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.

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.

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.

Effects of addition of rare earth on properties and structures of Ni-W-B-SiC composite coatings

The effects of rare earth (RE) on the composition, phase structures, surface morphologies and hardness of electrodeposited RE Ni W B SiC composite coatings were discussed. The results show that W and SiC contents in the coatings increase with the increase of RE in the bath. When RE is added in the coatings, the grains are refined and the trend of formation of amorphous coatings is increased. Moreover, the thermal stability of the RE Ni W B SiC composite coatings is enhanced. The hardness of the coatings is increased with the increase of heat treatment temperature, and it reaches the peak value when heated at 400 ℃. Besides, the hardness of the RE Ni W B SiC coatings is higher than that of the Ni W B SiC coatings.

Thermodynamics of electrodeposited Ni-B-SiC composite coatings

The φ pH diagram of Ni B H 2O system was drawn, and the mechanism of electrodepositing Ni B SiC composite coatings was discussed. The results show that the deposition of Ni and B occurs prior to that of H 2 because of the over potential of H 2 evolution on the Fe substrate. Boron can not singly deposit in aqueous solution. Nickel and boron can co deposit in the form of Ni 4B 3 without evolution of hydrogen when the cathodical potential is kept to be -1.415 ～ -1.700?V.

Corrosion Behavior of Cu/Ni Coatings on Ti-6Al-4V Alloy after Diffused Treatment

To improve the low thermal conductivities and poor wear resistances of TC4(Ti-6Al-4V)alloy,the most widely used titanium alloy,the surface of TC4 alloys is modified by electroplating deposition of Ni and Cu layers,and then heat-treated to increase the diffusivity at the interface.In this paper,the corrosion behavior of Cu/Ni coatings on TC4 alloy at different heat treatment processes was investigated in 3.5 wt%Na Cl by the electrochemical analysis,and the microstructure and composition of corrosion products was carried out to reveal the corrosion resistance mechanism of Cu/Ni coatings.It was found that the corrosion resistance was significantly influenced by heat treatment temperature.With the increasing diffusion treatment temperature from 500 to 700℃,the corrosion potential positively shifted from-330.87 to-201.14 m V,and the corrosion current density decreased from 4.02×10^-3 to 0.514×10^-3 m A/cm^2.However,when heat treatment temperature increased to 800℃,the corrosion potential negatively shifted to-207.21 m V,and the current density increased to 1.62×10^-3 m A/cm^2.The diffusion behavior of Ti,Ni and Cu elements occurred and small amounts of Ni and Ti elements appeared on the specimen surface under different heat treatment temperature.Especially heattreated at 700℃,the smaller pore size,dense Cu2O film,and highly stable Ti O and Ni O oxide layer were formed,which dramatically enhanced the corrosion resistance of Cu/Ni coatings.Finally,a novel model of corrosion resistance was proposed based on the analysis mentioned above.

Corrosion performance and tribological behavior of diamond-like carbon based coating applied on Ni−Al−bronze alloy

The effect of diamond-like carbon(DLC)coating(fabricated by cathodic arc deposition)on mechanical properties,tribological behavior and corrosion performance of the Ni−Al−bronze(NAB)alloy was investigated.Nano-hardness and pin-on-plate test showed that DLC coating had a greater hardness compared with NAB alloy.Besides,the decrease in friction coefficient from 0.2 for NAB substrate to 0.13 for the DLC-coated sample was observed.Potentiodynamic polarization and EIS results showed that the corrosion current density decreased from 2.5μA/cm2 for bare NAB alloy to 0.14μA/cm2 for DLC-coated sample in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution.Moreover,the charge transfer resistance at the substrate−electrolyte interface increased from 3.3 kΩ·cm2 for NAB alloy to 120.8 kΩ·cm2 for DLC-coated alloy,which indicated an increase in corrosion resistance due to the DLC coating.

Investigation on plasma-sprayed ZrO_2 thermal barrier coating on nickel alloy substrate

The thermal barrier coatings with NiCrAlY alloy bonding layer, NiCrAlY Y 2O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 transition layer and Y 2O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 ceramic layer are prepared on nickel alloy substrates using the plasma spray technique. The relationship among the composition, structure and property of the coatings are investiga ted by means of optical microscope, scanning electronic microscope and the experiments of thermal shock resistance cycling and high temperature oxidation resistance. The results show that the structure design of introdu cing a transition layer between Ni alloy substrate and ZrO 2 ceramic coating guarantees the high quality and properties of the coatings; ZrO 2 coatings doped with a little SiO 2 possesses better thermal shock resistance and more excellent hot corrosion resistance as compared with ZrO 2 coating materials without SiO 2 ;the improvement in performance of ZrO 2 coating doped with SiO 2 is due to forming more dense coating structure by self closing effects of the flaws and pores in the ZrO 2 coatings.

