Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3-Al composite coatings deposited by plasma spraying

Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃-Al composite coatings were prepared by plasma spraying. Phase composition of powders and as-sprayed coatings was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the morphology of impacted droplets, polished and fractured surface, and the element distribution in terms of wavelength-dispersive spectrometer (WDS). Mechanical properties including microhardness, adhesion and bending strength, fracture toughness and sliding wear rate were evaluated. The results indicated that the addition of Al into Al₂O₃ was beneficial to decrease the splashing of impinging droplets and to increase the deposition efficiency. The Al₂O₃-Al composite coating exhibited homogeneously dispersed pores and the co-sprayed Al particles were considered to be distributed in the splat boundary. Compared with Al₂O₃ coating, the composite coating showed slightly lower hardness, whereas the coexistence of metal Al phase and Al₂O₃ ceramic phase effectively improved the toughness, strength and wear resistance of coatings.     

Deposition of duplex Al2O3/aluminum coatings on steel using a combined technique of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a cost-effective technique that can be used to prepare ceramic coatings on metals such as Ti, Al, Mg, Nb, etc., and their alloys, but this promising technique cannot be used to modify the surface properties of steels, which are the most widely used materials in engineering. In order to prepare metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on steels, a combined technique of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was adopted. In this work, metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on steels were obtained using this method. We firstly prepared aluminum coatings on steels by arc spraying, and then obtained the metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on aluminum coatings by PEO. The characteristics of duplex coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion and wear resistance of the ceramic coatings were also studied. The results show that, duplex Al₂O₃/aluminum coatings have been deposited on steel substrate after the combined treatment. The ceramic coatings are mainly composed of α-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃, θ-Al₂O₃ and some amorphous phase. The duplex coatings show favorable corrosion and wear resistance properties. The investigations indicate that the combination of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation proves a promising technique for surface modification of steels for protective purposes.     

Simulation of KrF laser ablation of Al2O3-TiC

Previous work by the authors on micromachining of Al₂O₃-TiC ceramics using excimer laser radiation revealed that a columnar surface topography forms under certain experimental conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations show that the columns develop from small globules of TiC, which appear at the surface of the material during the first laser pulses. To understand the mechanism of formation of these globules, a 2D finite element ablation model was developed and used to simulate the time evolution of the temperature field and of the surface topography when a sample of Al₂O₃-TiC composite is treated with KrF laser radiation. Application of the model showed that the surface temperature of TiC rises much faster than that of Al₂O₃, but since TiC has a very high boiling temperature, its vaporization is significant only for a short time. By contrast, the surface temperature of Al₂O₃ rises above its boiling temperature for a much longer period, leading to a greater ablation depth than TiC. As a result, a small TiC globule stands above the Al₂O₃ surface. The results of the model are compared with experimental measurements performed by AFM. After three pulses, the height of the globules predicted by the model is about 340 nm, in good agreement with the height measured experimentally, about 400 nm.     

Microstructure of laser melted Al18B4O33w/2024Al composite

The microstructure of a laser treated Al₁₈B₄O₃₃w/2024Al composite has been investigated using transmission electron microscope (TEM), low-angle (glancing angle) X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Various surface microstructures were observed in the laser treated composite. The Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whisker on the surface of the composite was decomposed during laser surface melting, various decomposition products were studied in the laser treated composite. Eutectic phases and the precipitation in the matrix of the composite with laser-treated were observed. The main phases detected in the molten zone were aluminum and decomposition products Al₂O₃. The effect of laser treatment on the hardness of the composite was also examined. A surface hardness of 400 Hv was noted.     

Effect of surface roughness on the development of protective Al2O3 on Fe-10Al (at.%) alloys containing 0-10 at.% Cr

The effect of alloy surface roughness, achieved by different degrees of surface polishing, on the development of protective alumina layer on Fe-10 at.% Al alloys containing 0, 5, and 10 at.% Cr was investigated during oxidation at 1000 °C in 0.1 MPa oxygen. For alloys that are not strong Al₂O₃ formers (Fe-10Al and Fe-5Cr-10Al), the rougher surfaces increased Fe incorporation into the overall surface layer. On the Fe-10Al, more iron oxides were formed in a uniform layer of mixed aluminum- and iron-oxides since the layer was thicker. On the Fe-5Cr-10Al, more iron-rich nodules developed on an otherwise thin Al₂O₃ surface layer. These nodules nucleated preferentially along surface scratch marks but not on alloy grain boundaries. For the strong Al₂O₃-forming Fe-10Cr-10Al alloy, protective alumina surface layers were observed regardless of the surface roughness. These results indicate that the formation of a protective Al₂O₃ layer on Fe-Cr-Al surfaces is not dictated by Al diffusion to the surface. More cold-worked surfaces caused an enhanced Fe diffusion, hence produced more Fe-rich oxides during the early stage of oxidation.     

