Evaluation of epifluorescence image analysis of biofilm growth on stainless steel surfaces

Biofilm growth of Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fragi, Pediococcus inopinatus and Listeria monocytogenes was studied on stainless steel surfaces at room and low temperatures to evaluate the results of traditional hygiene measures. The results were compared with those of image analysis of stainless steel surfaces in an epifluorescence microscope. Statistical analyses were carried out to determine the variations between the conventional cultivation swab method, the glycocalyx amount obtained using swabbing, and the values of the areas of the biofilm, slime and cells. As a general rule, old biofilms showed total counts at approximately the same levels as the young biofilm. The results showed that temperature affected the results for all strains except B. subtilis. The strains of Pe. inopinatus and Ps. fragi showed increased attachment at 6°C and L. monocytogenes at 25°C. The biofilm slime was more easily detached than the cells. The results indicated that the traditional swab method is not reliable for the measurement of biofilm formation on surfaces.     

表面电沉积Ni—La2O3复合镀层的Fe26Cr1Mo不锈钢的氧化行为研究

Ｆｅ２６Ｃｒ１Ｍｏ不锈钢在９００℃氧化时，生成的氧化层在冷却过程中大量剥落，经表面共电沉积ＮｉＬａ２Ｏ３复合镀层后，抗热循环能力明显提高。     

Dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements of passive layer cracking under static tensile stresses

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy allows the examination of corrosion susceptibility and resistance for different construction materials, in particular the determination of the properties of their passive films. This technique makes possible the analysis of electrochemical processes in time domain, including rapid phenomena such as changes in the properties of passive films, but it has never been used for passive layer cracking examination. In many cases, fracture of the passive film under tensile stresses leads to stress corrosion cracking. Therefore, investigations of passive layer cracking on austenitic stainless steels under tensile stresses facilitate the understanding of the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking in these common engineering materials. The effect of static tensile stresses on the passive film cracking behaviour of type 304L stainless steel immersed in 0.5 M NaCl solution at room temperature has been investigated. This paper presents the impedance spectra obtained for 304L stainless steel samples at different potential values.Contribution to the 3rd Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Gdansk-Sobieszewo, Poland, 23–26 April 2003Dedicated to the memory of Harry B. Mark, Jr. (28 February 1934–3 March 2003)     

Electrochemical Characterization of Stainless Steel as a New Electrode Material in a Medical Device for the Diagnosis of Sudomotor Dysfunction

An electrochemical sensor detects the risk of diabetes and prediabetes; low potentials are applied to nickel electrodes and electrical responses are measured. Although the contact of nickel with skin is short, the risk of allergical reactions cannot be discarded. SS 304L, with lower Ni content, was tested in carbonate buffer solutions containing chloride, lactate and urea to investigate its sensitivity to different parameters in sweat and compare it to nickel. The results show that SS 304L is a suitable material for the assessment of sudomotor dysfunction due to its high capacity to detect the deviation in Cl^? concentration. Sensitivity of SS 304L to Cl^? is much higher than for nickel.     

Die Isolierung radioaktiv markierter nichtmetallischer Einschlüsse aus Hochlegierten Stählen

Zur Isolierung von Einshlüssen aus hochlegierten Stählen werden die Hauptkomponenten Fe, Ni, Cr und weitere Metalle durch mehrstufig ausgeführte Flüssig-Flüssig-Extraktionen mit verschiedenen Extraktionsmitteln abgetrennt. Die im Eindampfrückstand der wäβrigen Phase nach der Extraktion verbleibenden Einschlüsse können für die meisten Radionuklide ohne nennenswerte Selbstabsorption mit einem Groβflächenzählrohr oder anderen geeignetenZählvorrichtungen ausgemessen werden.     

