Surface treatment effect on the photocatalytic hydrogen generation of CdS/ZnS core-shell microstructures

CdS/ZnS core-shell microparticles were prepared by a simple two-step method combining ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and chemical bath deposition.The core-shell structures showed enhanced photocatalytic properties compared with those of CdS or ZnS spherical particles.CdS/ZnS photocatalysts with different amount of ZnS loaded as shells were prepared by adjusting the concentrations of Zn and S precursors during synthesis.The optical properties and photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production were investigated and the amount of ZnS loaded as shell was optimized.Thermal annealing and hydrothermal sulfurization treatments were applied to the core-shell structure and both treatments enhanced the material＇s photocatalytic activity and stability by eliminating crystalline defects and surface states.The result showed that thermal annealing treatment improved the bulk crystallinity and hydrothermal sulfurization improved the surface properties.The sample subjected to both treatments showed the highest photocatalytic activity.These results indicate that CdS/ZnS core-shell microspheres are a simple structure that can be used as efficient photocatalysts.The hydrothermal sulfurization treatment may also be a useful surface treatment for metal sulfide photocatalysts.The simple two-step method provides a promising approach to the large-scale synthesis of core-shell microsphere catalysts.

Surface-modified Ag@Ru-P25 for photocatalytic CO_(2) conversion with high selectivity over CH_(4) formation at the solid–gas interface

Systematic optimization of the photocatalyst and investigation of the role of each component is important to maximizing catalytic activity and comprehending the photocatalytic conversion of CO_(2) reduction to solar fuels.A surface-modified Ag@Ru-P25 photocatalyst with H_(2)O_(2) treatment was designed in this study to convert CO_(2) and H_(2)O vapor into highly selective CH4.Ru doping followed by Ag nanoparticles(NPs)cocatalyst deposition on P25(TiO_(2))enhances visible light absorption and charge separation,whereas H_(2)O_(2) treatment modifies the surface of the photocatalyst with hydroxyl(–OH)groups and promotes CO_(2) adsorption.High-resonance transmission electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,X-ray absorption near-edge structure,and extended X-ray absorption fine structure techniques were used to analyze the surface and chemical composition of the photocatalyst,while thermogravimetric analysis,CO_(2) adsorption isotherm,and temperature programmed desorption study were performed to examine the significance of H_(2)O_(2) treatment in increasing CO_(2) reduction activity.The optimized Ag1.0@Ru1.0-P25 photocatalyst performed excellent CO_(2) reduction activity into CO,CH4,and C2H6 with a~95%selectivity of CH4,where the activity was~135 times higher than that of pristine TiO_(2)(P25).For the first time,this work explored the effect of H_(2)O_(2) treatment on the photocatalyst that dramatically increases CO_(2) reduction activity.

Effect of rare earths surface treatment on tribological properties of carbon fibers reinforced PTFE composite under oil-lubricated condition

The effect of rare earths （RE） surface treatment of carbon fibers （CF） on tribological properties of CF reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene （PTFE） composites under oil-lubricated condition was investigated. Experimental results revealed that RE treated CF reinforced PTFE （CF/PTFE） composite had the lowest friction coefficient and wear under various applied loads and sliding speeds compared with untreated and air-oxidated composites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） study of carbon fiber surface showed that, after RE treatment, oxygen concentration increased obviously, and the amount of oxygen-containing groups on CF surfaces were largely increased. The increase in the amount of oxygen-containing groups enhanced interfacial adhesion between CF and PTFE matrix. With strong interfacial adhesion of the composite, stress could be effectively transmitted to carbon fibers; carbon fibers were strongly bonded with VITE matrix, and large scale rubbing-off of PTFE be prevented, therefore, tribological properties of the composite was improved.

Corrosion behavior and surface treatment of superlight Mg-Li alloys

Mg-Li alloy,as a superlight metallic engineering material,shows great potential in the fields of aerospace and militarydue to its high specific strength,better formability,and excellent electromagnetic shielding performance.The research process ofMg-Li alloys is reviewed and three main problems are pointed out.Aimed at the poor corrosion resistance of Mg-Li alloys,thecorrosion behavior is mainly summarized.The surface treatment technologies,including electroplating,electroless plating,plasmaspraying,molten salt replacement,conversion coating,anodizing,micro-arc oxidation,organic coating,and organic-inorganic hybridcoating,are introduced in detail.Finally,the future development of corrosion and protection of Mg?Li alloys is discussed.

Effect of surface treatment on the structure and high-rate dischargeability properties of AB_5-type hydrogen storage alloy

Surface-treated MmNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 alloy as negative electrode material of nickel-metal hydride battery was employed to improve the high-rate dischargeability. Surface treatment was realized by dipping and stirring the alloy into a HCl aqueous solution with various concentrations at room temperature. The microstructure of the alloy before and after surface treatment was analyzed by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The electrochemical properties before and after surface treatment were compared, and the alloy treated in 0.025 mol/L HCl solution showed the optimal high-rate dischargeability.

