Protective Graphite Coating for Two-Dimensional Carbon/Carbon Composites

Two-dimensional carbon/carbon(2D C/C)composites are a special class of carbon/carbon composites,generally obtained by combining resin-impregnated carbon fiber clothes,which are then cured and carbonized.This study deals with the preparation of a protective coating for these materials.This coating,based on graphite,was prepared by the slurry method.The effect of graphite and phenolic resin powders with different weight ratios was examined.The results have shown that the coating slurry can fill the pores and cracks of the composite surface,thereby densifying the surface layer of the material.With the increase of the graphite powder/phenolic resin weight ratio,the coating density is enhanced while the coating surface flatness decreases;moreover,the protective ability of coating against erosion first increases(from 1:3 to 2:2)and then decreases(from 2:2 to 3:1).When the weight ratio is about 1:1,the coating for 2D C/C composites exhibits the best erosion resistance,which greatly aids these materials during gas quenching.In this case,the erosion rate is decreased by approximately 41.5%at the impact angle of 30°and 52.3%at normal impact,respectively.This can be attributed to the ability of the coating slurry to infiltrate into the substrate,thereby bonding the fibers together and increasing the compactness of the 2D C/C composites.

Long cycle-life aqueous Zn battery enabled by facile carbon nanotube coating on Cu current collector

As an alternative to Li-ion batteries,aqueous Zn batteries have gained attention due to the abundance of Zn metal,low reduction potential(-0.76 V vs.standard hydrogen electrode),and high theoretical capacity(820 mAh g^(-1))of multivalent Zn2+ion.However,the growth of Zn dendrites and the formation of irreversible surface reaction byproducts pose challenges for ensuring a long battery lifespan and commercialization.Herein,the Cu foil coated with a single-walled carbon nanotube(SWCNT)layer using a facile doctor blade casting method is utilized.The SWCNT-coated Cu foil demonstrates a significantly longer battery lifespan compared to the bare Cu in the half-cell tests.Through operando optical microscopy imaging,we are able to provide intuitive evidence that Zn deposition occurs between the carbon nanotube(CNT)coating and Cu substrate,in agreement with the computational results.Also,with various imaging techniques,the flat morphology and homogeneous distribution of Zn beneath the SWCNT layer are demonstrated.In addition,the full-cell using CNT-coated Cu exhibits a long cycle life compared to the control group,thereby demonstrating improved electrochemical performance with limited Zn for the cycling process.

CoS Nanosheets Coated with Dopamine-Derived Carbon Standing on Carbon Fiber Cloth as Binder-Free Anode for Li-ion Batteries

Cobalt sulphides attract much attention as anode materials for Li-ion batteries(LIBs).However,its poor conductivity,low initial column efficiency and large volume changes during cycling have hindered its further development.Herein,novel interlaced CoS nanosheets were firstly prepared on Carbon Fiber Cloth(CFC)by two hydrothermal reactions followed with carbon coating via carbonizing dopamine(CoS NS@C/CFC).As a freestanding anode,the nanosheet structure of CoS not only accommodates the volume variation,but also provides a large interface area to proceed the charge transfer reaction.In addition,CFC works as both a three-dimensional skeleton and an active substance which can further improve the areal capacity of the resulting electrode.Furthermore,the coated carbon combined with the CFC work as a 3D conductive network to facilitate the electron conduction.The obtained CoS NS@C/CFC,and the contrast sample prepared with the same procedure but without carbon coating(CoS NS/CFC),are characterized with XRD,SEM,TEM,XPS and electrochemical measurements.The results show that the CoS NS@C/CFC possesses much improved electrochemical performance due to the synergistic effect of nanosheet CoS,the coated carbon and the CFC substrate,exhibiting high initial columbic efficiency(~87%),high areal capacity(2.5 at 0.15 mA cm−2),excellent rate performance(1.6 at 2.73 mA cm−2)and improved cycle stability(87.5%capacity retention after 300 cycles).This work may provide a new route to explore freestanding anodes with high areal specific capacity for LIBs.