Electroplating of Ni/Co–pumice multilayer nanocomposite coatings: Effect of current density on crystal texture transformations and corrosion behavior

The present paper aims to investigate the influence of the current density in the electroplating process on the microstructure, crystal texture transformations, and corrosion behavior of Ni/Co pumice multilayer nanocomposite coatings. The Ni/Co pumice composite coatings were prepared by deposition of Ni, followed by the simultaneous deposition of pumice nanoparticles (NPs) in a Co matrix via an electroplating process at various current densities. Afterward, the morphology, size, topography, and crystal texture of the obtained samples were investigated. Furthermore, electrochemical methods were used to investigate the corrosion behavior of the produced coatings in a solution of 3.5wt% NaCl. The results indicated that increasing the plating current density changed the mechanism of coating growth from the cell state to the column state, in- creased the coating thickness, roughness, and texture coefficient (TC) of the Co (203) plane, and reduced the amount of pumice NPs incorporated into the Ni/Co pumice composite. The electrochemical results also indicated that increasing the current density enhanced the corrosion resistance of the Ni/Co pumice composite.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic reduced-graphene oxide/nickel coating with mechanical durability,self-cleaning and anticorrosion performance

There is a great challenge to fabricate superhydrophobic coating with excellent mechanical durability and corrosion resistance.Inspired by the pinecone-shaped structure,a novel reduced-graphene oxide(rGO)/Ni composite coating with pinecone-like micro/nanostructures was fabricated successfully on a stainless steel substrate using a simple electrodeposition method combining Ni pre-deposition and an elevated current assistant approach.The results show that the coating is of self-cleaning and superhydrophicity with a water contact angle(CA)of 162.7°±0.8°and a sliding angle(SA)of 2.5°±1.0°.Importantly,the coating still maintains the excellent self-cleaning and superhydrophicity,water CA of 155.8°±1.2°and SA of 5.9°±1.2°,even after 100-cycle mechanical abrasion.Meanwhile,the coating also exhibits good anticorrosion performance in 3.5 wt%NaCl solution,with 99.98%inhibition efficiency.The simple fabrication method may provide a cost-effective way to prepare mechanically durable,anticorrosive,self-cleaning and superhydrophobic coatings on metal substrates.

Microstructure,tribological behavior and magnetic properties of Fe−Ni−TiO_(2) composite coatings synthesized via pulse frequency variation

The Fe−Ni−TiO_(2) nanocomposite coatings were electrodeposited by pulse frequency variation.The results showed that the nanocomposite with a very dense coating surface and a nanocrystalline structure was produced at higher frequencies.By increasing the pulse frequency from 10 to 500 Hz,the iron and TiO_(2) nanoparticles contents were increased in expense of nickel content.XRD patterns showed that by increasing the frequency to 500 Hz,an enhancement of BCC phase was observed and the grain size of deposits was reduced to 35 nm.The microhardness and the surface roughness were increased to 647 HV and 125 nm at 500 Hz due to the grain size reduction and higher incorporation of TiO_(2) nanoparticles into the Fe−Ni matrix(5.13 wt.%).Moreover,the friction coefficient and wear rate values were decreased by increasing the pulse frequency;while the saturation magnetization and coercivity values of the composite deposits were increased.

Improving Wear Resistance of the Ni-base Thermal Spray-Welding Coating Using Rare Earths

By adding rare earth alloy and cerium oxide, the effect of rare earths on tribological properties of nickel base alloy layer was studied to approach the possibility of applying rare earths to Ni base thermal spray welding coating. Wear test results showed that the wear rates of the nickel base coating without rare earths were quite high, and the load bearing capacity of coating was low, in contrast, the wear rates of the coating with rare earths were low and the coating had higher load bearing capacity. The results show that rare earths can refine the structure of nickel base alloy, improve the interface of the coating and substrate.

Incorporation of nano/micron-SiC particles in Ni-based composite coatings towards enhanced mechanical and anti-corrosion properties

Ni-based composite coatings incorporated with nano/micron SiC particles were fabricated via electrochemical co-deposition in Watts bath,followed by the evaluation of their mechanical and anti-corrosion properties.The micrographic observations suggest that the SiC particles with various sizes can be well incorporated to the Ni substrate.X-ray diffraction(XRD)patterns indicate that SiC particles with smaller sizes could weaken the preferential growth of Ni along(200)facet.In addition,it is found that the incorporated SiC particles with medium micron sizes(8 and 1.5μm)could significantly enhance the micro-hardness of the Ni composite coatings.Nevertheless,electrochemical measurements demonstrate that micron-sized SiC particles would weaken the corrosion resistance of Ni composite coatings ascribed to the structure defects induced.In contrast,the combined incorporation of nanosized(50 nm)SiC particles with medium micron(1.5μm)ones is capable of promoting the compactness of the composite coatings,which is beneficial to the long-term corrosion resistance with negligible micro-hardness loss.

Structure and characteristics of electrodeposited RE-Ni-W-P-B_4C-PTFE composite coatings

Hardness, friction and wear characteristics of electrodeposited RE Ni W P B 4C PTFE composite coatings were studied, and the reason for these fine characteristics was explained in respect of structure. The results show that 1) the structure of RE Ni W P B 4C PTFE composite coatings experiences a transformation process from amorphous to mixture then to crystal as the heat treatment temperature rises; 2) incorporating of B 4C greatly increases the hardness of the coating; 3) the wear resistance of the coating is best with heat treatment for 1?h at 300?℃, which is greatly superior to that of the other traditional coatings.

