Effects of Y_2O_3 on the microstructure and wear resistance of cobalt-based alloy coatings deposited by plasma transferred arc process

Cobalt-based alloys with different Y2O3 contents were deposited on Q235A-carbon steel using plasma transferred arc （PTA） welding machine. The effect of Y2O3 on the microstructure and wear resistance properties of the cobait-based alloys were investigated using an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It was found that a cobalt-based solid solution with a face-centered cubic crystal structure was presented accompanied by the secondary phase M7C3 with a hexagonal crystal structure in the Y2O3-free cobalt-based alloy coating. Several stacking faults exist in the cobalt-based solid solution. The addition of Y2O3 leads to the existence of the Y2O3 phase in the Y2O3-modified coatings. Though stacking fault exists in the Y2O3-modified coatings, its density increases. The addition of Y2O3 can refine the microstructure and can increase the wear resistance properties when its contents are less than or equal to 0.8 wt.%. However, further increase of its contents will lead to the agglomeration of undissolved Y2O3 particles at the γ-Co grain boundary, and will lead to a coarse microstructure and lower wear resistance properties.

Influences of the microstructure on the wear resistance of cobalt-based alloy coatings obtained by plasma transferred arc process

The microstructure, substructure, and wear characteristic of cobalt-basedalloy coatings obtained by plasma transferred arc (PTA) process were investigated using opticalmetallurgical microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmissionelectron microscope (TEM), and dry sand abrasion tester (DSAT). The aging effect on the structureand wear resistance of the cobalt-based PTA coating was also studied. The results show that theas-welded coating consists of cobalt-based solid solution with face-centered cubic structure andhexagonal (Cr,Fe)_7C_3. There are a lot of stacking faults existing in the cobalt-based solidsolution. After aging at 600 deg C for 60 h, the microstructure becomes coarse, and another carbide(Cr,Fe)_(23)C_6 precipitates. As a result, the wear mass loss of the aged sample is higher than thatof the as-welded sample.

High corrosion and wear resistant electroless Ni–P gradient coatings on aviation aluminum alloy parts

A Ni–P alloy gradient coating consisting of multiple electroless Ni–P layers with various phosphorus contents was prepared on the aviation aluminum alloy. Several characterization and electrochemical techniques were used to characterize the different Ni–P coatings’ morphologies, phase structures, elemental compositions, and corrosion protection. The gradient coating showed good adhesion and high corrosion and wear resistance, enabling the application of aluminum alloy in harsh environments. The results showed that the double zinc immersion was vital in obtaining excellent adhesion (81.2 N). The optimal coating was not peeled and shredded even after bending tests with angles higher than 90°and was not corroded visually after 500 h of neutral salt spray test at 35℃. The high corrosion resistance was attributed to the misaligning of these micro defects in the three different nickel alloy layers and the amorphous structure of the high P content in the outer layer. These findings guide the exploration of functional gradient coatings that meet the high application requirement of aluminum alloy parts in complicated and harsh aviation environments.

Well-oriented magnesium hydroxide nanoplatelets coating with high corrosion resistance and osteogenesis on magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloys are nontoxic and promising as orthopedic metallic implants,but preparing a biocompatible Mg(OH)_(2)layer with high corrosion protection ability remains challenging.It is generally believed that the Mg(OH)_(2)layer,especially that formed in a natural condition,cannot provide desirable corrosion resistance in the community of corrosion and protection.Here,several Mg(OH)_(2)coatings were prepared by changing the pH values of sodium hydroxide solutions.These coatings were composed of innumerable nanoplatelets with different orientations and showed distinguished capability in corrosion resistance.The nanoplatelets were well-oriented with their ab-planes parallel to,instead of perpendicular to,the magnesium alloy surface by raising the pH value to 14.0.This specific orientation resulted in the optimal coating showing long-term corrosion protection in both in vitro and in vivo environments and good osteogenic capability.These finds manifest that the environment-friendly Mg(OH)_(2)coating can also provide comparable and better corrosion protection than many traditional chemical conversion films(such as phosphate,and fluoride).