Deactivation of TiO2 photocatalytic films loaded on aluminium: XPS and AFM analyses

TiO₂ films were loaded on aluminium substrates by dip-coating method. Based on cyclic photocatalytic degradation experiments using benzamide as model molecule, XPS and AFM tests, the deactivating behaviour of the samples was studied. Experiment results show that the samples with less coating times (one to four times) deactivated very quickly, while the samples coated more than five times did not lose activity. Al element was proved to segregate from substrate and diffuse into TiO₂ films during calcination and annealing treatment, existing as mixture of Al₂O₃ and Al(OH)₃ at the boundaries among TiO₂ particles. During photocatalytic reactions in aqueous phase, the transformation of Al from Al₂O₃ to Al(OH)₃ and the leaching of the latter brought out serious alternation of surface morphology to the samples coated one to three times, on whose surface Ti³⁺ and Ti²⁺ centers were also detected after six cycles of photocatalytic reactions, while fresh films and the tested films which did not deactivate possess unique +4 valence Ti. The alteration of surface morphology, together with the change of valence of surface Ti element, resulted in the deactivation encountered in this research.     

Corrosion behaviour of sintered NdFeB coated with Al/Al2O3 multilayers by magnetron sputtering

Al/Al₂O₃ multilayers were deposited on sintered NdFeB magnets to improve the corrosion resistance. The amorphous Al₂O₃ films were used to periodically interrupt the columnar growth of the Al layers. The structure of the multilayers was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that the columnar structure was effectively inhibited in the multilayers. Subsequent corrosion testing by potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5 wt.% NaCl and neutral salt spray test (NSS) revealed that the Al/Al₂O₃ multilayers had much better corrosion resistance than the Al single layer. Furthermore, for multilayers with similar thickness, the corrosion resistance was improved as the period decreased.     

Interfacial reactions and oxidation behavior of Al2O3 and Al2O3/Al coatings on an orthorhombic Ti2AlNb alloy

The uniform and dense Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃/Al coatings were deposited on an orthorhombic Ti₂AlNb alloy by filtered arc ion plating. The interfacial reactions of the Al₂O₃/Ti₂AlNb and Al₂O₃/Al/Ti₂AlNb specimens after vacuum annealing at 750 °C were studied. In the Al₂O₃/Ti₂AlNb specimens, the Al₂O₃ coating decomposed significantly due to reaction between the Al₂O₃ coating and the O-Ti₂AlNb substrate. In the Al₂O₃/Al/Ti₂AlNb specimens, a γ-TiAl layer and an Nb-rich zone came into being by interdiffusion between the Al layer and the O-Ti₂AlNb substrate. The γ-TiAl layer is chemically compatible with Al₂O₃, with no decomposition of Al₂O₃ being detected. No internal oxidation or oxygen and nitrogen dissolution zone was observed in the O-Ti₂AlNb alloy. The Al₂O₃/Al/Ti₂AlNb specimens exhibited excellent oxidation resistance at 750 °C.     

Effect of chloride doping concentration on enhancement of protonic conductivity of mesoporous Al2O3

Mesoporous Al₂O₃ was prepared by a sol-gel method with doping different amount of LaCl₃. The proton conductivity of mesoporous Al₂O₃ increased with increasing the doping concentration up to the optimum doping, 0.1 Cl/Al mole ratio. The surface acidities of different samples were investigated by NH₃-TPD method. The change trends of surface acidity are consistent with that of proton conductivity. It indicates that the proton conductivity of mesoporous Al₂O₃ can be increased by enhancing its surface acidity via the chloride doping.     

Microstructure and properties of Ni-Co/nano-Al2O3 composite coatings by pulse reversal current electrodeposition

Ni-Co/nano-Al₂O₃ (Ni-Co/Al₂O₃) composite coatings were prepared under pulse reversal current (PRC) and direct current (dc) methods respectively. The microstructure of coatings was characterized by means of XRD, SEM and TEM. Both the Ni-Co alloy and composite coatings exhibit single phase of Ni matrix with face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure, and the crystal orientation of the Ni-Co/Al₂O₃ composite coating was transformed from crystal face (2 0 0) to (1 1 1) compared with alloy coatings. The hardness, anti-wear property and macro-residual stress were also investigated. The results showed that the microstructure and performance of the coatings were greatly affected by Al₂O₃ content and the electrodeposition methods. With the increasing of Al₂O₃ content, the hardness and wear resistance of the composite coatings enhanced. The PRC composite coatings exhibited compact surface, high hardness, better wear resistance and lower macro-residual stress compared with that of the dc composite coatings.     

