Effect of various lanthanum sol-gel coatings on the 330Cb (Fe-35Ni-18Cr-1Nb-2Si) oxidation at 900 °C

The influence of a lanthanum sol-gel coating on the oxide scale adherence has been studied during the 330Cb (Fe-35Ni-18Cr-1Nb-2Si) oxidation at 900 °C, in air. The alloy oxidation is performed in order to generate a protective chromia scale acting as a good barrier against carburization. Argon annealing of lanthanum sol-gel coatings have been performed at various temperatures in order to find the best conditions to insure the scale adherence. Kinetic results show that lanthanum sol-gel coatings lead to a lower oxidation rate compared to blank specimens. Thermal cycling tests on lanthanum the sol-gel coated specimen show that the oxide scale formed at 900 °C, in air, is adherent.     

Microstructures and properties of high Cr content coatings on inner surfaces of carbon steel tubular components prepared by a novel mechanical alloying method

In the present work, a novel mechanical alloying method was developed to prepare high Cr content coatings on the inner surface of carbon steel tubular components using a planetary ball mill. The microstructure and elemental and phase composition of mechanically alloyed coatings at different processing conditions were studied using SEM, XRD, and EDX. It showed that a proper increase in the applied milling time and the disc rotation speed favored the improvement in the thickness, surface smoothness, densification level, and microstructural homogeneity of the deposited coatings. With processing conditions optimized (rotation speed of 500 rpm and milling time of 10 h), a fully dense, 120 μm thick, high Cr content coating, consisting of metal Cr and Fe-20Cr solid solution alloy, was metallurgically bonded to the inner substrate. Comparative studies on the microhardness, corrosion resistance, and anti-oxidation capability of carbon steel substrates with and without coatings were performed. It was found that the maximum microhardness of the coating reached HV_0.1667, showing a threefold improvement upon the substrate. The coated surfaces exhibited favorable resistance against corrosion and thermal oxidation as compared with the bare substrate. Based on two important action mechanisms (i.e., friction effect and impact effect) associated with a planetary ball mill, a reasonable mechanism was presented for the formation of mechanically alloyed coatings on inner surfaces of tubular components.     

Influence of oxide scale thickness on electrical conductivity of coated AISI 430 steel for use as interconnect in solid oxide fuel cells

The use of conductive coating on interconnect ferritic stainless steel can reduce electrical resistivity. In this study, an AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel interconnect was coated with a manganese base pack mixture by pack cementation. The effect of oxide scale thickness on electrical conductivity was evaluated by applying isothermal oxidation at 750?°C. This effect was also investigated at different temperatures (400?C900?°C). The formation of manganese spinels during annealing improved the oxidation resistance and electrical conductivity. Results showed that the increase in isothermal oxidation time and temperature increased the oxide thickness, and this resulted in the relatively low values of electrical conductivity. Manganese spinels enhanced the electrical conductivity and oxidation resistance of coated substrates as compared to uncoated substrates.     

Inhibition of initial surface oxidation by strongly bound hydroxyl species and Cr segregation: H2O and O2 adsorption on Fe-17Cr

The initial stages of surface oxidation of Fe-17Cr (ferritic stainless steel) were investigated at 323 K by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inelastic electron background analysis. The results indicated the formation of a mixed iron-chromium oxide layer upon O₂ exposure and the formation of a thin chromium oxyhydroxide layer upon H₂O exposure. The oxidation of Fe did not occur in the latter case. Moreover, it was found that pre-exposing the Fe-17Cr surface to H₂O significantly hinders subsequent oxidation by O₂, thus providing a way to control the formation of nanoscale oxides on stainless steel materials. It was concluded that the formation of strongly bound hydroxyl species together with adsorbate-induced segregation of Cr severely limits the reaction between O₂/H₂O and Fe from the alloy.     