Surface Nanocrystallization of C45E4 Steel by Ultrafast Electropulsing-ultrasonic Surface Treatment

The effect of high-energy electropulsing-ultrasonic surface treatment（EUST） on the surface properties and the microstructure evolution of C45 E4 steel was investigated. Refined microstructure and reduced surface roughness were obtained owing to the surface nanocrystallization process. Compared with the ultrasonic surface treatment（UST）, the impact depth of the surface strengthened layer was increased by 40% to 700 μm after EUST. The average grain size of the surface nanocrystallization layer was reduced to 30-50 nm. The surface roughness of the C45 E4 steel was reduced to 0.25 μm, and the surface microhardness was dramatically enhanced to 460 HV. The improvement of microstructure and micro-hardness at ambient temperature was likely attributed to the acceleration of atomic diffusion and the enhancement of plastic deformation ability in the surface strengthened layer under the influence of electropulsing. Due to the electropulsing-assisted ultrasonic strengthening effect, the surface nanocrystallization in this ultrafast procedure was noticeably enhanced.

Plasma surface treatment of Cu by nanosecond-pulse diffuse discharges in atmospheric air

Nanosecond-pulse diffuse discharges could provide high-density plasma and high-energy electrons at atmospheric pressure. In this paper, the surface treatment of Cu by nanosecond-pulse diffuse discharges is conducted in atmospheric air. Factors influencing the water contact angle （WCA）, chemical composition and microhardness, such as the gap spacing and treatment time, are investigated. The results show that after the plasma surface treatment, the WCA considerably decreases from 87~ to 42.3~, and the surface energy increases from 20.46 mJ m-2 to 66.28 mJ m-2. Results of energy dispersive x-ray analysis show that the concentration of carbon decreases, but the concentrations of oxygen and nitrogen increase significantly. Moreover, the microhardness increases by approximately 30% after the plasma treatment. The aforementioned changes on the Cu surface indicate the plasma surface treatment enhances the hydrophilicity and microhardness, and it cleans the carbon and achieves oxidization on the Cu surface. Furthermore, by increasing the gap spacing and treatment time, better treatment effects can be obtained. The micmhardness in the case of a 2.5 cm gap is higher than that in the case of a 3 cm gap. More oxygen and nitrogen species appear on the Cu surface for the 2.5 cm gap treatment than for the 3 cm gap treatment. The WCA significantly decreases with the treatment thne when it is no longer than 90 s, and then it reaches saturation. In addition, more oxygen-containing and nitrogen-containing groups appear after extended plasma treatment time. They contribute to the improvement of the hydrophilicity and oxidation on the Cu surface.

Effect of surface treatment for aluminum foils on discharge properties of lithium-ion battery

Aluminum foils having thicknesses of 10-20 μm are commonly employed as current collectors for cathode electrodes in Li-ion batteries. The effects of the surface morphology of the foil on battery performance were investigated by using a foil with roughened surface by chemical etching and a plain foil with smooth surface on both sides. For high-conductivity LiCoO2 active materials with large particle size, there are no significant differences in battery performance between the two types of foils. But for low-conductivity LiFePO4 active materials with small particle size, high-rate discharge properties are significantly different. The possibility shows that optimizing both the surface morphology of the aluminum foil and particle size of active material leads to improvement of the battery performance.

Influence of Surface Nano-structured Treatment on Pack Boriding of H13 Steel

In order to lower the boriding temperature of hot work steel H13, method of surface mechanical attrition treatment （SMAT）, which can make the grain size of the surface reach nano-scale, was used before pack boriding. The growth of the boride layer was studied in a function of boriding temperature and time. By TEM （transmission electron microscopy）, SEM （scanning electron microscopy）, XRD （x-ray diffraction） and microhardness tests, the grain size, thermal stability of the nano-structured （NS） surface and the thickness,appearance, phases of the surface boride layer were studied. Kinetic of boriding was compared between untreated samples and treated samples. Results showed that after SMAT, the boride layer was thicker and the hardness gradient was smoother. Furthermore, after boriding at a low temperature of 700℃ for 8 h, a boride layer of about 5 μm formed on the NS surface. This layer was toothlike and wedged into the substrate, which made the surface layer combine well with the substrate. The phase of the boride layer was Fe2B. Research on boriding kinetics indicated that the activation energy was decreased for the treated samples.