Improvement in the corrosion resistance of Al18B4O33w/2024Al composite by laser surface treatment

Aluminum metal-matrix composites (MMCs) show great potential for aircraft industries. Nevertheless, the composites can be affected by different forms of corrosion such as pitting and galvanic corrosion. A pulsed YAG laser installation was used to produce surface treatment on Al₁₈B₄O₃₃w/2024Al composite. Results indicate that laser power has significant influences on both of the microstructure and the corrosion resistance. The difference in morphological transformations was observed on the surfaces of the laser-treated specimens. An increase in E_pit was obtained after laser treatment for the composite. The improvement was considered primarily due to the reduction both of reinforcement Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whisker and intermetallics CuAl₂ on the surfaces of the laser-treated composites, which were found to be sites for pits nucleation. Moreover, the specimen with 700 W laser treatment exhibited a much greater resistance to corrosion than the other specimens with laser treatment. This was attributed to the formation of the homogeneous and defect free microstructure in the laser-modified layer.     

电解等离子体法制备Al2O3陶瓷层及其特性研究

利用电弧喷铝并重熔后进行电解等离子体处理(EPP)的方法在Q235钢基体上制备出呈冶金结 合的Al₂O₃陶瓷层.利用XRD，SEM和EDS等手段对陶瓷层的成分和显 微组织进行了分析， 测定了陶瓷层的耐蚀性能和耐磨性能.实验结果表明，陶瓷层主要由α-Al₂O3，γ-Al₂O₃，θ-Al₂O₃以及一 些非晶相组成，组织致密，耐蚀性能和耐磨性能良好. 关键词： 电解等离子体处理 陶瓷层 复合技术 生长机理     

Effect of Fe3+-doped Ca12Al14O33 cement on optical and thermal properties

This study aims to investigate the effect Fe ions doped into Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ (C12A7, 12CaO-7Al₂O₃) cement compound on its thermal and optical properties. Polycrystalline samples of Ca₁₂Al_14?xFe_xO₃₃ (where x?=?0.0, 0.5, and 1.0) were prepared via a solid state reaction in an oxygen atmosphere. The lattice constant of Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ determined using an XRD technique was in excellent agreement with first-principles calculations. With increasing Fe concentrations, the lattice constants were found to have increased. Additionally, the optical gaps of Ca₁₂Al_14?xFe_xO₃₃, (x?=?0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0) were 3.9?eV, 3.77?eV, 3.75?eV and 3.63?eV, respectively. It was clearly seen that the optical gap decreased with increasing Fe concentrations. As revealing by first-principles calculations, the optical gap was directly related to the electronic transition from the occupied electronic state of extra-framework O^2? ions (as free O^2? ions inside nano-cage) to the conduction band. Moreover, we also found that the thermal conductivity Ca₁₂Al_14?xFe_xO₃₃ was reduced when the larger atomic mass and atomic radii Fe was substituted into Al sites. Hence, this indicated that Fe³⁺-substitution into Al³⁺ sites of Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ cement directly affected both its optical gap and thermal conductivity.     

Atmospheric reactive plasma sprayed Fe-Al2O3-FeAl2O4 composite coating and its property evaluation

In the present study, Fe-Al₂O₃-FeAl₂O₄ composite coatings were successfully deposited by reactive plasma sprayed Al/Fe₂O₃ agglomerated powder. Phase composition and microstructure of the coatings were determined by XRD and SEM. The results indicated that the composite coatings were principally composed of three different phases, i.e. FeAl₂O₄ phase as main framework, dispersed ball-like Fe-rich phase, and small splats of Al₂O₃ phase, and it was thought that the in situ synthesized metal phase was helpful to toughen the coating matrix. According to the results of the indentation and frictional wear tests, the composite coating exhibited excellent toughness and anti-friction properties in comparison with conventional Al₂O₃ monophase coating, though its microhardness value was a little lower than that of Al₂O₃ coating. The formation mechanism and the toughening mechanism of the composite coating were clarified in detail.     