Greatly enhanced corrosion/wear resistances of epoxy coating for Mg alloy through a synergistic effect between functionalized graphene and insulated blocking layer

The poor corrosion and wear resistances of Mg alloys seriously limit their potential applications in various industries.The conventional epoxy coating easily forms many intrinsic defects during the solidification process,which cannot provide sufficient protection.In the current study,we design a double-layer epoxy composite coating on Mg alloy with enhanced anti-corrosion/wear properties,via the spin-assisted assembly technique.The outer layer is functionalized graphene(FG)in waterborne epoxy resin(WEP)and the inner layer is Ce-based conversion(Ce)film.The FG sheets can be homogeneously dispersed within the epoxy matrix to fill the intrinsic defects and improve the barrier capability.The Ce film connects the outer layer with the substrate,showing the transition effect.The corrosion rate of Ce/WEP/FG composite coating is 2131 times lower than that of bare Mg alloy,and the wear rate is decreased by~90%.The improved corrosion resistance is attributed to the labyrinth effect(hindering the penetration of corrosive medium)and the obstruction of galvanic coupling behavior.The synergistic effect derived from the FG sheet and blocking layer exhibits great potential in realizing the improvement of multi-functional integration,which will open up a new avenue for the development of novel composite protection coatings of Mg alloys.

Adhesion property of AlCrNbSiTi high-entropy alloy coating on zirconium:experimental and theoretical studies

Experimental scratch tests and first-principles calculations were used to investigate the adhesion property of AlCrNbSiTi high-entropy alloy(HEA)coatings on zirconium substrates.AlCrNbSiTi HEA and Cr coatings were deposited on Zr alloy substrates using multi-arc ion plating technology,and scratch tests were subsequently conducted to estimate the adhesion property of the coatings.The results indicated that Cr coatings had better adhesion strength than HEA coatings,and the HEA coatings showed brittleness.The special quasi-random structure approach was used to build HEA models,and Cr/Zr and HEA/Zr interface models were employed to investigate the cohesion between the coatings and Zr substrate using first-principles calculations.The calculated interface energies showed that the cohesion between the Cr coating and the Zr substrate was stronger than that of the HEA coating with Zr.In contrary to Al or Si in the HEA coating,Cr,Nb,and Ti atoms binded strongly with Zr substrate.Based on the calculated elastic constants,it was found that low Cr and high Al content decreased the mechanical performances of HEA coatings.Finally,this study demonstrated the utilization of a combined approach involving first-principles calculations and experimental studies for future HEA coating development.

Structure and corrosion behavior of FeCoCrNiMo high-entropy alloy coatings prepared by mechanical alloying and plasma spraying

FeCoCrNiMox composite powders were prepared using the mechanical alloying technique and made into high-entropy alloy(HEA)coatings with the face-centered cubic phase using plasma spraying to address the element segregation problem in HEAs and pre-pare uniform HEA coatings.Scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray diffractometry were employed to characterize these coatings’microstructure and phase composition.The hardness,elastic modulus,and fracture toughness of coatings were tested,and the corrosion resistance was analyzed in simulated seawater.Results show that the hardness of the coating is HV0.1606.15,the modulus of elasticity is 128.42 GPa,and the fracture toughness is 43.98 MPa·m^(1/2).The corrosion potential of the coating in 3.5wt%NaCl solution is-0.49 V,and the corrosion current density is 1.2×10^(−6)A/cm^(2).The electrochemical system comprises three parts:the electrolyte,the adsorption and metallic oxide films produced during immersion,and the FeCoNiCrMo HEA coating.Over in-creasingly long periods,the corrosion reaction rate increases first and then decreases,the corrosion product film comprising metal oxides reaches a dynamic balance between formation and dissolution,and the internal reaction of the coating declines.

