Surface chemical analysis of copper powder used in additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has during years gained significant interest owing to its endless component design possibilities. One of the most popular AM techniques is laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), which selectively melts metal powder layer-by-layer in a chamber with protective argon atmosphere. This technique is attractive for realizing Cu-based products in which the high electrical conductivity of Cu is combined with component design possibilities. The successful use of Cu powder not only poses challenges owing to the high reflectivity and thermal conductivity of Cu but also involves the important concern of controlling the powder surface chemistry since the powder surface constitutes the main source of oxygen. It is of crucial importance to control the oxygen level in order to maintain good electrical conductivity and brazing ability of the AM-fabricated Cu-part. In LPBF, fine spherical powder with size of 10–60 μm is used, providing significant specific surface area, and this powder is also usually recycled several times, and hence, the role of powder surface chemistry is evident. Two kinds of copper powder with purities 99.70 and 99.95 wt% were analysed in both virgin and in used conditions after numerous printing cycles using LPBF. The powder was analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A clear difference between the two powder grades in terms of surface chemistry was observed. The oxide thickness and bulk oxygen content increased for both powder grades after recycling. The surface oxides under different conditions are identified and the effect of powder purity on the oxide formed is discussed.     

Effects of cyclonic plasma deposited organosilicon nano-coating on 316 stainless steel and its surface characterization

Cyclonic atmospheric pressure plasma is developed to synthesize the organosilicon nano-coating on 316 L stainless steel surface with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDSN) and HMDSN/N₂ monomers. The modified 316 L stainless steel surface characteristics of cyclonic plasma deposited organosilicon nano-coating were evaluated by the static contact angle measurement, FTIR, SEM, AFM, and XPS detections. The chemical analysis with FTIR and XPS depicts that cyclonic plasma deposited nano-coating obtains the relatively inorganic characteristics. The surface morphological determination with SEM and AFM refers cyclonic plasma deposited 316 L stainless steel surface roughness alteration with switching monomer inputs. This study shows the potential of chamber-less deposition to create the plasma deposited organosilicon nano-coating for 316 L stainless.     

Corrosion behavior of 316 stainless steel for advanced high-temperature water-cooled nuclear plant

Corrosion occurs widely in the supercritical water system materials under high temperature and pressure. To select reliable candidate materials, corrosion behavior of many alloys was investigated. This study focused on investigating the corrosion behavior of 316 stainless steel (316 SS) in supercritical water (798 K/24 MPa). After exposed to SCW for 200 h, the oxidation kinetics, surface morphology, and diffusion of elements were investigated by weight measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface of 316 SS showed isolated and discontinued oxide scales. The oxide scale was determined to be a monolayer layer, and the main composition was determined to be Fe–Cr-rich spinel with a few amounts of magnetite attached to the surface. A few pores due to pitting corrosion were found on the surface, and the oxidation mechanism was also investigated.     

Corrosion and biological behavior of nanostructured 316L stainless steel processed by severe plastic deformation

Nanostructured metals have different mechanical, chemical, and physical behaviors in comparison with the microstructured ones. Numerous research studies demonstrated that the biological behavior of nanostructured metallic implants was improved significantly. Concerning the nanostructured metals, decreasing the corrosion rate and the releasing of hazardous ions from metallic implants, and thus increasing the biocompatibility of implants are due to improving the native oxide layer. In the present study, nanostructured 316L stainless steel (biomedical grade) was manufactured via equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) method. To do so, the 316L stainless steel (SS) was exposed to the ECAP operation for eight passes. The impact of the ECAP process on corrosion behavior of SS samples was evaluated through performing the electrochemical polarization corrosion tests in Ringer's solution. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the surface morphology of common SS and ECAPed SS sample after the electrochemical polarization tests. Moreover, the biological behavior of the samples was evaluated via cell culture using fibroblast cells. The corrosion test results revealed a substantial decrease of corrosion rate from 3.12 (coarse‐grained sample) to 0.42 μA cm^?2 (for nanostructured). Furthermore, the cell proliferation in the interface of nanostructured sample and cell culture medium enhanced dramatically compared with the coarse‐grained one. The much better biological behavior of nanostructured SS sample in comparison with the coarse‐grained one is mostly due to the significant decrease of corrosion rate on the surface of SS samples, and the presence of much more chrome oxide on the surface of SS sample. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