Preparation and tribological performances of Ni-P-multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite coatings

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） were wet-milled in the presence of ammonia and cationic surfactant and then used as reinforcements to prepare Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings by electroless plating. The tribological performances of the composite coatings under dry condition were investigated in comparison with 45 steel and conventional Ni-P coating, Micrographs show that short MWNTs with uniform length and open tips were obtained through the wet-milling process. The results of wear test reveal that the Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings posses much better friction reduction and anti-wear performances when compared with 45 steel and Ni-P coating. Within the MWNTs content range of 0.74%-1.97%, the friction coefficient and the volume wear rate of the composite coatings decrease gradually and reach the minimum values of 0.08 and 6.22x10-15 m3/（N.m）, respectively. The excellent tribological performances of the composite coatings can be attributed to the introduction of MWNTs, which play both roles of reinforcements and solid lubricant during the wear process.

Influence of Ti target current on microstructure and properties of Ti-doped graphite-like carbon films

Ti-doped graphite-like carbon （Ti-GLC） films were synthesized successfully by magnetron sputtering technique. The compositions, microstructures and properties of the Ti-doped GLC films dependent on the parameter of Ti target current were systemically investigated by Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, nanoindentation and ball-on-disk tribometer. With the increase of the Ti target current, the ratio of sp2 bond and the content of Ti as well as the film hardness and compressive internal stress increase, but the high content of the Ti would result in the loose film due to the formation of the squamose structure. Less incorporated Ti reduces the friction of the GLC film in dry-sliding condition, while pure GLC film exhibits the lowest friction coefficient in water-lubricated condition. Ti-GLC film deposited with low Ti target current shows high wear resistance in both dry-sliding and water-lubricated conditions.

Effect of SiC whiskers on the oxidation protective properties of SiC coatings for carbon/carbon composites

In order to effectively employ the unique high temperature mechanical properties of carbon/carbon composite substrates, SiC coatings reinforced by SiC whiskers were prepared by pack cementation method. The effect of SiC whiskers on the oxidation resistance properties of the single-layer coating and double-layer coating was investigated. SiC whiskers in the single-layer SiC coating have little effect on the anti-oxidation property but obviously improve the thermal shock property. The double-layer coating with inner-layer reinforced coating exhibits more perfect anti-oxidation ability than the double-layer coating with SiC inner-layer coating.

Effects of heat treatment on the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl_(11)O_(19) thermal barrier coatings

LaMgAl11O19thermal barrier coatings（TBCs） were applied to carbon steels with a NiCoCrAlY bond coat by plasma spraying. The effects of heat treatment on the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl11O19TBCs were investigated in 3.5wt% Na Cl solution using polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. The results show that a large number of cracks are found in the LaMgAl11O19TBCs after the samples are heat-treated, including some through-thickness cracks. The corrosion forms of the as-sprayed and heat-treated TBCs are uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion, respectively. The as-sprayed TBCs exhibit three EIS time constants after being immersed for less than 7 d, and then a new time constant appears because of steel substrate corrosion. When the immersion time is increased to 56 d, a Warburg impedance（W） component appears in the EIS data. The EIS data for the heat-treated TBCs exhibit only two time constants after the samples are immersed for less than 14 d, and a new time constant appears when the immersion time is increased further. The heat treatment reduces the corrosion resistance of carbon steel coated with LaMgAl11O19TBCs. The corrosion products are primarily γ-Fe OOH and Fe3O4.

Electrodeposition behavior and characteristics of Ni-carbon nanotube composite coatings

Ni-CNT (carbon nanotube) composite coatings were processed by electrodeposition and their hardness and corrosion characteristics were investigated with variations of CNT concentration in an electrolyte solution and electrodeposition current density. With increasing the CNT concentration in the electrodeposition bath and the current density, more CNTs are incorporated into Ni matrix. Hardness values of the Ni-CNT coatings are irrelevant to the CNT concentration in the solution, the current density, and current mode, implying poor adhesion of CNTs to Ni matrix. With increasing the CNT content in the coating, the corrosion resistance of the Ni-CNT composite coating becomes inferior due to the porous microstructure.