Tribological Behaviors of Electroless Nickel-Boron Coating on Titanium Alloy Surface

Titanium alloys are excellent structural materials in engineering fields,but their poor tribological properties limit their further applications.Electroless plating is an effective method to enhance the tribological performance of alloys,but it is difficult to efficiently apply to titanium alloys,due to titanium alloy’s strong chemical activity.In this work,the electroless Nickel-Boron(Ni-B)coating was successfully deposited on the surface of titanium alloy(Ti-6AL-4V)via a new pre-treatment process.Then,linearly reciprocating sliding wear tests were performed to evaluate the tribological behaviors of titanium alloy and its electroless Ni-B coatings.It was found that the Ni-B coatings can decrease the wear rate of the titanium alloy from 19.89×10^(−3)mm^(3)to 0.41×10^(−3)mm^(3),which attributes to the much higher hardness of Ni-B coatings.After heat treatment,the hardness of Ni-B coating further increases corresponding to coating crystallization and hard phase formation.However,heat treatment does not improve the tribological performance of Ni-B coating,due to the fact that higher brittleness and more severe oxidative wear exacerbate the damage of heat-treated coatings.Furthermore,the Ni-B coatings heat-treated both in air and nitrogen almost present the same tribological performance.The finding of this work on electroless coating would further extend the practical applications of titanium alloys in the engineering fields.

Degradation and biocompatibility of one-step electrodeposited magnesium thioctic acid/magnesium hydroxide hybrid coatings on ZE21B alloys for cardiovascular stents

Constructing a functional hybrid coating appears to be a promising strategy for addressing the poor corrosion resistance and insufficient endothelialization of Mg-based stents.Nevertheless,the steps for preparing composite coatings are usually complicated and time-consuming.Herein,a novel composite coating,composed of bioactive magnesium thioctic acid(MTA)layer formed by deposition and corrosion-resistant magnesium hydroxide(Mg(OH)_(2))layer grown in situ,is simply fabricated on ZE21B alloys via one-step electrodeposition.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)shows that the electrodeposited coating has a compact and uniform structure.And the high adhesion of the MTA/Mg(OH)_(2)hybrid coating is also confirmed by the micro-scratch test.Electrochemical test,scanning kelvin probe(SKP),and hydrogen evolution measurement indicate that the hybrid coating effectively reduces the degradation rate of Mg substrates.Haemocompatibility experiment and cell culture trial detect that the composite coating is of fine biocompatibility.Finally,the preparation mechanism of MTA/Mg(OH)_(2)hybrid coatings is discussed and proposed.This coating shows a great potential application for cardiovascular stents.

Antibacterial HA-coatings on bioresorbable Mg alloy

In this study,a calcium-phosphate coating was formed on a Mg-Mn-Ce alloy by the plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO).The antibiotic vancomycin,widely used in the treatment of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus),was impregnated into the coating.Samples with vancomycin showed high bactericidal activity against S.aureus.The mechanical and electrochemical properties of the formed coatings were studied,as well as in vitro cytotoxicity tests and in vivo tests on mature male rats were performed.According to SEM,EDS,XRD and XPS data,coatings had a developed morphology and contained hydroxyapatite,which indicates high biocompatibility.The analysis of roughness of coatings without and with vancomycin did not reveal any differences,confirming the high roughness of the samples.During electrochemical tests,an increase in corrosion resistance by more than two times after the application of PEO coatings was revealed.According to the results of an in vivo study,after 28 days of the implantation of samples with calcium phosphate PEO coating and vancomycin,no signs of inflammation were observed,while an inflammatory reaction developed in the area of implantation of bare alloy,followed by encapsulation.Antibiotic release tests from the coatings show a sharp decrease in the concentration of the released antibiotic on day 7 and then a gradual decrease until day 28.Throughout the experiment,no significant deviations in the condition and behavior of the animals were observed;clinical tests did not reveal a systemic toxic reaction.