硅烷偶联剂对不锈钢表面膜基结合强度的影响

运用拉伸法研究了硅烷偶联剂对316L不锈钢高分子涂层的结合强度的影响,并对硅烷偶联剂的含量、预处理时间及pH值等工艺条件进行了优化。采用ATRIR,XPS等技术表征了偶联剂提高膜基结合强度的机理。结果表明：硅烷偶联剂能够显著提高不锈钢与高分子涂层之间的结合强度,最佳的工艺条件为：偶联剂含量W=0．05,处理时间为10s,溶液的pH值为6。作用机理是：偶联剂一端与金属生成了Si-O-Me键。另一端与高分子相互缠绕形成了复杂的互穿网络结构。     

Synthesis and evaluation of novel O-functionalized aminated chitosan derivatives as antibacterial,antioxidant and anticorrosion for 316L stainless steel in simulated body fluid

Chitosan’s Schiff base derivatives are taking the attention of scientists as a promising biomaterial for various applications. In this study, O-functionalized aminated chitosan (O-F-Am-Ch) was coupled with 4,4-dimethyl amino-benzaldehyde and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone to produce Schiff bases (I) and (II), respectively. The chemical and physical properties of the new derivatives were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) that show a significant band for C=C between 1400 and 1600 cm⁻¹, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), which demonstrate an increase in the thermal stability of new derivatives than O-F-Am-Ch and scanning electron microscope (SEM) that indicates a slight increase in the rough structure of the surface. In addition, 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays that examined the antioxidant properties of the new Schiff bases. The biocidal activity against four different bacterial strains [two gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and two gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus)] demonstrates significant improvement of the inhibition activity compare to O-F-Am-Ch with more activity against Gram-negative bacteria than that against gram-positive bacteria.As an implanted alloy, 316L stainless steel is used as a temporary biomaterial in different countries without any pretreatment. Our study focused on further improving the alloy features by investigating the protection efficiency of O-F-Am-Ch and the synthesized Schiff bases for the 316L stainless steel surface against corrosion in simulated body fluid (SBF). The corrosion inhibition of these compounds was investigated using two electrochemical methods (potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). The results suggested the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of the compounds under investigation. Furthermore, they demonstrated a considerable dose-dependent inhibiting corrosion of 316L stainless steel in SBF, whereas the inhibition efficiency exceeds 77% at 1000 ppm for the Schiff bases II. In conclusion, the tested derivatives show promising properties to refine stainless steel for implant applications.     

Photoelectron spectroscopic studies of the formation of hydroxyapatite films on 316L stainless steel pretreated with etidronic acid

The valence band and core‐level X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to probe hydroxyapatite films formed on the surface of stainless steel. These films formed on steel may find application in medical implants. The key to the successful adhesion of the hydroxyapatite films is shown to be the initial formation of a thin, oxide‐free etidronate film on the metal. It was not found possible to prepare the hydroxyapatite films directly on the metal surfaces. Since hydroxyapatite is a key component of bone and teeth, it is likely that the coated metals will have desirable biocompatible properties. The hydroxyapatite film was exposed to air, water, and 1M sodium chloride solution as representative components of the environment of the film in the human body, and these exposures led to no detectable decomposition of the film. The thin hydroxyapatite and etidronate film on the metal show differential charging effects that caused a doubling of the peaks in some core level spectra. The valence band spectra proved especially valuable in the identification of the surface chemistry of the films, and these spectra were interpreted by comparing the experimental spectra with spectra calculated using band structure calculations which showed good agreement with experiment. The calculated spectrum of etidronic acid was found to be significantly different to that of etidronate. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanoindentation studies and modeling of surface layers on austenitic stainless steels by extreme electrochemical treatments