Corrosive behavior of chromium carbide-based films formed on steel using a filtered cathodic vacuum arc system

The formation of chromium carbide-based hard-coatings on steels using a 90°-bend filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) has extensive industrial applications; such coatings are free of macroparticles and exhibit excellent characteristics. In this investigation, a working pressure of C₂H₂/Ar was adopted to synthesize amorphous chromium carbide film (a-C:Cr) and crystalline chromium carbide film (cryst-Cr₃C₂) from a Cr target (99.95%) at 500 °C under a substrate voltage of −50 V. The corrosion behavior of a-C:Cr coated on steel (a-C:Cr/steel) and cryst-Cr₃C₂ coated on steel (cryst-Cr₃C₂/steel) were compared in terms of open-circuit potentials (OCP) and polarization resistance (R_p) in an aerated 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution, as determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The XRD results indicated that the transformation of a-C:Cr to cryst-Cr₃C₂ is distinct as the working pressure declines from 1.2 × 10⁻² to 2.9 × 10⁻³ Torr. The OCP of a-C:Cr/steel and cryst-Cr₃C₂/steel resemble each other and both assembly are nobler than uncoated steel. The R_p of the coatings exceeds that of the uncoated steel. The SEM observation and the EIS results demonstrate that the cryst-Cr₃C₂/steel more effectively isolates the defects than dose a-C:Cr/steel.     

Formation of Al2O3 coatings on NiTi alloy by micro-arc oxidation method

Rough and porous Al₂O₃ coatings containing Ca and P were prepared on Ti–50.8 at.% Ni alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique. The microstructure, elemental and phase composition of the coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD). The thickness of the coatings was measured by eddy current coating thickness gauge. The corrosion resistance and the nickel release of the coated and uncoated samples were examined by potentiodynamic polarization tests and immersion tests in Hank’s solution, respectively. The results show that the coatings are mainly composed of γ-Al₂O₃ crystal phase. The Ni content of the coatings is about 3.5 at.%, which is greatly lower than that of NiTi substrate. With increasing treatment time, both thickness and roughness of the coatings increase. The corrosion resistance of the coated samples is about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the uncoated NiTi alloy. The concentration of Ni released from coated NiTi samples is much lower than that of uncoated NiTi sample. It can be reduced in the factor of one-seventh compared with the uncoated NiTi sample after 3 weeks immersion in Hank’s solution.     

激光熔覆原位合成Nb(C,N)陶瓷颗粒增强铁基金属涂层

采用预涂粉末激光熔覆技术,在42CrMo基体上制备出原位合成Nb(C, N)颗粒增强的铁基复合涂层。X射线及扫描电镜分析结果表明:激光熔覆获得的涂层基体为耐氧化、耐蚀性良好的Fe-Cr细晶组织及少量的-Fe相,原位合成的Nb（C, N）呈块状弥散分布在基体上。进一步的磨损试验表明:这些颗粒增强相极大增强了抗磨损性能,与未熔覆的母材相比,其磨损失重仅为母材的1/9左右; 涂层在750 ℃恒温氧化条件下具有较好的抗氧化性能,氧化层主要由NbO1.1,Cr2O3相组成; 母材的氧化产物为Fe2O3,容易脱落,保护性能较差; 激光熔覆涂层的氧化膜厚度仅为未涂层的1/5。     

Microstructure development and properties of the AlCuFe quasicrystalline coating on near-α titanium alloy

A protective quasicrystalline AlFeCu coating was deposited on TIMETAL 834 substrate by nonreactive magnetron sputtering in order to improve resistance of the alloy to oxidation. Microstructure characterisation of the substrate and the coating was performed by analytical scanning- and transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffractometry. Depending on annealing temperature and time, the deposited coating (2.7 μm thick) has a different microstructure. The coating in Specimen 1 (annealed 600 °C/4 h in vacuum) consisted of two zones: outer, composed of Al₅Fe₂ and Al₂Cu₃ phases and inner, in which only quasicrystalline ψ phase was present. The coating in Specimen 2 (annealed 600 °C/4 h + 700 °C/2 h in vacuum) was fully quasicrystalline and consisted of icosahedral ψ phase.Both coatings exhibit higher microhardness than the substrate material. It was established that the applied surface treatment essentially improves oxidation resistance of the alloy tested at 750 °C during 250 h in static air. Sample weight gain was 60% lower than in the case of uncoated sample. Oxide scale spallation occurred for uncoated alloy while the coated one did not show any spallation. It was found that the very brittle scale formed during oxidation on the uncoated alloy was consisting of TiO₂, while that on the coated one consisted mainly of α-Al₂O₃.     