Advancements in enhancing corrosion protection of Mg alloys:A comprehensive review on the synergistic effects of combining inhibitors with PEO coating

Magnesium(Mg)alloys are lightweight materials with excellent mechanical properties,making them attractive for various applications,including aerospace,automotive,and biomedical industries.However,the practical application of Mg alloys is limited due to their high susceptibility to corrosion.Plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO),or micro-arc oxidation(MAO),is a coating method that boosts Mg alloys'corrosion resistance.However,despite the benefits of PEO coatings,they can still exhibit certain limitations,such as failing to maintain long-term protection as a result of their inherent porosity.To address these challenges,researchers have suggested the use of inhibitors in combination with PEO coatings on Mg alloys.Inhibitors are chemical compounds that can be incorporated into the coating or applied as a post-treatment to further boost the corrosion resistance of the PEO-coated Mg alloys.Corrosion inhibitors,whether organic or inorganic,can act by forming a protective barrier,hindering the corrosion process,or modifying the surface properties to reduce susceptibility to corrosion.Containers can be made of various materials,including polyelectrolyte shells,layered double hydroxides,polymer shells,and mesoporous inorganic materials.Encapsulating corrosion inhibitors in containers fully compatible with the coating matrix and substrate is a promising approach for their incorporation.Laboratory studies of the combination of inhibitors with PEO coatings on Mg alloys have shown promising results,demonstrating significant corrosion mitigation,extending the service life of Mg alloy components in aggressive environments,and providing self-healing properties.In general,this review presents available information on the incorporation of inhibitors with PEO coatings,which can lead to improved performance of Mg alloy components in demanding environments.

Micro-aluminum powder with bi-or tri-component alloy coating as a promising catalyst:Boosting pyrolysis and combustion of ammonium perchlorate

A novel design of micro-aluminum(μAl)powder coated with bi-/tri-component alloy layer,such as:Ni-P and Ni-P-Cu(namely,Al@Ni-P,Al@Ni-P-Cu,respectively),as combustion catalysts,were introduced to release its huge energy inside Al-core and promote rapid pyrolysis of ammonium perchlorate(AP)at a lower temperature in aluminized propellants.The microstructure of Al@Ni-P-Cu demonstrates that a three-layer Ni-P-Cu shell,with the thickness of~100 nm,is uniformly supported byμAl carrier(fuel unit),which has an amorphous surface with a thickness of~2.3 nm(catalytic unit).The peak temperature of AP with the addition of Al@Ni-P-Cu(3.5%)could significantly drop to 316.2℃ at high-temperature thermal decomposition,reduced by 124.3℃,in comparison to that of pure AP with 440.5℃.It illustrated that the introduction of Al@Ni-P-Cu could weaken or even eliminate the obstacle of AP pyrolysis due to its reduction of activation energy with 118.28 kJ/mol.The laser ignition results showed that the ignition delay time of Al@Ni-P-Cu/AP mixture with 78 ms in air is shorter than that of Al@Ni-P/AP(118 ms),decreased by 33.90%.Those astonishing breakthroughs were attributed to the synergistic effects of adequate active sites on amorphous surface and oxidation exothermic reactions(7597.7 J/g)of Al@Ni-P-Cu,resulting in accelerated mass and/or heat transfer rate to catalyze AP pyrolysis and combustion.Moreover,it is believed to provide an alternative Al-based combustion catalyst for propellant designer,to promote the development the propellants toward a higher energy.

Corrosion resistance and anti-soiling performance of micro-arc oxidation/graphene oxide/stearic acid superhydrophobic composite coating on magnesium alloys

Magnesium(Mg)alloys,the lightest metal construction material used in industry,play a vital role in future development.However,the poor corrosion resistance of Mg alloys in corrosion environments largely limits their potential wide applications.Therefore,a micro-arc oxidation/graphene oxide/stearic acid(MAO/GO/SA)superhydrophobic composite coating with superior corrosion resistance was fabricated on a Mg alloy AZ91D through micro-arc oxidation(MAO)technology,electrodeposition technique,and self-assembly technology.The composition and microstructure of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,energy dispersive spectroscopy,and Raman spectroscopy.The effective protection of the MAO/GO/SA composite coating applied to a substrate was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests,and salt spray tests.The results showed that the MAO/GO/SA composite coating with a petal spherical structure had the best superhydrophobicity,and it attained a contact angle of 159.53°±2°.The MAO/GO/SA composite coating exhibited high resistance to corrosion,according to electrochemical and salt spray tests.

