Surface treatment of magnesium hydroxide to improve its dispersion in organic phase by the ultrasonic technique

Micron magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)₂] was modified by means of ultrasonic method with stearic acid (SA) as modifier in water. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and element analysis showed all SA was bonded upon the surface of the Mg(OH)₂ forming a coating layer and no free SA was detected after the modifying process. The thickness of coating SA on the Mg(OH)₂ was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Compared with the unmodified Mg(OH)₂, the modified Mg(OH)₂ had better dispersion property in xylene, slower sedimentation velocity of dilute suspension in xylene and lower viscosity of suspension in paraffin liquid. The results showed that the modified Mg(OH)₂ could be dispersed much better than the unmodified Mg(OH)₂ in organic phase.     

Fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface on a wood substrate

A layer of lamellar superhydrophobic coating was fabricated on a wood surface through a wet chemical process. The superhydrophobic property of the wood surface was measured by contact angle (CA) measurements. The microstructure and chemical composition of the superhydrophobic coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). An analytical characterization revealed that the microscale roughness of the lamellar particles was uniformly distributed on the wood surface and that a zinc stearate monolayer (with the hydrophobic groups oriented outward) formed on the ZnO surface as the result of the reaction between stearic acid and ZnO. This process transformed the wood surface from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic: the water contact angle of the surface was 151°, and the sliding angle was less than 5°.     

Investigation of etch characteristics of non-polar GaN by wet chemical etching

We characterized the surface defects in a-plane GaN, grown onto r-plane sapphire using a defect-selective etching (DSE) method. The surface morphology of etching pits in a-plane GaN was investigated by using different combination ratios of H₃PO₄ and H₂SO₄ etching media. Different local etching rates between smooth and defect-related surfaces caused variation of the etch pits made by a 1:3 ratio of H₃PO₄/H₂SO₄ etching solution. Analysis results of surface morphology and composition after etching by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that wet chemical etching conditions could show the differences in surface morphology and chemical bonding on the a-plane GaN surface. The etch pits density (EPD) was determined as 3.1 × 10⁸ cm⁻² by atom force microscopy (AFM).     

Preparation and properties of super-hydrophobic coating on magnesium alloy

The super-hydrophobic coating was successfully fabricated on the surface of magnesium alloy AZ31 by chemical etching and surface modification. The surface morphologies, compositions, wettability and corrosion resistance of the coating were investigated with SEM, XPS, contact angle measurement and electrochemical method, respectively. It shows that the rough and porous micro-nano-structure was presented on the surface of magnesium alloy, and the contact angle could reach up to 157.3 ± 0.5° with sliding angle smaller than 10°. The super-hydrophobic coating showed a long service life. The results of electrochemical measurements showed that anticorrosion property of magnesium alloy was improved. The super-hydrophobic phenomenon of the prepared surface was analyzed with Cassie theory, and it finds that only about 10% of the water surface is contacted with the metal substrate and the rest 90% is contacted with the air cushion.     

Microstructure array on Si and SiOx generated by micro-contact printing, wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching

A method, combining micro-contact printing (μCP), wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching (RIE), is reported to fabricate microstructures on Si and SiOx. Positive and negative structures were generated based on different stamps used for μCP. The reproducibility of the obtained microstructures shows the methodology reported herein could be useful in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), optical and biological sensing applications.     