Development of a solid‐phase microextraction fiber by the chemical binding of graphene oxide on a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire with an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent

Graphene oxide was bonded onto a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire using an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent by a layer‐by‐layer strategy. The novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. A multilayer graphene oxide layer was closely coated onto the supporting substrate. The thickness of the coating was about 4 μm. Coupled with gas chromatography, the fiber was evaluated using five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, 1,2‐benzophenanthrene, and benzo(a)pyrene) as model analytes in direct‐immersion mode. The main conditions (extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption time) were optimized by a factor‐by‐factor optimization. The as‐established method exhibited a wide linearity range (0.5–200 μg/L) and low limits of determination (0.05–0.10 μg/L). It was applied to analyze environmental water samples of rain and river water. Three kinds of the model analytes were quantified and the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 μg/L were in the range of 92.3–120 and 93.8–115%, respectively. The obtained results indicated the fiber was efficient for solid‐phase microextraction analysis.     

Co3O4 Decorated Ti/TiO2 Nanotubes for Photogenerated Cathodic Protection of 304 Stainless Steel

The Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ nanotube arrays(NTAs) coatings are fabricated by the combination of anodization and impregna-ting methods. It is found that the introduction of Co₃O₄ can reduce the diffraction intensity of (101) plane of the TiO₂ and accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs. In addition, the open circuit potential(OCP) and the corrosion potential of 304 stainless steel(304SS) with or without Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs were measured under visible light, which indicated the 304SS coupled with Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs had better anticorrosion performance than that of the 304SS or the 304SS coupled with pure TiO₂ NTAs. The enhancement of the cathodic protection performance of the Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs can be ascribed to the matched energy levels and strong interaction between Co₃O₄ and TiO₂ NTAs, and the improvement of light absorption.     

XPS study of Cr segregation in a martensitic stainless steel

Cr martensitic steels are promising materials for structural applications in future nuclear fusion reactors. Because the embrittlement after tempering treatments can be a serious problem, the fracture mode of a steel with 10.5 wt% of Cr treated at 700°C for 18 h has been investigated through Charpy tests in the temperature range from −100°C to +150°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses carried out on the fracture surfaces evidenced the segregation of Cr in both ductile and brittle (quasicleavage) fields. The unexpected result indicates that Cr segregation weakens the atomic bonds; thus, the fracture path in both the cases corresponds to the zones with higher Cr content.     

Influence of modification time and high frequency ultrasound irradiation on self-assembling of alkylphosphonic acids on stainless steel: Electrochemical and spectroscopic studies

Self-assembly of alkylphosphonic acids on stainless steel was investigated under different conditions. Four different alkylphosphonic acids exhibiting alkyl chain of various size were synthesized and studied: butylphosphonic acid (C4P), octylphosphonic acid (C8P), decylphosphonic acid (C10P), and hexadecylphosphonic acid (C16P). Electrochemistry experiments were extensively carried out in order to determine electrochemical surface blocking of adsorbed layers in function of grafting time. In term of surface blocking, an 8 h modification time was optimal for all alkylphosphonic acids. Longer immersion times lead to degradation of adsorbed layers. For the first time, grafting of C16P was studied under high frequency ultrasound irradiation. Interestingly, grafting process is highly accelerated under sonication and well-covering C16P modified substrates are obtained after 1 h of immersion under ultrasound irradiation. This would allow to elaborate high-quality alkylphosphonic acids modified samples within much shorter times. Water contact angles measurements and X-ray Photoelectrons Spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed presence of adsorbed alkylphosphonic acids on stainless steel surface. A very tight link between electrochemical blocking, surface hydrophobicity and species chemical grafting was established.     

不锈钢管道低温溅射镀TiN薄膜技术

 设计了一套适用于加速器细长管道真空室的低温溅射镀TiN薄膜装置。利用该装置，对86 mm×2 000 mm的不锈钢管道真空室进行溅射镀TiN膜实验，并对镀膜实验结果进行分析，得到了适用于加速器管道真空室内壁溅射镀TiN膜的表面处理参数。样品测试结果表明：在压强为80～90 Pa、基体温度为160~180 ℃的镀膜参数下，不锈钢管道内壁获得的TiN薄膜最佳，薄膜沉积速率为0.145 nm/s。镀膜后真空室的二次电子产额明显降低。