Development of Modified Glasses by Transparent, Functional Hybrid Sol-Gel Nano-Ceramic Coatings, a Comparative Study

This paper concentrates on the development of glasses with self-cleaning surfaces exhibiting high water contact angles. In this study, we prepared super-hydrophobic nano-ceramic coated glass based on titania & silica using simple sol-gel & dip coating methods and studied the best composition of the coatings by altering ratios of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with different homogenizing agents. We characterized the coatings by surface roughness measurement, percentage of optical transmission, static contact angle, near-infrared (NIR) transmission, and diffuse reflectance. The fabrication of coatings on glass substrates played an important role in increasing the water contact angle of about 95° and visible & NIR transmission of about 90%. We compared our modified glass substrate with commercial low emissivity (Low E) glass using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, which showed pure amorphous surface claiming excellent wettability and thus the prepared glass substrate could have a variety of applications in different fields.

Improvement of thermally grown oxide layer in thermal barrier coating systems with nano alumina as third layer

A thermally grown oxide （TGO） layer is formed at the interface of bond coat/top coat. The TGO growth during thermal exposure in air plays an important role in the spallation of the ceramic layer from the bond coat. High temperature oxidation resistance of four types of atmospheric plasma sprayed TBCs was investigated. These coatings were oxidized at 1000 °C for 24, 48 and 120 h in a normal electric furnace under air atmosphere. Microstructural characterization showed that the growth of the TGO layer in nano NiCrAlY/YSZ/nano Al2O3 coating is much lower than in other coatings. Moreover, EDS and XRD analyses revealed the formation of Ni（Cr,Al）2O4 mixed oxides （as spinel） and NiO onto the Al2O3 （TGO） layer. The formation of detrimental mixed oxides （spinels） on the Al2O3 （TGO） layer of nano NiCrAlY/YSZ/nano Al2O3 coating is much lower compared to that of other coatings after 120 h of high temperature oxidation at 1000 °C.

“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.

Microstructure and Contact Fatigue Behavior of Nano-SiO_2/Ni Coating Prepared by Electro-Brush Plating

The composite coating nano SiO 2/Ni was prepared by co depositing nano SiO 2 particles with pure nickel through electro brush plating. By taking into account the effect of microstructure, heat treatment and load on the contact fatigue life, the anti contact fatigue behavior of the composite coating was examined and compared with that of nickel coating. As a result, the contact fatigue life decreased with the increasing of load. The contact fatigue lives of nano SiO 2/Ni coating were 16.5% and 45.2% higher than those of nickel coating respectively under the loads of 60 N and 140 N, and 326.3% higher than its counterpart of nickel coating after annealed under the load of 140 N. From the SEM image of fatigue fracture, it has been observed that the fatigue fracture of the composite coating initiated in the sub surface as well as at the track surface due to the huddling of units, and propagated along the interface between grain units.

Effect of Nano Al Pigment on the Anticorrosive Performance of Waterborne Epoxy Coatings

This paper presents the results regarding the effect of nano aluminum powder pigment concentration on the protective properties of waterborne epoxy films in 3.5 wt pct NaCl solution. The anticorrosive performance of the coatings with 0.5, 1, and 3 wt pct pigments and none pigment were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The results show that adding appropriate amount of nano-aluminium powder pigment can enhance the barrier properties of the epoxy coating, which is attributed to the surface effect of nanoparticles and the compatibility of the pigment with the waterborne epoxy coatings.

Micro mechanical properties of n-Al2O3/Ni composite coating by nanoindentation

A new type of nano test system was introduced, the test principle and the indentation data analysis method were described. It was used to test the micro mechanical properties, such as hardness, elastic modulus and indentation creep property of n-Al2O3/Ni composite coating on steel prepared by brush plating, and the variety of mechanical properties with coating thickness was researched. The results show that the mechanical properties are basically identical within the whole coating, the hardness and modulus decrease in the defect fields, especially within the dendritic crystals, whereas the mechanical properties are not influenced greatly at the interspaces among dendritic crystals. The average hardness and elastic modulus of n-Al2O3/Ni coating are 6.34 GPa and 154 GPa respectively, and the hardness is 2.4 times higher than that of steel and the indentation creep curve of n-Al2O3/Ni coating is similar to that of the uniaxial compression creep, and the creep rate of steady-state is about 0. 104 nm/s. These results will supply useful data for process improvement, new type material development and application expansion.