ZIF-8-based micro-arc oxidation composite coatings enhanced the corrosion resistance and superhydrophobicity of a Mg alloy

Mg alloys are considered the most promising engineering materials because of their unique properties.However,the uncontrolled corrosion rate of these alloys limits their applications.Therefore,in this study,a micro-arc oxidation layer was used as a transition layer to“directly”grow a zinc-based metal-organic framework(MOF)composite coating on the surface of a Mg alloy(AZ91D).Herein,the two zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-8)coatings with different morphologies were separately prepared by homologous metal oxide induction and a one-step in-situ growth method.The superhydrophobic composite coating showed strong hydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties,which could prevent the penetration of water and corrosive ions(Cl^(−))into the surface of AZ91D.Electrochemical tests demonstrated that the super-hydrophobic composite coatings greatly enhanced the corrosion resistance of AZ91D,and the corrosion current density decreased from 10^(−5)to 10^(−9)A/cm^(2).These results indicate that the ZIF-8 coatings are beneficial for improving the hydrophobicity and enhancing the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys.Therefore,MOF composite coatings provide a new strategy that can be used to prepare multifunctional anticorrosion coatings on metal substrates.

Developing super-hydrophobic and corrosion-resistant coating on magnesium-lithium alloy via one-step hydrothermal processing

Formation of super-hydrophobic and corrosion-resistant coatings can provide significant corrosion protection to magnesium alloys.However,it remains a grand challenge to produce such coatings for magnesium-lithium alloys due to their high chemical reactivity.Herein,a one-step hydrothermal processing was developed using a stearic-acid-based precursor medium,which enables the hydrothermal conversion and the formation of low surface energy materials concurrently to produce the super-hydrophobic and corrosion-resistant coating.The multiscale microstructures with nanoscale stacks and microscale spheres on the surface,as well as the through-thickness stearates,lead to the super-hydrophobicity and excellent corrosion resistance of the obtained coating.

Graphene-calcium carbonate coating to improve the degradation resistance and mechanical integrity of a biodegradable implant

Biodegradable implants are critical for regenerative orthopaedic procedures,but they may suffer from too fast corrosion in human-body environment.This necessitates the synthesis of a suitable coating that may improve the corrosion resistance of these implants without compromising their mechanical integrity.In this study,an AZ91 magnesium alloy,as a representative for a biodegradable Mg implant material,was modified with a thin reduced graphene oxide(RGO)-calcium carbonate(CaCO_(3))composite coating.Detailed analytical and in-vitro electrochemical characterization reveals that this coating significantly improves the corrosion resistance and mechanical integrity,and thus has the potential to greatly extend the related application field.

“Smart”micro/nano container-based self-healing coatings on magnesium alloys:A review

Coating technologies are a commonly used way to protect metals against corrosion.However,with more and more severe service environments of materials,many protective coating systems often are not environmentally friendly or toxic as in the case of chromates.Based on the world’s abundant ideal magnesium(Mg)and its alloy,the smart self-healing anticorrosive coating can autonomously restore the damaged part of the coating according to the environmental changes,strengthen the corrosion protection ability,and prolong its service life.This paper reviews the research progress of smart self-healing coatings on Mg alloys.These coatings mostly contain suitable corrosion inhibitors encapsulated into micro/nano containers.Moreover,the different self-healing mechanisms and functionalities of micro/nano containers are discussed.The micro/nano containers range from inorganic nanocontainers such as mesoporous nanoparticles(silica(SiO_(2)),titanium dioxide(TiO_(2)),etc.),over inorganic clays(halloysite,hydrotalcite-like,zeolite),to organic nanocontainers such as polymer microcapsules,nanofibers,chitosan(CS)and cyclodextrin(CD),as well as,carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes and hybrids such as metal organic frameworks.The functioning of micro/nano containers can be divided in two principal groups:autonomous(based on defect filling and corrosion inhibition)and non-autonomous(based on dynamic bonds and shape memory polymers).Moreover,multi functionalities and composite applications of various micro/nano containers are summarized.At present,significant progress has been made in the preparation methods and technologies of micro/nano containers.Achieving long-term self-healing properties of coatings sensing of coating failure and early warning after self-healing function failure can be expected as the main development direction of self-healing corrosion protection coatings in the future.