The nanoindentation studies were performed on two austenitic stainless steels, AISI 304L and 316L. The steel samples have undergone two different electrochemical treatments, standard (EP50) and a high‐current density electropolishing (EP1000). Firstly, the observations of the steels' surfaces were done with the optic images of the AISI 304L and 316L SS after these two treatments displayed. Presented in the paper results have shown clearly that the high‐current density close to 1000 A/dm² allows for obtaining the passive nanolayers with other mechanical properties than those obtained after a standard electropolishing (EP50). The prediction of these results has been confirmed by the preliminary XPS studies allowing for modeling of the steels' surface layers. The main finding of the study is revealing a new method of electrochemical treatment (EP1000) allowing to obtain the reduced Young's modulus of the stainless steels lower than that obtained after EP50. This feature is of high importance regarding the use of these steels as biomaterials. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of surface hydroxyl concentration on the bonding and morphology of aminopropylsilane thin films on austenitic stainless steel

The adsorption of 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane thin films on Fe? 18Cr? 7Mn? 3Ni (austenitic stainless steel) was investigated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inelastic electron background analysis. The bonding and morphology of the films were strongly dependent on the surface hydroxyl concentration, which was controlled by the oxidation pretreatment of the substrate. In particular, an aminopropylsilane (APS) monolayer with high degree of bonding to the substrate was obtained on an electrochemically passivated surface with very high hydroxyl concentration. On the other hand, the deposition of weakly bound APS clusters was observed on substrates having relatively low hydroxyl concentrations. The adsorption occurred initially via hydrogen bonding, whereas heating to 373 K resulted in the formation of covalent Si? O? M bonds at the silane/metal oxide interface. The results of this study provide insight into the interaction between silanes and stainless steels surfaces, and can be applied for functionalization of stainless steel materials in an extensive range of applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SIMS/XPS characterization of surface layers formed in 3 mass% Si‐steel by annealing in oxygen at low partial pressure

Selective oxidation in silicon steel shows several interesting phenomena, such as the formation of an internal oxidation zone that depends on the oxidation conditions and the steel composition. In this work, SIMS and XPS were used for characterizing the formation processes of surface layers formed during selective oxidation of a typical silicon steel. The starting material is a secondary‐recrystallized 3 mass% Si‐steel sheet with a surface orientation of (011). Sample sheets were annealed at a temperature of 948–1023 K under an atmosphere with a low partial pressure of oxygen. The SIMS depth profiles show that the internal oxidation zone thickens and an iron‐rich layer that formed on the internal oxidation zone expands as the annealing temperature increases. Manganese and chromium levels increase outside the internal oxidation zone, whereas tin exists in the internal oxidation zone. The XPS results of the sample surface show that silicon and manganese levels increase on the sample surface to form oxides, and the chemical composition and state of these elements depend on the annealing temperature. In addition, tin increases on the surface of a relatively thick iron‐rich layer that formed on the internal oxidation layer. These experimental results are discussed on the basis of the thermodynamic characteristics of the elements. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of Mn2+ and Ni2+ ions on the surface properties of the aluminium oxide samples using Q-TG and Q-DTG data