Applications of carbonic acid solution for developing conversion coatings on Mg alloy

Works on exploring an environmentally clean method for producing an Mg,Al-hydrotalcite(Mg6Al2(OH) 16CO3·4H2O) layer and/or calcium carbonate(CaCO3) layer on Mg alloy in a carbonic acid solution system(aqueous HCO3-/CO3 2-or Ca 2+ /HCO3-) at 50℃ were reviewed.Conversion treatment for the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite conversion coating was as follows.Mg alloy was treated first in acidic HCO3-/CO3 2-aqueous for precursor layer formation on Mg alloy surface and then in alkaline HCO3-/CO3 2-aqueous to form a crystallized Mg,Al-hydrotalcite coating.Duration of an Mg,Al-hydrotalcite coating on Mg alloy surface was reduced from 12 h to 4 h by the conversion treatment.On the other hand,for reducing the formation time of CaCO3 coating on Mg alloy,the aqueous Ca 2+ /HCO3-with a saturated Ca 2+ content was employed for developing a CaCO3 coating on Mg alloy.A dense CaCO3 coating could yield on Mg alloy surface in 2 h.Corrosion rate(corrosion current density,Jcorr) of the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite-coated sample and CaCO3-coated AZ91D sample was 7-10μA/cm 2,roughly two orders less than the Jcorr of the as-diecast sample(about 200μA/cm 2) . No corrosion spot on the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite-coated sample and CaCO3-coated sample was observed after 72 h and 192 h salt spray test,respectively.

Influence of carbon sources on the performance of carbon-coated nano-silicon

Silicon-based material is an important anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.In order to overcome its shortcomings,carbon coating is often employed to improve the electrochemical performance.However,the carbon source,carbon content,and different contact and mixing schemes between carbon sources and silicon are all complex factors and need to be clarified.In this study,nano-silicon is coated by the chemical vapor deposition method using different carbon sources,such as acetylene,methane,propane,and propylene.Carbon content after coating is designed to stay at the same level to reduce the experimental error.Results show the sample with higher conductivity provides higher cycle performance.Propylene is the best choice of the four carbon sources studied in this work.These results indicate that the selection of the carbon source is an important factor that plays a significant role in electrochemical performance.

Carbon-coated ZnO Nanocomposite Microspheres as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

The carbon-coated ZnO nanospheres materials have been synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method.The effect of carbon content on the microstructure,morphology and electrochemical performance of the materials was investigated by XRD,Raman spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques.Research results show that the spherical ZnO/C material with a carbon cladding content of 10%is very homogeneous and approximately 200 nm in size.The electrochemical performances of the ZnO/C nanospheres as an anode materials are examines.The ZnO/C exhibits better stability than pure ZnO,excellent lithium storage properties as well as improved circulation performance.The Coulomb efficiency of the ZnO/C with 10%carbon coated content reaches 98%.The improvement of electrochemical performance can be attributed to the carbon layer on the ZnO surface.The large volume change of ZnO during the charge-discharge process can be effectively relieved.

Anti-oxidation behavior of chemical vapor reaction SiC coatings on different carbon materials at high temperatures

To protect carbon materials from oxidation,SiC coatings were prepared on carbon/carbon(C/C)composites and graphite by chemical vapor reaction.SEM and XRD analyses show that the coatings obtained are composed of SiC grains and micro-crystals. The influence of different carbon substrates on oxidation behavior of coated samples was investigated,and then their oxidation mechanisms were studied.Oxidation test shows that the SiC coated graphite has a better oxidation resistance than SiC coated C/C composites at high temperatures(1 623 K and 1 823 K).In the oxidation process,the oxidation curves of SiC coated C/C composites are linear,while those of SiC coated graphite follow a quasi-parabolic manner.The oxidation mechanism of the former is controlled by chemical reaction while the latter is controlled by oxygen diffusion based on the experimental results.The variation of oxidation behavior and mechanism of SiC coatings on two kinds of carbon substrates are primarily contributed to their structure differences.

