Preventing formation of intermetallic compounds in ultrasonic-assisted Sn soldering of Mg/Al alloys through pre-plating a Ni coating layer on the Mg substrate

Magnesium and aluminum alloys are widely used in various industries because of their excellent properties,and their reliable connection may increase application of materials.Intermetallic compounds(IMCs)affect the joint performance of Mg/Al.In this study,AZ31 Mg alloy with/without a nickel(Ni)coating layer and 6061 Al alloy were joined by ultrasonic-assisted soldering with Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu(SAC)filler.The effects of the Ni coating layer on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg/Al joints were systematically investigated.The Ni coating layer had a significant effect on formation of the Mg_(2)Sn IMC and the mechanical properties of Mg/Al joints.The blocky Mg_(2)Sn IMC formed in the Mg/SAC/Al joints without a Ni coating layer.The content of the Mg_(2)Sn IMC increased with increasing soldering temperature,but the joint strength decreased.The joint without a Ni coating layer fractured at the blocky Mg_(2)Sn IMC in the solder,and the maximum shear strength was 32.2 MPa.By pre-plating Ni on the Mg substrate,formation of the blocky Mg_(2)Sn IMC was inhibited in the soldering temperature range 240–280℃and the joint strength increased.However,when the soldering temperature increased to 310℃,the blocky Mg_(2)Sn IMC precipitated again in the solder.Transmission electron microscopy showed that some nano-sized Mg_(2)Sn IMC and the(Cu,Ni)_(6)Sn_(5)phase formed in the Mg(Ni)/SAC/Al joint soldered at 280℃,indicating that the Ni coating layer could no longer prevent diffusion of Mg into the solder when the soldering temperature was higher than 280℃.The maximum shear strength of the Mg(Ni)/SAC/Al joint was 58.2 MPa for a soldering temperature of 280℃,which was 80.7%higher than that of the Mg/SAC/Al joint,and the joint was broken at the Mg(Ni)/SAC interface.Pre-plating Ni is a feasible way to inhibit formation of IMCs when joining dissimilar metals.

Preparation of Zr-Cu Coatings on Copper Substrate Using a Molten Salt Method

Dense zirconium coatings on copper substrates were obtained in an alumina crucible and a stainless steel crucible from FLiNaK-K_(2)ZrF_(6)molten salt at 1023 K.Due to the potential difierences between copper and zirconium,zirconium can difiuse into the copper substrate to form zirconium alloys on the surface of copper substrates in the course of deposition.The coating deposited in a stainless steel crucible has a gray surface.The components of the coating are mainly CuZr2alloy and Cu_(10)Zr_(7)alloy,and,the outermost layer of the coating is a layer of amorphous pure zirconium.The coating deposited in an alumina crucible has a silvery white metallic luster.The components of the coating are mainly Cu-Zr-Al intermetallic compounds,AlCu_(2)Zr,ZrAl,AlCu and CuZr.Furthermore,two types of zirconium coatings can greatly increase the hardness of the substrate.

Microstructure and tribological properties of laser cladding Fe-based coating on pure Ti substrate

Fe-based coating was produced on pure Ti substrate by the laser cladding technology. The composition and microstructure of the fabricated coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） technique. The tribological properties were tested through sliding against AISI52100 steel ball at different normal loads and sliding speeds. Besides, the morphologies of the worn surfaces and wear debris were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and three dimensional （3D） non-contact surface mapping. The results show that the prepared Fe-based coating has a high hardness of about 860 HV0.2 and exhibits an average wear rate of （0.70-2.32）×10-6 mm3/（N-m）, showing that the Fe-based coating can greatly improve the wear resistance of pure Ti substrate. The wear mechanism of the coating involves moderate adhesive and abrasive wear.