Interlayer effect on the characterization of the La-Cr-O coatings with post-sputtering annealing treatment

In this study, the deposition of La-Cr-O coatings on AISI 316 stainless steel was conducted by using a DC magnetron sputtering process. Three types of La-Cr-O coatings were designed, one type without interlayer, and another two types with an interlayer of Cr and CrN film, separately. This study aims to explore the interlayer effect on the properties of La-Cr-O coatings after post-annealing treatment. The coatings were characterized using the X-ray diffractionmeter (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA)/differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).The results showed that the three as-deposited La-Cr-O coatings had an amorphous structure. After annealing at 800 °C for 1 h in the air, the structure was transformed to the LaCrO₃ perovskite phase. Compared with the coatings without an interlayer, the double-layered coatings did not show the Cr₂O₃ phase in the structure. It implies that the use of the interlayer in the coatings could efficiently prohibit the diffusion of Cr to form oxide on the out-layer. Based on the TGA/DSC analysis and the electrical resistance measurement, it is understood that the annealed La-Cr-O coating with the CrN interlayer turns in the best performance in both chemical stability at high temperature and electrical resistance.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of oxidized Fe-16Cr-16Ni-2Mn-1Mo-2Si austenitic stainless steel

Depth profile analysis (argon ion etching/X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was conducted on a series of Fe-16Cr-16Ni-2Mn-1Mo-2Si austenitic stainless steel samples oxidized at 973 and 1073 K with exposure times of 25, 100, 193, 436 and 700 h. Surface and near surface rearrangement following oxidation resulted in a region of high Cr concentration on all oxidized samples. Temperature and time dependence to O₂ penetration depth was observed. In general, O₂ penetration depth was found to increase with increasing exposure up to 436 h. No increase in depth was observed between 436 and 700 h exposure time.     

Deposition and characterization of TiAlSiN nanocomposite coatings prepared by reactive pulsed direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering

This work reports the performance of high speed steel drill bits coated with TiAlSiN nanocomposite coating at different Si contents (5.5-8.1 at.%) prepared using a four-cathode reactive pulsed direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The surface morphology of the as-deposited coatings was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The crystallographic structure, chemical composition and bonding structure were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The corrosion behavior, mechanical properties and thermal stability of TiAlSiN nanocomposite coatings were also studied using potentiodynamic polarization, nanoindentation and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The TiAlSiN coating thickness was approximately 2.5-2.9 μm. These coatings exhibited a maximum hardness of 38 GPa at a silicon content of approximately 6.9 at.% and were stable in air up to 850 °C. For the performance evaluation, the TiAlSiN coated drills were tested under accelerated machining conditions by drilling a 12 mm thick 304 stainless steel plate. Under dry conditions the uncoated drill bits failed after drilling 50 holes, whereas, TiAlSiN coated drill bits (Si = 5.5 at.%) drilled 714 holes before failure. Results indicated that for TiAlSiN coated drill bits the tool life increased by a factor of more than 14.     

Microstructure and age characterization of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy coatings by laser cladding

The present work has investigated the influence of direct aging treatment on the precipitation sequence and properties of the Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy coatings prepared by laser cladding. The experimental results show that the tendency of Sn segregation in the conventional Cu-15Ni-8Sn solidification microstructure is effectively relieved. Before aging, there are only two phases in the coating: the α-Cu solid solution dendrites with 7 wt.% Sn solubility, and a small fraction of Sn-enriched δ-phase at the interdendrites in rapid solidified microstructure. After the coating was directly aged at 370 °C without traditional solution pretreatment, the α-Cu solid solution dendrites experience precipitations in the order of pure spinodal decomposition, DO₂₂-ordered structure and discontinue γ-DO₃. The microhardness of the coating treated by direct aging reached 390 HV 0.5, which was higher than that treated by conventional solution and aging process owing to the solidified fine grains and hardening effect of spinodal decomposition. In addition, the Sn-enriched δ-phase at the interdendrites also decomposes to laminar discontinuous precipitated γ-DO₃ phase after aging. Precipitation sequence and properties of the clad coatings change obviously during the direct aging treatment.     