Structural, morphological, wettability and thermal resistance properties of hydro-oleophobic thin films prepared by a wet chemical process

The structural properties of fluorine containing polymer compounds make them highly attractive materials for hydro-oleophobic applications. However, most of these exhibit low surface energy and poor adhesion on the substrates. In the present investigation, crack free, smooth and uniform thin films of poly[4,5-difluoro-2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxole]-co-tetrafluoroethylene (TFD-co-TFE) with good adhesion have been deposited by wet chemical spin-coating technique on polished AISI 440C steel substrates. The as-deposited films (xerogel films) have been subjected to annealing for 1 h at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C in an argon atmosphere. The size growth of the nano-hemispheres increased from 8 nm for xerogel film to 28 nm for film annealed at 400 °C. It was found that as the annealing temperature increased from 100 to 400 °C, nano-hemisphere-like structures were formed, which in turn have shown increase in the water contact angle from 122° to 147° and oil (peanut) contact angle from 85° to 96°. No change in the water contact angle (122°) has been observed when the films deposited at room temperature were heated in air from 30 to 80 °C as well as exposed to steam for 8 days for 8 h/day indicating thermal stability of the film.     

Growth mechanism of hydroxyapatite-coatings formed on pure magnesium and corrosion behavior of the coated magnesium

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were uniformly formed on pure Mg by a hydrothermal treatment using a C₁₀H₁₂N₂O₈Na₂Ca (Ca-EDTA) solution. The growth mechanism of the HAp coating was investigated with XRD, SEM and TEM. At the initial stage, dome-shape HAp precipitates were formed on the Mg. Subsequently, the precipitates grew and the coating became a dual-layer consisting of an inner dense HAp layer and outer course layer consisting of rod-like HAp crystals. The protectiveness of the coatings with different treatment times was investigated by a polarization test in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The corrosion current density decreased with the growth of the HAp coating.     

Bioactive calcium phosphate coating formed on micro-arc oxidized magnesium by chemical deposition

In order to improve the bioactivity of the micro-arc oxidized magnesium, a calcium phosphate coating was formed on the surface of micro-arc oxidized magnesium using a chemical method. The microstructures of the substrate and the calcium phosphate coating before and after the simulated body fluids (SBF) incubation were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the calcified coating was composed of calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (HA) and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD). After SBF incubation, some new apatite formation on the calcified coating surface from SBF could be found. The corrosion behaviours of the samples in SBF were also investigated by potentiodynamic polarization curves and immersion tests. The results showed that calcium phosphate coating increased the corrosion potential, and decreased the hydrogen gas release.     

Yttrium ion implantation on the surface properties of magnesium

Owing to their excellent physical and mechanical properties, magnesium and its alloys are receiving more attention. However, their application has been limited to the high reactivity and the poor corrosion resistance. The aim of the study was to investigate the beneficial effects of ion-implanted yttrium using a MEVVA ion implanter on the surface properties of pure magnesium. Isothermal oxidation tests in pure O₂ at 673 and 773 K up to 90 min indicated that the oxidation resistance of magnesium had been significantly improved. Surface morphology of the oxide scale was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicated that the implanted layer was mainly composed of MgO and Y₂O₃, and the implanted layer with a duplex structure could decrease the inward diffusion of oxygen and reduce the outward diffusion of Mg²⁺, which led to improving the oxidation resistance of magnesium. Potentiodynamic polarization curves were used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the implanted magnesium. The results show yttrium implantation could enhance the corrosion resistance of implanted magnesium compared with that of pure magnesium.     

Influence of phytic acid concentration on coating properties obtained by MAO treatment on magnesium alloys

Anodic coatings were prepared by microarc oxidation (MAO) on AZ91HP in a base solution of 10 g/L NaOH with and without the addition of 0-12 g/L phytic acid (C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆). The influences of C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆ and its concentration on the conductivity and breakdown voltage were studied. The morphologies and compositions of anodic coatings were determined by environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Potentiodynamic polarization test was performed in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution to evaluate the corrosion resistance of anodic coatings. The results showed that with the increase of C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆ concentration, the solution conductivity decreased while the values of breakdown voltage increased. EDX analysis showed that the coatings formed in solutions with C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆ addition contained Mg, Al, O, C, P and a trance of Na. The addition of C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆ into the base solution was helpful in coating formation and the coatings formed in the solution containing 8 g/L C₆H₁₈O₂₄P₆ exhibited the best pore uniformity and corrosion resistance.     