Insights on advanced substrates for controllable fabrication of photoanodes toward efficient and stable photoelectrochemical water splitting

Conversion of solar energy into H_(2) by photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting is recognized as an ideal way to address the growing energy crisis and environmental issues.In a typical PEC cell,the construction of photoanodes is crucial to guarantee the high efficiency and stability of PEC reactions,which fundamentally rely on rationally designed semiconductors(as the active materials)and substrates(as the current collectors).In this review work,we start with a brief introduction of the roles of substrates in the PEC process.Then,we provide a systematic overview of representative strategies for the controlled fabrication of photoanodes on rationally designed substrates,including conductive glass,metal,sapphire,silicon,silicon carbide,and flexible substrates.Finally,some prospects concerning the challenges and research directions in this area are proposed.

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.

High temperature oxidation resistance and microstructure change of aluminized coating on copper substrate

The outermost coating with single phase Ni2Al3 was obtained on copper surface by electrodepositing nickel followed by slurry pack aluminizing at 800 °C for 12 h. The oxidation resistance and microstructure of the coating oxidized in ambient air at 1000 °C for 25-250 h were investigated using SEM, X-ray diffraction and optical microscope methods. The results show that the copper with single phase Ni2Al3 coating possesses the best high temperature oxidation resistance, and the mass gain of the coating is 1/15 that of pure copper and 1/2 that of nickel coating, respectively. The specimen surface after being oxidized for 25 h still comprises Ni2Al3 phase. However, when the time of oxidizing treatment increases to 50 h, the Ni Al phase is formed. It is also found that the Ni2Al3 phase completely turns into Ni Al phase after oxidizing treatment for 100 h and above. The Ni Al coating shows excellent high temperature oxidation resistance when oxidation time is 250 h.

Significantly Improved High-Temperature Energy Storage Performance of BOPP Films by Coating Nanoscale Inorganic Layer

Biaxially oriented polypropylene(BOPP)is one of the most commonly used commercial capacitor films,but its upper operating temperature is below 105℃due to the sharply increased electrical conduction loss at high temperature.In this study,growing an inorganic nanoscale coating layer onto the BOPP film's surface is proposed to suppress electrical conduction loss at high temperature,as well as increase its upper operating temperature.Four kinds of inorganic coating layers that have different energy band structure and dielectric property are grown onto the both surface of BOPP films,respectively.The effect of inorganic coating layer on the high-temperature energy storage performance has been systematically investigated.The favorable coating layer materials and appropriate thickness enable the BOPP films to have a significant improvement in high-temperature energy storage performance.Specifically,when the aluminum nitride(AIN)acts as a coating layer,the AIN-BOPP-AIN sandwich-structured films possess a discharged energy density of 1.5 J cm^(-3)with an efficiency of 90%at 125℃,accompanying an outstandingly cyclic property.Both the discharged energy density and operation temperature are significantly enhanced,indicating that this efficient and facile method provides an important reference to improve the high-temperature energy storage performance of polymer-based dielectric films.

Surface Metallization of Glass Fiber(GF)/Polyetheretherketone(PEEK) Composite with Cu Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering and Electroplating

Surface metallization of glass fiber(GF)/polyetheretherketone(PEEK)[GF/PEEK] is conducted by coating copper using electroplating and magnetron sputtering and the properties are determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).The coating bonding strength is assessed by pull-out tests and scribing in accordance with GB/T 9286-1998.The results show that the Cu coating with a thickness of 30 μm deposited on GF/PEEK by magnetron sputtering has lower roughness, finer grain size, higher crystallinity, as well as better macroscopic compressive stress,bonding strength, and electrical conductivity than the Cu coating deposited by electroplating.

Effects of surface roughness of substrate on properties of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings

Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings were deposited on Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates with different surface roughnesses by vacuum cathodic arc deposition method. Microstructure, micro-hardness, adhesion strength and cross-sectional morphology of the obtained multilayer coatings were investigated. The results show that the Vickers hardness of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coating, with a film thickness of 11.37 μm, is 29.36 GPa. The erosion and salt spray resistance performance of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates can be evidently improved by Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coating. The surface roughness of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates plays an important role in determining the mechanical and erosion performances of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings. Overall, a low value of the surface roughness of substrates corresponds to an improved performance of erosion and salt spray resistance of multilayer coatings. The optimized performance of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings can be achieved provided that the surface roughness of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates is lower than 0.4μm.