Microstructure of nanometer Al_2O_3 dispersion strengthened Ni-based high-temperature protective coatings by laser cladding

The nanometer Al2O3 dispersion strengthened NiCoCrAlY high-temperature protective coatings by crosscurrent CO2 laser on Ni-based superalloy GH4033 were produced. Microscopic morphologies, phase constitutions of cladding coatings and distribution of nano-Al2O3 particles were examined using SEM and XRD. The results show that the interface grains, after adding proper nano-Al2O3, grow from epitaxial to non-epitaxial shape gradually, and the columnar dendrites become thinner and denser with cellular shape. Cracks in the substrate close to the interface are eliminated. Moreover, dispersive nano-Al2O3 particles mainly distribute around cellular substructure and on grain-boundaries, which prevents the diffusion of alloying elements and restrains the formation of new phase. There is a critical value of nano-Al2O3 addition, and the most suitable content of nano-Al2O3 is 1% (mass fraction) in this experimental conditions. The "nanometer effect" of nano-Al2O3 particles plays an important role in the improvement of coating microstructure.

OXIDATION RESISTANCE OF NANOCRYSTAL ODS ALUMINIDE COATINGS PRODUCED BY PACK ALUMINIZING PROCESS ASSISTED BY BALL PEENING

Nanocrystal ODS （oxide dispersion strengthening） aluminide coatings were produced on a stainless steel and nickel-based superalloy by the pock aluminizing process assisted by ball peening, Pure Al powders and 1% of ultra-fine Y2O3 powders were mixed by ball milling. The ultra-fine Y2O3 powders were dispersed in Al particles. Ball peening welded the Al particles onto the substrate and accelerated the formation of aluminide coating. Nanocrystal ODS aluminide coatings were produced by the outward growth at a much low temperature （below 600℃） in a short treatment time. The effects of the operation temperature and treatment time on the formation of the coatings were analyzed. SEM （scanning electron microscope）, AFM （atomic force microscope）, EDS （energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy）, XRF （X-ray fluorescence spectrometer） and XRD （X-ray diffraction） methods were applied to investigate the microstructure of the coatings. High-temperature oxidation tests were carried out to evaluate the oxidation resistance of the ODS aluminide coatings.

Microstructure and Oxidation Behaviors of Nano-particles Strengthened NiCoCrAlY Cladded Coatings on Superalloys

Nano-particles which can largely improve the microstructure and oxidation resistance of materials are often used as a strengthening component in metal matrix composites. However, few studies were reported on its application in the bond coat of duplex structure thermal barrier coating（TBC）. Three kinds of NiCoCrAlY coatings strengthened by different nano-particles with the same addition （1%, mass fraction） were prepared by the laser cladding technique on Ni-based superalloy substrates, aiming to study the effects of the nano-particles on microstructure and oxidation resistance of NiCoCrAlY coatings （the bond coat of the duplex structure thermal barrier coatings）. Scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffractometer（XRD） and thermogravimetry were employed to investigate their morphologies, phases and cyclic oxidation behaviors in atmosphere at 1 050℃, compared with the coating without nano-particles. With the addition of nano-particles, the growth pattern of the grains at the interface changed from epitaxial growth to non-epitaxial growth or part-epitaxial growth; slender dendrites were broken and cellularized; cracks and pores were restrained; and the oxidation weight-gain and the stripping resistance of the oxide scale were improved as well. Among the three kinds of nano-particles, the SiC nano-particles showed the most improvement on microstructure, while the CeO2 nano-particles were insufficient, but its effects on the oxidation resistance are the same as those of the SiC nano-particles. Based on the discussions of the influence mechanism, it is believed that CeO2 nano-particles would show better improvement than SiC nano-particles if the proper amount is added and the proper preparation technique of micro-nanometer composite powders is adopted, with the synergistic action of nanometer effect and reactive element effect.

Stabilized dispersion of nano-ceramic coating

The mechanism and effects of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a dispersant on nano ceramic aqueous suspension were examined by the measurements of ζ potential and the sedimentation test. The results show that proper addition of CMC to nano ceramic coating exhibits an enhanced dispersity and stability compared to the coating without CMC; the stably dispersed nano ceramic coating with excellent preformance was obtained with addition of 0.10% CMC to it in pH 7 to 8.

Effects of rare earth on microstructures and properties of Ni-W-P-CeO_2-SiO_2 nano-composite coatings

Ni-W-P-CeO2-SiO2 nano-composite coatings were prepared on common carbon steel surface by pulse electrodeposition of nickel, tungsten, phosphorus, rare earth （nano-CeO2） and silicon carbide （nano-SiO2） particles. The effects of nano-CeO2 concentrations in electrolyte on microstructures and properties of nano-composite coatings were studied. The samples were characterized with chemical compositions, elements distributions, microhardness and microstructures. The results indicated that when nano-CeO2 concentration was controlled at 10 g/L, the nano-composite coatings possessed higher microhardness and compact microstmctures with clear outline of spherical matrix metal crystallites, fine crystallite sizes and uniform distribution of elements W, P, Ce and Si within the Ni-W-P matrix metal. Increasing the nano-CeO2 particles concentrations from 4 to 10 g/L led to refinement in grain structure and improvement of microstructures, while when increased to 14 g/L, the crystallite sizes began to increase again and there were a lot of small boss with nodulation shape appearing on the nano-composite coatings surface.