Effect of hydrogen reduction on microstructure and magnetic properties of mechanochemically synthesized Fe-16.5Ni-16.5Co nano-powder

Most recent findings on structural and magnetic properties of Fe-Ni-Co nano-powders produced by mechanical alloying and subsequent low-temperature hydrogen reduction are presented in this paper. At 300 rpm, with ball to powder weight ratio of 20, single phase nickel-cobalt ferrite is mechanically synthesized for 50 h. The as-milled powder is then subjected to 1 h hydrogen reduction at 700 °C. Hydrogen reduction results in the formation of Fe-16.5%Ni-16.5%Co nano-powders. The phases of the powders are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) utilizing Cu Kα radiation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to study the morphology and the average size of the nano-powder particles. Chemical analysis of the phases present in the reduced sample is determined by electron dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The magnetic properties of the powders are measured by a vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). Results indicate a noticeable change in the magnetic properties of the samples due to Ni_0.5Co_0.5Fe₂O₄ compositional change into Fe-16.5Ni-16.5Co nano-powder.     

Improving Fe3Al alloy resistance against high temperature oxidation by pack cementation process

The paper presents the results of oxidation tests of Fe₃Al-based alloys containing additions of Cr, Zr, B, and C, with and without an aluminide coating. The coating was formed by a pack cementation process in which the surface of material got enriched in aluminum. The Al-rich layer was intended to enhance the tendency of Al₂O₃ formation. The slow-growing Al₂O₃ scale provides the best corrosion protection for structural materials at high temperatures. The cyclic oxidation tests were performed in laboratory air at 1373 K. The structure and composition of oxide scales as well as their adherence were evaluated and compared for the materials with and without aluminide coatings. Surface enrichment in aluminum and effect minor addition of Zr on oxidation behavior was discussed.     

The effect of cerium oxide argon-annealed coatings on the high temperature oxidation of a FeCrAl alloy

Ceria coatings were applied in order to improve the adherence of alumina scales developed on a model Fe–20Cr–5Al alloy during oxidation at high temperature. These coatings were performed by argon annealing of a ceria sol–gel coating at temperatures ranging between 600 and 1000 °C. The influence of these coatings on the alloy oxidation behaviour was studied at 1100 °C. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to characterize the coating crystallographic nature after annealing and during the oxidation process. The alumina scale morphologies were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The present work shows that the alumina scale morphology observed on cerium sol–gel coated alloy was very convoluted. On the cerium sol–gel coated alloy, argon annealing results in an increase of the oxidation rate in air, at 1100 °C. The 600 °C argon annealing temperature results in a good alumina scale adherence under thermal cycling conditions at 1100 °C.     

Alleviation of thermal corrosion caused by molten ash on heat-exchange tubes in MSW incinerators: Effects of Ni-, Co-, Fe-based HVOF coatings

Thermal corrosion on heat-exchange tubes had an adverse effect on the economical and safe operation of municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerators. In order to alleviate the corrosion caused by molten ash, high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying technology was considered for its ability of enhancing corrosion resistance. In this study, 10 typical Ni-, Co-, Fe-based coatings were employed to find the relationship between material composition and high temperature corrosion resistance. The MSW incineration ash adhesion tests at 873 K were performed to specially simulate the corrosion caused by molten ash on tubes. Besides, mass gain measurements under the exposure of Na/K chlorides and sulfates were also performed to assess the failure of tubes. From experimental results, the strong positive correlation between MSW incineration ash adhesion force and mass gain rate proved the feasibility of using the former as an in-furnace corrosion indicator. Fe-based coatings with Fe accounting for up to 80 wt.%, rather than common coatings with Fe content of ca.50 wt.%, had better performance against thermal corrosion. For Ni/Co-based coatings, the optimal content of ternary components, including body metal (Ni/Co), eutectic metal (Cr) and the other strengthening elements (Mo+W+Si+B, et al.), seemed to be 60–20–20 wt.%. The mutual allocation of three kinds of elements, rather than the content of one specific element, affected its MSW incineration ash adhesion tendency. The microstructure characterization indicated the prevented permeation of corrosive species containing Na, K, S, Cl by the presence of strengthening elements such as Mo. Further comparison of NiCr and NiCrMo coatings explored the effect of Mo reinforcing the coating microstructure free from cracking, besides the widely known effect of forming protective oxidation film. This investigation provided insight for the corrosion resistance in MSW incinerators of harsh operating conditions.     