Propagation characteristics of laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures

The propagation characteristics of laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures were studied.Considering the viscoelasticity of the coating and substrate,we have established the finite element models in frequency domain for the laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in the epoxy coating/aluminum substrate,epoxy coating/brass substrate,and epoxy coating/foam substrate structures,respectively.In addition,we have investigated the waveform and propagation characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves and studied the influences of the coating transparency,coating thickness,coating viscoelasticity,and substrate viscoelasticity on the propagation characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves.Moreover,we have verified the results by the theoretical phase velocity and attenuation curves.The results show that the coating viscoelasticity induces the attenuation characteristics of the higher frequencies of the like-Rayleigh waves,but has little effect on the lower frequencies,and the substrate viscoelasticity has the influences on both the higher and lower frequencies of the like-Rayleigh waves,especially the lower frequencies.Furthermore,the mode and dispersive characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves are closely related to the substrates.This study provides a useful theoretical basis for inverting mechanical parameters and evaluating the adhesive quality of the viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures.

11.2 W/mm power density AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors on a GaN substrate

In this letter,high power density AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)on a freestanding GaN substrate are reported.An asymmetricΓ-shaped 500-nm gate with a field plate of 650 nm is introduced to improve microwave power performance.The breakdown voltage(BV)is increased to more than 200 V for the fabricated device with gate-to-source and gate-to-drain distances of 1.08 and 2.92μm.A record continuous-wave power density of 11.2 W/mm@10 GHz is realized with a drain bias of 70 V.The maximum oscillation frequency(f_(max))and unity current gain cut-off frequency(f_(t))of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs exceed 30 and 20 GHz,respectively.The results demonstrate the potential of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on freestanding GaN substrates for microwave power applications.

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.

Bio-Based Waterborne Poly(Vanillin-Butyl Acrylate)/MXene Coatings for Leather with Desired Warmth Retention and Antibacterial Properties

This study presents a solvent-free,facile synthesis of a bio-based green antibacterial agent and aromatic monomer methacrylated vanillin(MV)using vanillin.The resulting MV not only imparted antibacterial properties to coatings layered on leather,but could also be employed as a green alternative to petroleum-based carcinogen styrene(St).Herein,MV was copolymerized with butyl acrylate(BA)to obtain waterborne bio-based P(MV-BA)miniemulsion via miniemulsion polymerization.Subsequently,MXene nanosheets with excellent photothermal conversion performance and antibacterial properties,were introduced into the P(MV-BA)miniemulsion by ultrasonic dispersion.During the gradual solidification of P(MV-BA)/MXene nanocomposite miniemulsion on the leather surface,MXene gradually migrated to the surface of leather coatings due to the cavitation effect of ultrasonication and amphiphilicity of MXene,which prompted its full exposure to light and bacteria,exerting the maximum photothermal conversion efficiency and significant antibacterial efficacy.In particular,when the dosage of MXene nanosheets was 1.4 wt%,the surface temperature of P(MV-BA)/MXene nanocomposite miniemulsioncoated leather(PML)increased by about 15℃ in an outdoor environment during winter,and the antibacterial rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was nearly 100%under the simulated sunlight treatment for 30 min.Moreover,the introduction of MXene nanosheets increased the air permeability,water vapor permeability,and thermal stability of these coatings.This study provides a new insight into the preparation of novel,green,and waterborne bio-based nanocomposite coatings for leather,with desired warmth retention and antibacterial properties.It can not only realize zerocarbon heating based on sunlight in winter,reducing the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions,but also improve ability to fight off invasion by harmful bacteria,viruses,and other microorganisms.