Synthesis of P(St-BA-MAA-SPAA) nano-latex and its application in high anti-corrisive coating

A novel zinc-rich pigment based on P(St-BA-MAA-SPAA) nano-latex was obtained, which is suitable for the use in hot alkali liquid medium. The nano-latex was synthesized by active emulsifier latex polymerization method with monomers of styrene (St), butylacrylate (BA), methylacrylic acid(MAA) in the presence of active emulsifier 3-sulfopropylacrylate(SPAA). The synthesis condition and properties of the latex were investigated. And the anti-corrosive property of the resultant zinc-rich coating was studied. The results show that the nano-latex is self-stabilized and has a narrow particle diameter distribution, the average diameter of the latex particles is 71 nm. Zinc powders can be evenly dispersed in the nano-latex, which indicates that the P(St-BA-MAA-SPAA) nano latex can be used as the binder of zinc-rich coating. The resultant zinc-rich coating is able to resist the invasion of hot alkali solution(the temperature is 95 ℃ and the pH value is 14) for 480 h and the exposure time in salt spray is 1 200 h. Moreover, the coating shows good thermal conductivity and static electricity properties, its thermal conductivity and electric resistivity are 21-37 W/(m·K) and 6.7×105-3.5×106 Ω·cm, respectively.

Microstructure and Behaviors of Nano Composite Coating

Nano composite coatings are fabricated by electro brush plating containing various nano particles (A12O3, SiO2 and ZrO2>. Its surface morphology and microstructure are observed by means of S-2700 scanning electron microscopy (SEM). And the mechanical behaviors of nano composite coating are analyzed. The results show that microstructure of nano composite coating is obviously fine because of nano particles. Micro hardness at room temperature increases with the increase of nano particles content. The wear resistance and hardness at high temperature are also improved. The strengthening effect is differentiated by the type and content of nano particles. This is due to the combination of dispersion strengthening and grain size strengthening.

Effects of Nano Pigments on the Corrosion Resistance of Alkyd Coating

Alkyd coatings embedded with nano-TiO2 and nano-ZnO pigments were prepared. The effects of nano pigments on anticorrosion performance of alkyd coatings were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectrum （EIS）. For the sake of comparison, the corrosion protection of alkyd coatings with conventional TiO2 and ZnO was also studied. It was found that nano-TiO2 pigment improved the corrosion resistance as well as the hardness of alkyd coatings. The optimal amount of nano-TiO2 in a colored coating for corrosion resistance was 1%. The viscosities of alkyd coatings with nanometer TiO2 and ZnO and conventional TiO2 and ZnO pigments were measured and the relation between viscosity and anticorrosion performance was discussed.

Thermal Behavior of Nano-TiO_2 in Fire-Resistant Coating

The dispersion state of nano-TiO2 particles was studied by using transmission electron microscopy （TEM）and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）. Nanoparticles can be fully dispersed by specific hyperdispersant. The improvement of nano-TiO2 in thermal behavior and flame retardation of acrylic polymer and fire-resistant coating was investigated by differential thermal analysis （DTA）, thermogravimetry （TG）and fire-resistant time test. It is demonstrated that nano-TiO2 is helpful for enhancing the thermal stability,anti-oxidation and fire-resistant properties of acrylic polymer and fire-resistant coating.

Preparation and Properties of Anti-oxidation Inorganic Nano-coating for Low Carbon Steel at an Elevated Temperature

A new kind of anti-oxidation inorganic nano-coating for the common low carbon steel was prepared. It included magnesite mineral, metallurgic dust and silicate adhesive as the main raw materials. The nano-coating could be sprayed directly onto the low carbon steel slab even though with hot surface as far as under 1000 ℃ . And at the same time, a compact thin nano-film was formed, and the film would inhibit the oxygen into the interface of the steel body and decrease the loss of weight because of oxidation. The loss was decreased by about 60% or more. The properties and mechanism of oxidation resistance of the coating were discussed through XRD, TG-DTA and SEM. The experimental results show that many reactions would happen among the companents of the coating and then many microspheres with the size of 80- 100nm generated in the system. By using the heat of the steel body, the silicate adhesive would interact with the microspheres, and the other components of the coating would be soft and sintered so that when the coating was sprayed onto the suface of the steel slab , the intact and compact film could be formed and adhesive with the steel body. Besides the special properties of anti- oxidation, the coating could prevent the volatilization of microelement in the steel such as silicate and carbon at a high temperature. So it can improve the quality and output of steel with this new kind of nano-coating.