Study on crystalline to amorphous structure transition of Cr coatings by magnetron sputtering

The influence of deposition rate on crystalline to amorphous microstructure transition of Cr coatings was studied through preparation of Cr coatings deposited onto silicon wafers using magnetron sputtering technique. The microstructure and morphology of Cr coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results show that Cr coating prepared at 400 W exhibits dense columnar crystalline structure and the crystallite size and crystallization rate are increased expressly in the initial 5 min. When the deposition rate achieved to the maximum, Cr coating shows a case of infinite periodic renucleation where new crystals are assumed to be nucleated periodically on the surfaces of growing crystals and strong persistence of the columnar growth morphology is apparent. However, Cr coating exhibits overall microstructure of amorphous phase mixed with a few nano-crystal grains as the deposition rate decreases to the minimum.     

Microstructure and high-temperature corrosion behaviors of aluminide coatings by low-temperature pack aluminizing process

Aluminide coatings were produced on carbon steel and Fe-5Cr-Mo alloy at a relatively lower temperature below 600 °C in shorter treatment time by a combination of surface refinement process and pack aluminizing process. Repetitive ball impact, generated by mechanical vibration, caused the top-layer refinement of substrates in a conventional pack aluminizing process. The effects of temperature and treatment time on the formation of aluminide coatings were analyzed. The microstructure of the coatings was investigated by SEM, AFM and XRD. The aluminide coatings were one-layer, compacted structure with ultrafine grains and uniform elemental distribution. High-temperature oxidation and sulphidation tests were carried out at 600 °C in air for 200 h and 10% SO₂ + Ar gas mixture atmosphere for 50 h, respectively. The mass gains and spallation indicated that the aluminide coatings significantly improved the high-temperature oxidation and sulphidation resistance.     

Improved moisture resistance of SrS:Eu phosphors with nanoscale SiO2 coating

Orange-emitting SrS:Eu²⁺ phosphors were coated with nanoscale SiO₂ and their photoluminescence (PL) degradation behavior in moist air was investigated. The SiO₂ coating was obtained by sol-gel process using diethoxydimethylsilane (DEDMS) and the coating content was varied from 0.5 to 2 wt%. The coatings were composed of a uniform, continuous, and amorphous SiO₂ layer of 30-50 nm thickness and the coating thickness was not varied significantly with the coating content. No peak shift and no decrease of PL intensity were observed after coating. The PL intensity of the coated phosphors decreased to ∼75% of the original value after 10 h exposure to moist air, while the uncoated phosphor decreased to ∼33%, which indicates the improved moisture resistance of the nanoscale SiO₂ coated SrS:Eu²⁺ phosphors.     

Structural and tribological properties of CrTiAlN coatings on Mg alloy by closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering ion plating

In this paper, a series of multi-layer hard coating system of CrTiAlN has been prepared by closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering ion plating (CFUBMSIP) technique in a gas mixture of Ar + N₂. The coatings were deposited onto AZ31 Mg alloy substrates. During deposition step, technological temperature and metallic atom concentration of coatings were controlled by adjusting the currents of different metal magnetron targets. The nitrogen level was varied by using the feedback control of plasma optical emission monitor (OEM). The structural, mechanical and tribological properties of coatings were characterized by means of X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), micro-hardness tester, and scratch and ball-on-disc tester. The experimental results show that the N atomic concentration increases and the oxide on the top of coatings decreases; furthermore the modulation period and the friction coefficient decrease with the N₂ level increasing. The outstanding mechanical property can be acquired at medium N₂ level, and the CrTiAlN coatings on AZ31 Mg alloy substrates outperform the uncoated M42 high speed steel (HSS) and the uncoated 316 stainless steel (SS).