Suppressed Internal Intrinsic Stress Engineering in High-Performance Ni-Rich Cathode Via Multi layered In Situ Coating Structure

LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(NCA)cathode materials are drawing widespread attention,but the huge gap between the ideal and present cyclic stability still hinders their further commercial application,especially for the Ni-rich LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(x>0.8,x+y+z=1)cathode material,which is owing to the structural degradation and particles'intrinsic fracture.To tackle the problems,Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)in situ coated and Mn compensating doped multilayer LiNi_(0.82)Co_(0.14)Al_(0.04)O_(2)was prepared.XRD refinement indicates that La-Mn co-modifying could realize appropriate Li/Ni disorder degree.Calculated results and in situ XRD patterns reveal that the LLAO coating layer could effectively restrain crack in secondary particles benefited from the suppressed internal strain.AFM further improves as NCA-LM2 has superior mechanical property.The SEM,TEM,XPS tests indicate that the cycled cathode with LLAO-Mn modification displays a more complete morphology and less side reaction with electrolyte.DEMS was used to further investigate cathode-electrolyte interface which was reflected by gas evolution.NCA-LM2 releases less CO_(2)than NCA-P indexing on a more stable surface.The modified material presents outstanding capacity retention of 96.2%after 100 cycles in the voltage range of 3.0-4.4 V at 1C,13%higher than that of the pristine and 80.8%at 1 C after 300 cycles.This excellent electrochemical performance could be attributed to the fact that the high chemically stable coating layer of Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)(LLAO)could enhance the interface and the Mn doping layer could suppress the influence of the lattice mismatch and distortion.We believe that it can be a useful strategy for the modification of Ni-rich cathode material and other advanced functional material.

Corrosion behavior of HVOF Inconel 625 coating in the simulated marine environment

High velocity oxygen fuel(HVOF)spraying process is commonly used to produce superalloy coatings.Inconel 625 coating was prepared on Q235B low carbon steel by HVOF.A series of experiments were conducted to examine the surface and corrosion resistance properties of Inconel 625 HVOF coating.In this paper,potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)tests were carried out to evaluate the corrosion resistance of Inconel 625 coating under simulated marine environment.The experiment-al results showed that Inconel 625 coating revealed low porosity and desired coating thickness.Shift in the corrosion potential(E_(corr))to-wards the noble direction combined with much low corrosion current density(i_(corr))indicating a significant improvement of HVOF Inconel 625 coating compared with the substrate.

Tuning Li/Ni mixing by reactive coating to boost the stability of cobalt-free Ni-rich cathode

Cobalt-free cathode materials are attractive for their high capacity and low cost,yet they still encounter issues with structural and surface instability.AlPO_(4),in particular,has garnered attention as an effective stabilizer for bulk and surface.However,the impact of interfacial reactions and elemental interdiffusion between AlPO_(4) and LiNi_(0.95)Mn_(0.05)O_(2) upon sintering on the bulk and surface remains elusive.In this study,we demonstrate that during the heat treatment process,AlPO_(4) decomposes,resulting in Al doping into the bulk of the cathode through elemental interdiffusion.Simultaneously,PO_(4)^(3-)reacts with the surface Li of material to form a Li_3PO_(4) coating,inducing lithium deficiency,thereby increasing Li/Ni mixing.The suitable Li/Ni mixing,previously overlooked in AlPO_(4) modification,plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the bulk and surface,exceeding the synergy of Al doping and Li_3PO_(4) coating.The presence of Ni^(2+)ions in the lithium layers contributes to the stabilization of the delithiated structure via a structural pillar effect.Moreover,suitable Li/Ni mixing can stabilize the lattice oxygen and electrode-electrolyte interface by increasing oxygen removal energy and reducing the overlap between the Ni^(3+/4+)e_g and O^(2-)2p orbitals.These findings offer new perspectives for the design of stable cobalt-free cathode materials.