Microwave dielectric properties of Nextel-440 fiber fabrics with pyrolytic carbon coatings in the temperature range from room temperature to 700℃

Pyrolytic carbon(PyC) coatings are deposited on the Nextel-440 fiber fabrics by chemical vapor deposition(CVD).The dielectric properties of the Nextel-440 fiber fabrics with PyC coatings(Nextel-440/PyC) are investigated in a temperature range from room temperature to 700℃ in X-band. Compared with the permittivity of the original Nextel-440 received,the complex permittivity of the Nextel-440/PyC(the real part εand the imaginary part ε), is significantly improved: εof the Nextel-440/PyC has a positive temperature coefficient, in contrast, εof the Nextel-440/PyC exhibits a negative temperature coefficient. Moreover, the reflection loss in units of d B is calculated. The results indicate that the microwave absorbing properties of the Nextel-440/PyC coatings is enhanced at 700℃ compared with that at lower temperatures.

Friction and Wear Properties of Amorphous Carbon Nitride Coatings in Water Lubrication

The friction and wear properties of amorphous carbon nitride(a-CN x)coatings in water lubrication were reviewed.The influences of mating materials and tribological variables such as normal load(W)and sliding speed(V)on the friction and wear properties of the a-CN x coatings were analyzed.It was indicated that the specific wear rate of the a-CN x coatings was related to the hydration reaction of mating materials with water.If the mating materials were easily hydrated,the specific wear rate of a-CN x coatings was low.The water-lubricated properties of the a-CN x coatings were better in comparison to the a-C coatings.The a-CN x/Si-based non-oxide ceramics tribo-pairs exhibited the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate.To describe their friction and wear properties at the normal loads of 3—15Nand the sliding speeds of 0.05—0.5m/s,the wear-mechanism maps for the a-CN x/SiC(Si3N4)tribo-pairs in water were developed.

Complex Protective Coatings for Graphite and Carbon-Carbon Composite Materials

The objective of this review is to present the results on the production techniques, process parameters and compositions of heat-resistant coatings for graphite and carbon-carbon composites. The data reported concern the resistance of such protective coatings in air at temperatures up to 2273 K and in the high-speed flows of oxidizing gas media taking place in the spacecraft equipment. Coatings of this type, generally, have a multilayer structure based on the refractory compounds such as carbides, borides, silicides of transition metals and oxides with a high melting temperature. An efficient heat-resistant coating for carbon-based materials should be composed of three layers from which each fulfills its own function. The paper presents a new complex method for formation of heat-resistant coatings on the carbon-based materials. The method combines the vacuum-activated diffusion saturation in the presence of a liquid-phase and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) simultaneously.

Superior tribological properties of an amorphous carbon film with a graphite-like structure

Amorphous carbon films with high sp2 concentrations are deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering with a narrow range of substrate bias voltage. Field emission scanning electron microscopes （FESEMs）, high resolution transmission electron microscopes （HRTEMs）, atomic force microscopes （AFMs）, the Raman spectrometers, nano- indentation, and tribometers are subsequently used to characterize the microstructures and the properties of the resulting films. It is found that the present films are dominated by the sp2 sites. However, the films demonstrate a moderate hardness together with a low internal stress. The high hardness of the deposited film originates from the crosslinking of the sp2 clusters by the sp3 sites. The presence of the graphite-like clusters in the film structure may be responsible for the low internal stress. What is more important is that the resulting films show excellent tribological properties with high load capacity and excellent wear resistance in humid atmospheres. The relationship between the microstructure determined by the deposition condition and the film characteristic is discussed in detail.