The paper presents the complex studies of adsorption and porosity of pure and modified–aluminium oxides samples. The presence of Mn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ modifiers on the aluminium oxide surface causes increase in water adsorption capacity and its decrease in the case of benzene and n-octane. This is due to decrease of specific surface area, volume and radius of pores as a result of surface impregnation and microcrystals formation during modification with manganese and nickel chlorides. Microcrystals formation on the surface and porosity decrease where confirmed by the AFM and SEM studies. From the Q-TG and Q-DTG data, the energies of liquid desorption from the surface of the samples and the functions of desorption, energy distribution were calculated. High degree of nonlinearity of the run of the functions resulting from great heterogeneity of the studied surface was found. Adsorption of cations creates more homogeneous surface of aluminium oxide, and it is responsible for the change in adsorbate molecule interaction energy and changes mechanism of adsorption and desorption as well as thickness and structure of the adsorbed film. From the experimental data some parameters characterizing adsorption properties and porosity of the studied samples were determined using the measuring methods (thermal analysis, sorptomate, porosimetry, AFM).     

Characterization of surface composition on Alloy 22 in neutral chloride solutions

The composition of anodically grown oxide films on Alloy 22, a Ni‐Cr‐Mo(W) alloy, has been investigated in 5 mol l^?1 NaCl at room temperature using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. For applied potentials up to 0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl solution)), a Cr(III) oxide barrier layer develops at the alloy/oxide interface accounting for the excellent passivity demonstrated to prevail in this potential region by previous electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. At higher potentials, this layer is destroyed by defect injection as Cr(III) is oxidized to the more soluble Cr(VI). The overall oxide/hydroxide film thickness is, however, increased as Mo(VI)/W(VI) species accumulate at the oxide solution interface. The potential of 0.2 V at which the barrier layer switches from growth to destruction coincides with the previously demonstrated threshold potential for the initiation of crevice corrosion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microstructure and interfacial adhesion of high velocity oxy‐fuel‐sprayed MoB–CoCr alloy coating on 316L stainless steel

In this article, a newly developed MoB–CoCr alloy coating was deposited on 316L stainless steel substrate by high velocity oxy‐fuel thermal spraying process. The microstructures and interfacial adhesion of the alloy coating were determined by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and three‐point bending. The results show that the coating consisted of ternary transition metal boride matrix phases (CoMo₂B₂, CoMoB) and a little amount of binary borides (MoB and CrB), the former composed of partially amorphous phase. The formation of the amorphous phase was attributed to the high cooling rates of molten droplets and the proper powder compositions. In the interfacial adhesion measurement, the delamination of the coating is induced during the three‐point bending test, and the interfacial fracture toughness is analyzed using a finite element analysis model. The critical load is determined by comparing the load versus deflection curves obtained by finite element analysis under assumed no crack conditions with the experimental data, and other inputs are determined by test. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of excitation states of nitrogen on the surface nitridation of iron and steel in d.c. glow discharge plasma

The plasma nitriding phenomena that occur on the surfaces of iron and steel were investigated. In particular, the correlation between the kinds of nitrogen radicals and the surface nitriding reaction was investigated using a glow‐discharge apparatus. To control the excitation of nitrogen radicals, noble gas mixtures were used for the plasma gas. The highly populated metastables of noble gases selectively produce excited nitrogen molecules (N₂*) or nitrogen molecule ions (N₂⁺). The optical emission spectra suggested that the formation of N₂*‐rich or N₂⁺‐rich plasma was successfully controlled by introducing different kinds of noble gases. Auger electron spectroscopy and XPS were used to characterize the depth profile of the elements and chemical species on the nitrided surface. The nitride layer formed by a N₂⁺‐rich plasma had a much higher nitrogen concentration than that by a N₂*‐rich plasma, likely due to the larger chemical activity of the N₂⁺ species as well as the N₂⁺ sputtering bombardment to the cathode surface. The strong reactivity of the N₂⁺ species was also confirmed from the chemical shift of N 1s spectra for iron nitrides. An iron nitride formed by the N₂⁺‐rich plasma has higher stoichiometric quantity of nitrogen than that formed by the N₂*‐rich plasma. Besides the effect of nitrogen radicals on surface nitridation, the contribution of the chromium in steel to the nitriding reaction was also examined. This chromium can promote a nitriding reaction at the surface, which results in an increase in the nitrogen concentration and the formation of nitride with high nitrogen coordination. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Report on the 47th IUVSTA Workshop ‘Angle‐Resolved XPS: the current status and future prospects for angle‐resolved XPS of nano and subnano films’