Superhydrophobic alumina surface based on stearic acid modification

A novel superhydrophobic alumina surface is fabricated by grafting stearic acid layer onto the porous and roughened aluminum film. The chemical and phase structure, morphology, and the chemical state of the atoms at the superhydrophobic surface were investigated by techniques as FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, and XPS, respectively. Results show that a super water-repellent surface with a contact angle of 154.2° is generated. The superhydrophobic alumina surface takes on an uneven flowerlike structure with many nanometer-scale hollows distribute in the nipple-shaped protrusions, and which is composed of boehmite crystal and γ-Al₂O₃. Furthermore, the roughened and porous alumina surface is coated with a layer of hydrophobic alkyl chains which come from stearic acid molecules. Therefore, both the roughened structure and the hydrophobic layer endue the alumina surface with the superhydrophobic behavior.     

Investigation of the dissociative adsorption for cyclopropane on the copper surface by density functional theory and quantum chemical molecular dynamics method

The dissociative adsorption of cyclopropane on the copper surface was studied using quantum chemical molecular dynamics method with “Colors-Excite” code and density functional theory by Amsterdam Density Functional program (ADF2000). The excited state of cyclopropane was used as adsorbate to simulate the dissociated adsorption under an irradiation energy of ca. 10 eV. One of the C-C bonds in cyclopropane was broken and the two new bonds between cyclopropane and copper surface were formed. The electrons transferred from the copper atoms to cyclopropane with a value of about 0.2e. The shorter distances between the carbons and surface copper atoms showed the existence of strong interaction. Consistently, the results indicated metallacyclopentane was the most possible intermediate species in dissociative adsorption by ADF2000 and “Colors-Excite” method.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surface of hierarchical ZnO thin films by using stearic acid

Flower-like hierarchical ZnO microspheres were successfully synthesized by a simple, template-free, and low-temperature aqueous solution route. The morphology and microstructure of the ZnO microspheres were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The bionic films with hydrophobicity were fabricated by the hierarchical ZnO microspheres modified by stearic acid. It was found that the hydrophobicity of the thin films was very sensitive to the added amount of stearic acid. The thin films modified with 8% stearic acid took on strong superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle (CA) almost to be 178° and weak adhersion. The remarkable superhydrophobicity could be attributed to the synergistic effect of micro/nano hierarchical structure of ZnO and low surface energy of stearic acid.     

Estimation of the transient interfacial heat flux between substrate/melt at the initiation of magnesium solidification on aluminum substrates using the lumped capacitance method

Interfacial heat flux (IHF) between solid pure aluminum/magnesium melt and solid 413 aluminum alloy/magnesium melt couples was evaluated using lumped capacitance method, and the interface microstructures were assessed by scanning electronic microscope. The variation of maximum IHF with surface roughness for these two couples also was evaluated. The results showed that, for both solid aluminum/magnesium melt couples, with increasing the surface roughness, the maximum IHF increases at first and then starts to decrease after reaching a maximum value. In addition the measured maximum IHF for solid 413 aluminum alloy/magnesium melt couples was found to be higher than those measured for solid pure aluminum/magnesium melt couples. That seems to be because of the better wettability of 413 aluminum alloy than pure aluminum, by magnesium melt.     

Comparison of coating properties obtained by MAO on magnesium alloys in silicate and phytic acid electrolytes

Anodic coatings were prepared by using microarc oxidation (MAO) on AZ91HP in silicate containing solution (Si-solution) and phytic acid containing solution (P-solution), respectively. The influence of the electrolytes on coating structure, morphology and composition was studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Potentiodynamic polarization test and immersion test were employed to evaluate the corrosion resistance of anodic coatings. Different electrolytes caused the differences in the MAO process and coating properties. The breakdown voltage and the final voltage in P-solution were higher than those in Si-solution. The pore uniformity of anodic coatings obtained in Si-solution (Si-film) was worse than that in P-solution (P-film). XRD analyses indicated that Si-film was amorphous, while P-film consisted of MgO. The corrosion resistance of the sample coated with P-film was better than that with Si-film.     