Effect of Low-Pressure Nitrogen DC Plasma Treatment on the Surface Properties of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene, Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) and Polyvinyl Chloride Films

In this study, commercial biaxially oriented polypropylene （BOPP）, polyvinyl chlo- ride （PVC） and poly （methyl methacrylate） （PMMA） films were treated with nitrogen plasma over different exposure times in a Pyrex tube surrounded by a DC variable magnetic field. The chemi- cal changes that appeared on the surface of the samples were investigated using Fourier transform infrared （FT4R） spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared （ATR- FTIR） spectroscopy after treatment for 2 min, 4 min and 6 rain in a nitrogen plasma chamber. Effects of the plasma treatment on the surface topographies and contact angles of the untreated and plasma treated films were also analyzed by atomic force microscopy （AFM） and a contact angle measuring system. The results show that the plasma treated films become more hydrophilic with an enhanced wettability due to the formation of some new polar groups on the surface of the treated films. Moreover, at higher exposure times, the total surface energy in all treated films increased while a reduction in contact angle occurred. The behavior of surface roughness in each sample was completely different at higher exposure times.

Electrical properties and reliability of HfO2 gate-dielectric MOS capacitors with trichloroethylene surface pretreatment

Trichloroethylene （TCE） pretreatment of Si surface prior to HfO2 deposition is employed to fabricate HfO2 gatedielectric MOS capacitors. Influence of this processing procedure on interlayer growth, HfO2/Si interface properties, gate-oxide leakage and device reliability is investigated. Among the surface pretreatments in NH3, NO, N2O and TCE ambients, the TCE pretreatment gives the least interlayer growths the lowest interface-state density, the smallest gate leakage and the highest reliability. All these improvements should be ascribed to the passivation effects of Cl2 and HC1 on the structural defects in the interlayer and at the interface, and also their gettering effects on the ion contamination in the gate dielectric.

Effect of Electrochemical Treatment in Aqueous Ammonium Bicarbonate on Surface Properties of PAN-based Carbon Fibers

The surface properties of PAN-based carbon fibers electrochemically treated in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate before and after treatment were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Dynamic Contact Angle Analysis (DCAA). The results of characterization indicated that the oxygen and nitrogen contents in carbon fiber surface were significantly increased by electrochemical treatment, and amide groups was introduced onto it, which was related with the electrolyte. The AFM photographs illustrated that the roughness of the fiber surface was also increased. The wettibality of the fibers was improved after treatment because the surface energy especially the polar part of it was increased.

Study on the friction and wear properties of the surface nanocrystallized 1.0C-1.5Cr steel induced by the surface mechanical attrition treatment

Nano-structured layers are fabricated on the surface of 1.0C-1.5Cr steel by using the surface mechanical attrition treatment(SMAT)technology,and the microstructures of the surface nano-crystallization layers are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The friction and wear properties are also investigated by a UMT-2 friction and wear tester.Experimental research has indicated that the average diameter of nanocrystalline grains in the surface layer after being treated for 15 min is in the range of 10-20 nm,and ferrite and cementite grains can not be identified by their morphologies.The wear-resistance of the specimen treated for 15 min has been doubled,compared with that of the matrix due to the grain refinement to a nano-sized scale.The lowest friction coefficient is 0.27,which is for the specimen treated for 30 min,resulting from the dissolution of the cementite phase and the formation of a relative homogenous structure.The SMAT technique for enhancing the wear-resistance of the 1.0C-1.5Cr steel has an optimum processing time,which is in the range of 15-30 min.The dominant wear mechanism of the specimen treated for 15 min changes from adhesive wear into particle wear.

Application of thermal spray and surface treatment techniques in hot-dip galvanizing line pot hardware

The failure of zinc pot hardware in continuous hot-dip galvanizing lines （CGLs） is due to zinc corrosion, abrasion ,and dross build-up. Enhancing the life of pot hardware will not only upgrade the quality of the sheet products but also will increase the efficiency of CGLs, with decreasing cost and increasing energy savings. This paper introduces the current research and development for thermal spray coatings for pot rolls, sleeves, and bushings, and analyses the thermal spray and surface treatment technique details of dross adhesion prevention. It provides the potential applications and developing trends in thermal spray coatings and surface treatment techniques for pot hardware.

Relationship between body surface area and ALT normalization after long-term lamivudine treatment

AIM： To further evaluate the relationship between BSA and the effects of lamivudine in a greater number of cases and over a longer period of observation than in our previous evaluation. METHODS： We evaluated 249 patients with chronic hepatitis B. The effects of treatment for one year （n = 249）, two years （n = 147）, and three years （n = 72） were evaluated from the levels of serum ALT and HBVoDNA, as biological and virological effects （undetectable levels by PCR）, respectively. Moreover, several variables that could influence the response to treatment, including ALT, albumin, bilirubin, platelet counts, BSA, HBVoDNA, and HBeAg were analyzed. RESULTS： For 1-year treatment, multivariate analysis revealed that BSA （P = 0.0002） was the only factor for the biological effect, and that ALT （P = 0.0017）, HBV- DNA （P = 0.0004）, and HBeAg （P = 0.0021） were independent factors for the virological effect. For 2-year treatment, multivariate analysis again showed that BSA （P = 0.0147） was the only factor for the biological effect, and that ALT （P = 0.0192） and HBeAg （P = 0.0428） were independent factors for the virological effect. For 3-year treatment, multivariate analysis, however, could not reveal BSA （P = 0.0730） as a factor for the normalization of ALT levels. CONCLUSION： BSA is a significant predictor for the normalizing the effect of lamivudine therapy on ALT for an initial 2-year period, suggesting that lamivudine dosage should be based on the individual BSA.