Modification of nanometer calcium carbonate for water-borne architectural coatings

A kind of modifier was synthesized to modify the surface of nanometer calcium carbonate （abbreviated as nano-CaCO3）, which is used in architectural coatings. The modification technology of the nano-CaCO3 was studied through orthogonal experimental methods. The factors studied were rotation speed, modifier dosage, emulsification temperature, emulsification time and heat aging time after emulsification. Optimized conditions for modification of the surface were： rotation speed 16000 r/min; modifier dosage 3%; emulsification temperature 75 ℃; emulsification time 60 min and aging time 40 min. The modified nano-CaCO3 was also studied by size-distribution measurements, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The results show that the size distribution of the modified nano-CaCO3 is uniform and that there are chemi-sorption and physi-sorption between the nano-CaCO3 and the modifier. Compared to traditional architectural coatings without nano-CaCO3, the nanometer composite coatings are obviously improved in respect to dirt resistance, scrub resistance, thixotropy, water resistance, alkalinity resistance and aging resistance.

Earth-abundant magnetite with carbon coatings as reversible cathodes for stretchable zinc-ion batteries

Earth-abundant magnetite(Fe_(3)O_(4))as cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)is limited by its very low capacity and poor cycling.Here,a combined strategy based on carbon coating and electrolyte optimization is adopted to improve the performance of Fe_(3)O_(4).The Zn-Fe_(3)O_(4)@C batteries display specific capacities of 93 mAh g^(−1) and 81%capacity retention after 200 cycles.Such performance is attributed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and structural stability of Fe_(3)O_(4)@C nanocomposites with suppressed iron dissolution.Experimental analysis reveals that the charge storage is contributed by diffusion-limited redox reactions and surface-controlled pseudocapacitance.A stretchable Zn-Fe_(3)O_(4)@C battery is further fabricated,showing stable performance when it is bent or stretched.Fe_(3)O_(4) is a promising cathode material for cost-effective,safe,sustainable and wearable energy supplies.

Enhanced corrosion resistance of epoxy resin coating via addition of CeO_(2) and benzotriazole

The use of fillers to enhance the corrosion protection of epoxy resins has been widely applied.In this work,cerium dioxide(CeO_(2))and benzotriazole(BTA)were introduced into an epoxy resin to enhance the corrosion resistance of Q235 carbon steel.Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the CeO_(2) grains were rod-like and ellipsoidal in shape,and the distribution pattern of BTA was analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscope.The dynamic potential polarization curve proved the excellent corrosion resistance of the composite epoxy resin with CeO_(2) and BTA co-addition,and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test analysis indicated the significantly enhanced long-term corrosion protection performance of the composite coating.And the optimal protective performance was provided by the coating containing 0.3%(mass)CeO_(2) and 20%(mass)BTA,which was attributed to the barrier performance of CeO_(2) particles and the chemical barrier effect of BTA.The formation of corrosion products was analyzed using X-ray diffraction.In addition,the corrosion resistance mechanism of the coating was also discussed in detail.

Color and Gloss Changes of a Lignin-Based Polyurethane Coating under Accelerated Weathering

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the properties of polyurethane coatings based on lignin nano-particles.For this purpose,the prepared coatings were applied to pine wood surfaces and weathered artificially.Subsequently,color and gloss of the coatings were measured before and after the weathering test.Field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM)micrographs prepared from the coatings showed that the average size of nano-particles in the polyurethane substrate was approximately 500 nm.Nuclear magnetic resonance(13C-NMR)spectroscopy showed that strong urethane bonds were formed in the nano-lignin-based polyurethane.Differential calorimetric analysis(DSC)test revealed that the glass-transition temperature(Tg)of lignin nanoparticles modified with diethylenetriamine(DETA)was 112.8℃ and Tg of lignin nano-particles modified with ethylenediamine(EDA)was 102.5℃,which is lower than the Tg of un-modified lignin(114.6℃)and lignin modified with DETA(126.8℃)and lignin modified with EDA(131.3℃).The coatings modified with lignin nano-particles had a greater change in gloss.The lignin nano-particles in the modified coating are trapping hydroxyl radicals which reduces photoactivity and yellowing of the polyurethane by about 3 times compared to unmodified polyurethane coatings.After weathering test,the nano-lignin-based coating had a rougher surface with a lower contact angle(0.78°)compared to the unmodified polyurethane coating(0.85°).