oxide powder that was milled for different periods of time and sintered at a temperature of 1450 °C. The difference between the ...prepared samples was studied using several experimental measurement techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and measurement of physical and mechanical properties. Moreover, the effect of milling time on the formation and sintering of alpha-alumina, by milling the mixture at different times using high energy crushing technique was studied. An influence of milling time on density, open spaces and microstructure of the samples was analyzed. The obtained results showed that longer milling duration led to alloys with higher hardness (H) and modulus of elasticity (E). This improvement is due to lower porosity and corresponding higher density at high temperatures. A noticeable decrease in the size of the particles with the increase of the milling time led to an increase in the lattice parameter accompanied by a decrease in defects and ionic voids. The percentage of pores reached 0.04 % within 24 h of grinding after it was approximately 0.20 %, while the density reached 96 % after the same highest grinding time. Tests showed that the value of friction coefficient decreases, while it increases with the increase in the applied pressure force and this was confirmed by SEM images of the samples. the main factor to reduce friction is the increase in grinding time, regardless of the value of the applied load. The results showed that the Al2O3 alloy applied to it with a load of 2 N and milled for 24 h had a minimum value of 1.94 µm3 wear volumes and a wear rate of 1.33 (µm3∙N−1∙µm−1). The sample milled for 24 h showed the best result, characterized by the lowest wear size, specific wear rate and the highest hardness with extraordinary density of 96 %, which is important in the field of biomaterials applications.
MAX phases (M = transition metal, A = A-group element, and X = C/N) are of special interest because they possess a unique combination of the advantages of both metals and ceramics. Most attention is ...attracted to the ternary carbide Cr2AlC because of its excellent high-temperature oxidation, as well as hot corrosion resistance. Despite lots of publications, up to now the influence of bias voltage on the chemical bonding structure, surface morphology, and mechanical properties of the film is still not well understood. In the current study, Cr-Al-C films were deposited on silicon wafers (100) and Inconel 718 super alloy by dc magnetron sputtering with different substrate bias voltages and investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and nanoindentation. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was used to analyze the correlation between the growth of the films and the coating microstructure. The XPS results confirm the presence of Cr2AlC MAX phase due to a negative shift of 0.6-0.9 eV of the Al2p to pure aluminum carbide peak. The XRD results reveal the presence of Cr2AlC MAX Phase and carbide phases, as well as intermetallic AlCr2. The film thickness decreases from 8.95 to 6.98 µm with increasing bias voltage. The coatings deposited at 90 V exhibit the lowest roughness (33 nm) and granular size (76 nm) combined with the highest hardness (15.9 GPa). The ratio of Al carbide to carbide-like carbon state changes from 0.12 to 0.22 and correlates with the mechanical properties of the coatings. TEM confirms the columnar structure, with a nanocrystalline substructure, of the films.
Surfactants are widely used in many chemical industries and as primary components of cleaning detergents due to their specific characteristics, which in turn results in high pollution of domestic and ...industrial wastewaters by such substances. In this study, the mechanistic pathways of the adsorption of cationic benzyl-dimethyl-dodecyl ammonium bromide (BDDAB) and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactants on kaolinite clay in water were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption of anionic surfactant (SDS) on kaolinite is better compared with cationic surfactant (BDDAB), wherein the ♦maximum adsorption capacity was found 161.4 μmol g
−1
and 234 μmol g
−1
for BDDAB and SDS, respectively. Adsorption kinetics were the best suited to pseudo-second-order model for both BDDAB and SDS with an adsorption rate constant of 0.028 g μmol
−1
min
−1
and 0.023 g μmol
−1
min
−1
, respectively. Meanwhile, the adsorption of BDDAB by kaolinite showed that the isotherm adsorption tended to follow the Langmuir-Freundlich and Freundlich isotherm models. However, the SDS adsorption isotherm obeyed only the Langmuir-Freundlich model.