New superhydrophobic composite coatings on Mg-Mn-Ce magnesium alloy

A novel combined method for the formation of composite coatings on the Mg-Mn-Ce alloy is developed.Ceramic like matrix was formed on the Mg alloy surface by the plasma electrolytic oxidation.Then the samples were subsequently processed by dip-coating in an alcohol suspension of superdispersed polytetrafluoroethylene and spraying with the tetrafluoroethylene telomers solution.SEM,OSP,and SPM was used to study structure of formed surfaces.It was established by measurements of CA and CAH,as well as surface free energy calculations that formed coatings demonstrate superhydrophobic properties due to the presence of an irregular hierarchical surface structure and low surface free energy of fluoropolymers.The coating preserves its hydrophobic properties after exposure to high and low temperatures,for a long time as well as being in corrosive environments.EDS and XRD data analysis confirmed the presence of organofluorine compounds in the composite layers,including in the form of crystalline polytetrafluoroethylene.Using potentiodynamic polarization test and EIS,it was found that the resulting coatings significantly increase the corrosion resistance of Mg material.These data are also confirmed by salt spray tests for 40 days.Incorporation of fluoropolymers additionally decrease coatings coefficient of friction.

ZnO@ZIF-8 core-shell structure nanorods superhydrophobic coating on magnesium alloy with corrosion resistance and self-cleaning

A longstanding quest in material science has been the development of superhydrophobic coating based on a single material, without the requirement of fluorination or silane treatment. In this work, the micro-arc oxidation(MAO) coating as transition layer can effectively enhance the bonding force of the superhydrophobic coating. The semiconductor@metal organic frameworks(MOFs) core-shell structure was synthesized by a simple self-templating method, and obtained ZnO@2-methylimidazole zinc salt(ZIF-8) nanorods array on magnesium(Mg)alloy. ZnO nanorods not only act as the template but also provide Zn^(2+) for ZIF-8. In addition, we proved that the ligand concentration,synthesis time and temperature are the keys to the preparation of ZnO@ZIF-8 nanorods. As we expect, the ZnO@ZIF-8 nanorods array can trap air in the gaps to form an air layer, and the coating exhibits superhydrophobic properties(154.81°). Excitingly, ZnO@ZIF-8 nanorods array shown a superhydrophobic property, without the requirement of fluorination or silane treatment. The results shown that the coating has good chemical stability and self-cleaning performance. Meanwhile, the corrosion resistance has been significantly improved, R_(ct) was increased from 1.044×10^(3) to 1.414×10^(6) Ω/cm^(2) and I_(corr) was reduced from 4.275×10^(-5) to 5.611×10^(-9)A/cm^2. Therefore, the semiconductor@MOFs core-shell structure has broad application prospects in anti-corrosion.

Corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of V/Ce conversion coating on magnesium alloy AZ31B

A V/Ce conversion coating was deposited in the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy in a solution containing vanadate and cerium nitrate.The coating composition and morphology were examined.The conversion coating appears to consist of a thin and cracked coating with a scattering of spherical particles.The corrosion behavior of the substrate and conversion coating was studied by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).Compared with AZ31B magnesium alloy,the corrosion current density of the conversion coating is decreased by two orders of magnitude.The total impedance of the V/Ce conversion coating rise to 1.6×10^(3)Ω·cm^(2)in contrast with2.2×10^(2)Ω·cm^(2)of the bare AZ31B.In addition,the electrical conductivity of the coating was assessed by conductivity meter and Mott-Schottky measurement.The results reveal a high dependence of the conductivity of the coating on the semiconductor properties of the phase compositions.