A summary of the workshop entitled ‘Angle‐Resolved XPS: The Current Status and Future Prospects for Angle‐resolved XPS of Nano and Subnano Films’ is given, which was held at the Riviera Maya, Mexico, 26–30 March 2007, under the main sponsorship of the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA). Angle‐resolved X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) can provide detailed chemical as well as depth profile information about the near‐surface composition of materials and thin films. This workshop was held to review the present status and level of understanding of Angle‐resolved XPS, and to stimulate discussions leading to a deeper understanding of current problems and new solutions. The main goal of the workshop was to find better ways to perform experiments and, very importantly, better ways to extract information from the experimental data. This report contains summaries of presentations and discussions that were held in sessions entitled ‘Basics and Present Limits of ARXPS’, the Analysis of ARXPS Data, Applications of ARXPS, Equipment for ARXPS, and Future Developments in ARXPS'. There were 33 participants at the workshop. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of ageing atmospheres on the changes in surface free energies of oxygen plasma-treated polyethylene films

The changes in the surface properties of oxygen plasma-treated polyethylene films during ageing in various atmospheres (water, dry nitrogen gas, and hexane) were studied from the viewpoint of the interaction of the surface functional groups formed on the films and the ageing media. The XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and the SSIMS (static secondary ion mass spectrometry) spectra indicated the formation of polar groups containing oxygen such as C=O on the film surface. The changes in the critical surface tension (_C) of the film with ageing time were largely affected by the ageing atmospheres: the _C value of the film aged in water increased, and those of the films aged in nitrogen gas and hexane decreased with an increase in ageing time. These different tendencies among the ageing media could be understood reasonably with examining the surface free energy ratios (the total energy, _S ^tot , the dispersion force component, _S ^d / _S ^tot , the polar component, _S ^p / _S ^tot , the hydrogen bonding component, _S ^h / _S ^tot ) of the films. The ageing in water of which _L is large gave the films with higher _S ^p / _S ^tot values, suggeting that the overturn and/or the orientation of the polar groups toward the water phase occurred so as to minimize the discrepancy of the surface free energy between the polymer surface and water. On the other hand, the ageing in nitrogen gas and hexane media of which _L are small gave the films with lower _S ^p / _S ^tot and _S ^h / _S ^tot values, suggesting the overturn and/or the orientation of the polar groups into the bulk polymer.     

The effect of the conditions for the preparation of iron oxide nanoparticles on their catalytic characteristics in the oxidation of CO

The catalytic characteristics of systems prepared by mechanically mixing iron oxide nanoparticles, produced in the thermolysis of carboxylate complexes at 300–750°C, with aluminum oxide in the oxidation of CO were studied. It was shown that increase in the size of the iron oxide nanoparticles leads to decrease in the catalytic activity of the samples as a result of their different structural and textural characteristics, which change in relation to the synthesis conditions. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 300–305, September–October, 2006.     

Dispersion polymerization of styrene in polar solvents: Effect of reaction parameters on microsphere surface composition and surface properties,size and size distribution,and molecular weight

Polystyrene microspheres were prepared by dispersion polymerization of styrene in a mixture of ethanol and 2-methoxy ethanol. Surface characterization of the formed particles was performed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and critical surface tension measurements. The influence of different reaction parameters, i.e., monomer concentration, stabilizer type (polyvinylpyrrolidone, copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylacetate and polyvinylace tate), stabilizer concentration and molecular weight, and initiator type and concentration, on the molecular weight and on the size and size distribution of the formed polystyrene microspheres was investigated. The correlation between the surface composition and wett ability properties of the particles surface and their size and size distribution was also demonstrated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 34:1857–1871, 1996