The influence of surface microchemistry in protective film formation on multi-phase magnesium alloys

The high strength:weight ratio of magnesium alloys makes them an ideal metal for automotive and aerospace applications where weight reduction is of significant concern. Unfortunately, magnesium alloys are highly susceptible to corrosion particularly in salt-spray conditions. This has limited their use in the automotive and aerospace industries, where exposure to harsh service conditions is unavoidable. The simplest way to avoid corrosion is to coat the magnesium-based substrate by a process such as electroless plating, which is a low-cost, non line of sight process.Magnesium is classified as a difficult to plate metal due to its high reactivity. This means that in the presence of air magnesium very quickly forms a passive oxide layer that must be removed prior to plating. Furthermore, high aluminium content alloys are especially difficult to plate due to the formation of intermetallic species at the grain boundaries, resulting in a non-uniform surface potential across the substrate and thereby further complicating the plating process.The objective of this study is to understand how the magnesium alloy microstructure influences the surface chemistry of the alloy during both pretreatment and immersion copper coating of the substrate.A combination of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and scanning Auger microscopy has been used to study the surface chemistry at the various stages of the coating process. Our results indicate that the surface chemistry of the alloy is different on the aluminum rich β phase of the material compared to the magnesium matrix which leads to preferential deposition of the metal on the aluminum rich phase of the alloy.     

Effect of cw-CO2 laser surface treatment on structure and properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy

In the study, samples of AZ91 magnesium alloy were subjected to a surface remelting treatment by means of a continuous wave (cw) CO₂ laser. The scope of the investigation included both macro- and microstructural examination, hardness measurements, and wear resistance tests. The investigation has shown that remelting treatment leads to a strong refinement of structure in the surface layer and a more even distribution of phases. Fine α-phase dendrites have been observed to dominate in the remelting zone. The dendritic arm spacing in the laser treated surface was in the range of 1–2.5 μm. The structural changes triggered by remelting have contributed to an increase in the hardness and the wear resistance of AZ91 alloy. The microhardness of the remelted zone has increased to 71–93 HV_0.05 for single-strip remelting and to 84–107 HV_0.05 for multi-strip remelting in comparison with about ~60 HV_0.05 for untreated alloy. The friction coefficient has decreased from 0.375 for material w/o treatment to 0.311 for remelted material. SEM investigations of samples after tribological tests have revealed the presence of parallel grooves proving the occurrence of microploughing and micro cutting of the material during the tribological testing. The results of the conducted investigation have indicated a beneficial influence of the cw-CO₂ laser remelting treatment on the structure and properties of AZ91 alloy.     

Composition design and laser cladding of Ni-Zr-Al alloy coating on the magnesium surface

The cluster line criterion was used for optimized design of a Ni-Zr-Al alloy used as coating on the AZ91HP magnesium alloy by laser cladding. Results show that the coating mainly consists of an amorphous, two ternary intermetallic phases with Ni₁₀Zr₇ and Ni₂₁Zr₈ type structures resulting in high hardness, good wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The interface between the clad layer and the substrate has good metallurgical bond.     

Influence of wet chemical cleaning on quantum efficiency of GaN photocathode

GaN samples 1-3 are cleaned by a 2:2:1 solution of sulfuric acid(98%) to hydrogen peroxide(30%) to de-ionized water;hydrochloric acid(37%);or a 4:1 solution of sulfuric acid(98%) to hydrogen peroxide(30%).The samples are activated by Cs/O after the same annealing process.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after the different ways of wet chemical cleaning shows:sample 1 has the largest proportion of Ga,N,and O among the three samples,while its C content is the lowest.After activation the quantum efficiency curves show sample 1 has the best photocathode performance.We think the wet chemical cleaning method is a process which will mainly remove C contamination.