In-situ coating and surface partial protonation co-promoting performance of single-crystal nickel-rich cathode in all-solid-state batteries

The poor electrochemical performance of all-solid-state batteries(ASSBs),which is assemblied by Ni-rich cathode and poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)-based electrolytes,can be attributed to unstable cathodic interface and poor crystal structure stability of Ni-rich cathode.Several coating strategies are previously employed to enhance the stability of the cathodic interface and crystal structure for Ni-rich cathode.However,these methods can hardly achieve simplicity and high efficiency simultaneously.In this work,polyacrylic acid(PAA)replaced traditional PVDF as a binder for cathode,which can achieve a uniform PAA-Li(LixPAA(0<x≤1))coating layer on the surface of single-crystal LiNi_(0.83)Co_(0.12)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(SC-NCM83)due to H^(+)/Li^(+)exchange reaction during the initial charging-discharging process.The formation of PAA-Li coating layer on cathode can promote interfacial Li^(+)transport and enhance the stability of the cathodic interface.Furthermore,the partially-protonated surface of SC-NCM83 casued by H^(+)/Li^(+)exchange reaction can restrict Ni ions transport to enhance the crystal structure stability.The proposed SC-NCM83-PAA exhibits superior cycling performance with a retention of 92%compared with that(57.3%)of SC-NCM83-polyvinylidene difluoride(PVDF)after 200 cycles.This work provides a practical strategy to construct high-performance cathodes for ASSBs.

Mathematical modeling and simulations of stress mitigation by coating polycrystalline particles in lithium-ion batteries

A chemo-mechanical model is developed to investigate the effects on the stress development of the coating of polycrystalline Ni-rich LiNixMnyCo_(z)O_(2)(x≥0.8)(NMC)particles with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT).The simulation results show that the coating of primary NMC particles significantly reduces the stress generation by efficiently accommodating the volume change associated with the lithium diffusion,and the coating layer plays roles both as a cushion against the volume change and a channel for the lithium transport,promoting the lithium distribution across the secondary particles more homogeneously.Besides,the lower stiffness,higher ionic conductivity,and larger thickness of the coating layer improve the stress mitigation.This paper provides a mathematical framework for calculating the chemo-mechanical responses of anisotropic electrode materials and fundamental insights into how the coating of NMC active particles mitigates stress levels.

Developing an atmospheric aging evaluation model of acrylic coatings:A semi-supervised machine learning algorithm

To study the atmospheric aging of acrylic coatings,a two-year aging exposure experiment was conducted in 13 representative climatic environments in China.An atmospheric aging evaluation model of acrylic coatings was developed based on aging data including11 environmental factors from 567 cities.A hybrid method of random forest and Spearman correlation analysis was used to reduce the redundancy and multicollinearity of the data set by dimensionality reduction.A semi-supervised collaborative trained regression model was developed with the environmental factors as input and the low-frequency impedance modulus values of the electrochemical impedance spectra of acrylic coatings in 3.5wt%NaCl solution as output.The model improves accuracy compared to supervised learning algorithms model(support vector machines model).The model provides a new method for the rapid evaluation of the aging performance of acrylic coatings,and may also serve as a reference to evaluate the aging performance of other organic coatings.

A brand new green coating technology for realizing the regulation of spherical propellant energy release process

To achieve the controllable release of energy of nitrocellulose-based propellants,this paper combines the cellulose-based nanocomposites aqueous coating(Surelease®-NC)with fluidized bed coating equipment to successfully prepare the coated spherical propellant for the first time.The effects of fluidized bed coating temperature,air velocity,flow speed and atomization pressure on the adhesion rate,coating integrity and coating uniformity of the coated spherical propellant were investigated,and the preparation of coated spherical propellant with homogeneous size and structural integrity was achieved for the first time.The microscopic morphology,chemical structure,water vapor adsorption behavior,combustion performance,and ageing resistance property of the coated spherical propellant were systematically investigated by,Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),Micro confocal raman spectrometer,field scanning electron microscopy(SEM),dynamic vapor adsorption techniques,and closed bomb test,confirming the surface core-shell structure and the tightly bonded interfacial structure of coated spherical propellant.Meanwhile,the coated spherical propellant has good hygroscopic,excellent progressive burning and long storage stability.