EFFECTS OF SOLVENT TREATMENT ON SURFACE MORPHOLOGY AND COMPOSITION OF POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE)-g-POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)

Surface morphology and composition of solution-cast films of poly(methyl methacrylate)-g-poly(ethylene oxide)(PMMA-g-PEO) were investigated by using XPS, DSC, SEM and contact angle measurement. The microphase separatedstructure of the copolymers was studied by TEM. Generally, for the same graft copolymer, the surface content of PEO orhydrophilicity can be as follows: Surface treated with petroleum ether or cyclohexane>surface untreated with solvent>surface treated with water or ethyl alcohol. Graft copolymer having longer PEO side chains and higher PEO content shows aseparated PEO phase with even a certain degree of crystallinity on the surface. PEO crystallinity was destroyed by water orethyl alcohol treatment, however, surface treatment with petroleum ether or cyclohexane favors the growth of PEO crystal.TEM shows that graft copolymers with longer PEO side chains (M_n of PEO, 3200) may readily undergo microphase separation and the shape and size of domains depend on the copolymer's composition.

CHEMICAL PRETREATMENTS OF THE SURFACE OF WC-15wt%Co WITH DIAMOND COATINGS

Diamond films were deposited on the cemented carbide WC-15%Co substrates by a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HF CVD) reactor. The substrate surfaces were chemically pretreated by the following two-step etching method: first using Murakami reagent for 1-3 min, and second using an HNO3:HCl=1:1 solution for 10-40 min. It is indicated that the Co content of the substrate surfaces could be reduced from 15% to 0.81-6.04% within the etching depth of 5-10μm, the surface roughness of the substrates was increased up to Ra=1.0μm, and the substrates hardness was decreased from 89.0 HRA to 83.0 HRA after the two-step etching. It is observed that the morphologies of the diamond films on the WC-15%wt Co substrates emerge in various shapes. The indentation testing shows that the good adhesion between diamond film and the substrate after HF CVD deposition could be obtained.

Effects of H_2O_2 pretreatment on surface characteristics and bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi shape memory alloy

The effects of H2O2 pretreatment on the surface characteristics and bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi shape memory alloy(SMA)were investigated by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Raman spectra,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as well as a simulated body fluid(SBF)soaking test.It is found that the H2O2 pretreatment can lead to the direct creation of more Ti—OH groups and the decrease in the amount of Ni2O3,Na2TiO3 and remnant NiTi phases on the surfaces of bioactive NiTi SMA prepared by NaOH treatment.As a result,the induction period of apatite formation is shortened by dispensing with the slow kinetic formation process of Ti—OH groups via an exchange of Na+ ions from Na2TiO3 phase with H3O+ ions in SBF,which indicates that the bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi SMA can be further improved by the H2O2 pretreatment.

STUDY ON THE SURFACE TREATMENT MECHANISM OF WEATHER-RESISTANT PEARLESCENT PIGMENTS

The methods of synthesis and surface treatment and the treatment agents were described in this paper. The formation of coating film of the weather-resistant pearlescent pigments was studied. The surface treatment mechanism of weather-resistant pearlescent pigment was studied by analysing the properties and structure of weather-resistant coating film and mica pearlescent pigments. The SEM and X-ray diffraction analysis were used.

High-Density Polyethylene(HDPE) Surface Treatment Using an RF Capacitive Atmospheric Pressure Cold Ar Plasma Jet

In this study,a high-density polyethylene（HDPE,5-mm-thick,0.95 g/cm3） surface was treated using an RF capacitive atmospheric pressure cold Ar plasma jet.By using this Ar plasma jet,a hydrophilic HDPE surface was formed during the plasma treatment.In particular, the effects of an additive gas（N;or O2） on the HDPE surface treatment were investigated in detail.It was shown that the addition of N2 or O2 gas had an important influence on the HDPE surface treatment.Compared to pure Ar plasma treatment,a lower value of water contact angle （WCA） was obtained when a trace of N2 or O2 gas was added.It was also found that besides the quantities of active species in the plasma jet,the treatment temperature played an important role in the HDPE surface treatment.This is because surface molecular motion is not negligible when the treatment temperature is close to the melting point of the polymer.