Formation of submicron-sized SrFe12−xAlxO19 with very high coercivity

Submicron-sized SrFe_12−xAl_xO₁₉ (x=1.3) was formed in glass-ceramic matrix using controlled thermocrystallization of the SrO–Fe₂O₃–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃ glass and the hexaferrite powder was obtained by removing the matrix phases. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and magnetization measurements. The glass-ceramic material exhibits very high coercivity value up to 10.18 kOe which approaches a theoretically estimated maximum value for the compound. The hexaferrite powder consists of well faceted single crystals, which adopt the shape of a truncated hexagonal bipyramid. The powder saturation magnetization value is close to the theoretically estimated one for bulk material. Crystal structure of the powder was refined by Rietveld method and distribution of Al atoms on Fe sites was determined. Al atoms occupy 41% of 2a sites, 14% of 12k sites and 5% of 4e(1/2) sites, while 4f sites are not affected.     

The resistance to wear and corrosion of laser-cladding Al2O3 ceramic coating on Mg alloy

The paper presents a study on the preparation of Al₂O₃ ceramic coating on AZ91HP Mg alloy by laser remelting plasma-sprayed coating. It was found that after laser remelting, the coating exhibited obvious layer-like characteristics due to influence of temperature distribution, thermophysical parameters and layer thickness. According to the microstructural difference, the coating can be divided into the melted zone with the α-Al₂O₃ column-like crystal, the sintered zone with flock-like structure, the residual plasma-sprayed zone with loosened structure. Because of the dense column-like crystal, the hardness, wear and corrosion resistance of the laser remelted coating are much higher than those of the plasma-sprayed coating and as-received Mg alloy.     

Effect of Al content on the properties of Cr1−xAlxC films prepared by RF reactive magnetron sputtering

Cr_1−xAl_xC films were deposited on high-speed steel by RF reactive magnetron sputtering. In this study, we aimed to identify the effect of the Al content on the properties of Cr_1−xAl_xC films. We found that Cr_1−xAl_xC films exhibited a fine columnar grain microstructure with some special characteristics, such as high hardness of Hv 1426, a low friction coefficient of 0.29, and a large contact angle of 90° for x = 0.18. Furthermore, an increase in Al content resulted in a decrease in film hardness and an increase in contact angle. Moreover, on annealing at 923 K, the mechanical properties of the films improved and a dense protective film of complex Cr₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ oxides was formed on the surface for better wear resistance, which will ultimately increase the lifetime of the high-speed steel substrate.     

氧化铝与Al(100)基体间界面原子结构研究

本文介绍了用MeV离子散射和沟道效应研究单晶铝表面无定型氧化层与基体之间界面原子结构的方法。报道了Al₂O₃/Al(100)界面原子结构的实验结果。实验表明,在纯氧气氛围中400℃下生成的氧化铝膜,铝和氧原子浓度比例严格为2与3之比;Al₂O₃膜和Al(100)基体之间的界面极其陡峭,氧化铝膜下Al(100)基体表面的再构层不大于一个原子层。由实验测量与用Monte Carlo方法计算结果比较,得到再构层原子离开原来晶 关键词：     

Enhancement of photoluminescence intensity from Si nanodots using Al2O3 surface passivation layer grown by atomic layer deposition

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) from Si nanodots with Al₂O₃ surface passivation layers was studied. The Si nanodots were grown by low pressure chemical vapor deposition and the Al₂O₃ thin films were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD), respectively. The BOE (Buffer-Oxide-Etch) treatment resulted in the damaged surface of Si nanodots and thus caused dramatic reduction in the PL intensity. Significant enhancement of the PL intensity from Si nanodots after the deposition of Al₂O₃ thin films was observed over a wide temperature range, indicating the remarkable surface passivation effect to suppress the non-radiative recombination at the surface of Si nanodots. The results demonstrated that the Al₂O₃ surface passivation layers grown by ALD are effectually applicable to nanostructured silicon devices.     

SHS等离子喷涂制备FeAl2O4-Al2O3-Fe纳米复合涂层的研究

利用SHS等离子喷涂技术，将经过机械团聚法制备的Fe₂O₃-Al复合粉体送入等离子焰流，沉积出厚度约为400 μm的复合涂层.利用XRD，SEM 和TEM等检测手段对涂层的成分和组织进行了分析，测定了涂层的显微硬度、断裂韧性以及耐磨性.结果表明涂层为具有纳米结构的FeAl₂O₄-Al₂O₃-Fe纳米复合组织；涂层的显微硬度为HV_100g870；断裂韧性是普通Al₂O₃涂层的2倍；无润滑磨损的耐磨性是普通Al₂O₃涂层的2.5倍. 关键词： SHS等离子喷涂 纳米涂层 断裂韧性