Fabrication and Characterization of Ni-Al_2O_3 Nano-Composite Coatings by Sediment Co-Deposition

Ni-Al2O3 nano-composite coatings were fabricated by sediment co-deposition (SCD) from Watt’s type electrolyte containing nano-Al2O3 particles without any additives. For comparison, Ni-Al2O3 nano-composite coatings were prepared by conventional electro-plating (CEP) under experimental conditions. Effects of process parameters, such as nano-Al2O3 concentration in plating solution, current density, stirring rate, and bath temperature, on nano-Al2O3 content in composite coatings were investigated. The distribution of elements in deposit, and the bonding strength between coating and substrate was analyzed by electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and auto-scratch apparatus, respectively. It is found that the nano-Al2O3 concentration in plating solution, current density and stirring rate are three main factors affecting the particles content in deposit, and played a key role in the formation of composite coatings. The nano-Al2O3 content in composite coatings increased with increasing of nano-Al2O3 concentration in plating solution, current density and stirring rate to reach a maximum value, and then reduced slightly. The contents of nano-Al2O3 particles in composite coatings by the SCD technique were higher than that by the CEP technique. The co-deposited nano-Al2O3 particles embedded uniformly in the Ni matrix. The coating was well adhesion with substrate. It is demonstrated that the SCD technique is an efficient approach for improving the nano-Al2O3 content in Ni-Al2O3 composite coatings.

Stability of aqueous nano-ceramic coatings with two different dispersants

The effects of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium citrate as dispersants on nano-ceramic aqueous suspension were examined by the measurements of ζ -potential and the sedimentation test. The results show that proper addition of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose or sodium citrate into nano-ceramic coating, exhibits an enhanced dispersion and stability compared with the coating without dispersants. The negative ζ -potential of the particles in the nano-coating increases with the increase of pH value of the coating, and the curve of ζ -pH moves to lower pH range when the dispersants are added into the coating. To ensure that the coating has not only good stability and dispersibility but also no corrosivity to substrate alloy, adding 1.00% sodium citrate into coating with pH value of 7-8 is preferable to adding sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

Influence of TiCl_4 treatment on performance of dye-sensitized solar cell assembled with nano-TiO_2 coating deposited by vacuum cold spraying

Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) treatment was employed to TiO2 coating deposited on fluoride-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass and indium oxide doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass, respectively. The nano-crystalline TiO2 coating was deposited using a composite powder composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 25 nm TiO2 particles by vacuum cold spraying (VCS) process. A commercial N-719 dye was used to adsorb on the surface of TiO2 coating to prepare TiO2 electrode, which was applied to assemble dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). The cell performance was measured under simulated solar light at an intensity of 100 mW·cm-2. Results show that with an FTO substrate the DSC composed of a VCS TiO2 electrode untreated by TiCl4 gives a short-circuit current density of 13.1 mA·cm-2 and an open circuit voltage of 0.60 V corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of 4.4%. It is found that after TiCl4 treatment to the VCS TiO2 electrode with an FTO substrate, the short circuit current density of the cell increases by 31%, the open-circuit voltage increases by 60 mV and a higher conversion yield of 6.5% was obtained. However, when an ITO substrate is used to deposit TiO2 coating by VCS, after TiCl4 treatment, the conversion efficiency of the assembled cell reduces slightly due to corrosion of the conducting layer on the ITO glass by TiCl4.

Al_2O_3-Y_2O_3 Nano- and Micro-Composite Coatings on Fe-9Cr-Mo Alloy

Al2O3-Y2O3 nano- and micro-composite coatings were deposited on Fe-9Cr-Mo substrates by using sol-gel composite coating technology. The processing includes dipping samples in a sol-gel solution dispersed with fine ceramic powders, which are prepared by high-energy ball milling. High-resolution microscopy （FE-SEM） analyses show that the coating is composed of composite particle clusters with an average diameter of 1μm, and the coating is relatively dense without cracking during drying and sintering stages. XRD analyses show that the oxide coating is mainly composed of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3. The oxidation tests performed at 600℃ in air show that the coatings are provided with much improved resistance against high temperature oxidation and scale spallation. It is indicated that nano-structured composite particles and reactive elements are integrated into the coatings, which plays an important role in preventing agglomeration of nano-particles and initiation of cracks.