Improving mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium/A356 aluminum bimetal prepared by compound casting via a high velocity oxygen fuel sprayed Ni coating

In this paper,a Ni coating was deposited on the surface of the A356 aluminum alloy by high velocity oxygen fuel spraying to improve the performance of the AZ91D magnesium/A356 aluminum bimetal prepared by a compound casting.The effects of the Ni coating as well as its thickness on microstructure and mechanical properties of the AZ91D/A356 bimetal were systematically researched for the first time.Results demonstrated that the Ni coating and its thickness had a significant effect on the interfacial phase compositions and mechanical properties of the AZ91D/A356 bimetal.The 10μm’s Ni coating cannot prevent the generation of the Al-Mg intermetallic compounds(IMCs)at the interface zone of the AZ91D/A356 bimetal,while the Ni coating with the thickness of 45μm and 190μm can avoid the formation of the Al-Mg IMCs.When the Ni coating was 45μm,the Ni coating disappeared and transformed into Mg-Mg_(2)Ni eutectic structures+Ni_(2)Mg_(3)Al particles at the interface zone.With a thickness of 190μm’s Ni coating,part of the Ni coating remained and the interface layer was composed of the Mg-Mg_(2)Ni eutectic structures+Ni_(2)Mg_(3)Al particles,Mg_(2)Ni layer,Ni solid solution(SS)layer,Al_(3)Ni_(2) layer,Al_(3)Ni layer and sporadic Al_(3)Ni+Al-Al_(3)Ni eutectic structures from AZ91D side to A356 side in sequence.The interface layer consisting of the Mg-Ni and Al-Ni IMCs obtained with the Ni coating had an obvious lower hardness than the Al-Mg IMCs.The shear strength of the AZ91D/A356 bimetal with a Ni coating of 45μm thickness enhanced 41.4%in comparison with that of the bimetal without Ni coating,and the fracture of the bimetal with 45μm’s Ni coating occurred between the Mg matrix and the interface layer with a mixture of brittle fracture and ductile fracture.

Oxidation Behavior of Pd-Modified Aluminide Coating at High Temperature

(Ni,Pd)AI coating, prepared by low pressure pack cementation on the Ni-base superalloy M38 where Pd-20 wt pct Ni alloy was predeposited, consists of a single β-(Ni,Pd)AI phase. The initial isothermal oxidation behavior of (Ni,Pd)AI coating was investigated by TGA, XRD, SEM/EDS at 800-1100℃. Results show that oxidation kinetics accord preferably with parabolic law at 800, 900 and 1100℃, but not at 1000℃. θ-AI203 was observed at 800-1100℃. It is found that Pd plays an important role in accelerating the diffusion of Ti from the substrate to the coating surface in the aluminide coating.

Ytterbium Hydroxide and Erbium Hydroxide Coating of Spherical Nickel Hydroxide Positive Materials for Ni-MH Batteries at High-Temperature

For the purpose of the important high-temperature charge-discharge performances of spherical Ni(OH)2 used as positive materials for Ni-MH batteries, Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 were used for surface coating of spherical Ni(OH)2 to improve its high-temperature properties. The coated spherical Ni(OH)2 was prepared by chemically coprecipitation of Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 on the surface of spherical Ni(OH)2, respectively. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The X-ray analysis showed that the structure of the coated spherical Ni(OH)2 was still β-Ni(OH)2. The SEM studies revealed that coating layer uniformly covered the surface of spherical Ni(OH)2. The electrochemical studies revealed that coating of Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 exhibited superior performance such as high discharge capacity, excellent charge-discharge properties at high-discharge rate at 65 ℃. The charge acceptance was above 85% at 1C rate at 65 ℃. The discharge capacity approached to 230 mAh·g-1 at 0.2C rate, which even reached 270 mAh·g-1 at 1C rate for both Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 coated spherical Ni(OH)2, where the discharge capacity for uncoated one was only 250 mAh·g-1 . The cyclic voltammetry analysis of spherical Ni(OH)2 showed that the oxidation potential, the oxygen evolution potential, and the difference between them increased after the coating both at 25 and 65 ℃. It was shown that the Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 coating is an effective way to improve the high-temperature performance of spherical Ni(OH)2 for Ni-MH batteries. The studies showed that Yb(OH)3 and Er(OH)3 coated spherical Ni(OH)2 would be a promising material of Ni-MH batteries for hybrid vehicle (HEVs), electric vehicles(EVs) and rapid charge devices due to excellent high rate charge-discharge performance.

Sliding wear behaviors of electrodeposited Ni composite coatings containing micrometer and nanometer Cr particles

Micrometer and nanometer Cr particles were co-deposited with Ni by electroplating from a nickel sulfate bath containing a certain content of Cr particles. Cr microparticles are in a size range of 1-5 μm and Cr nanoparticles have an average size of 40 nm. The friction and the wear performance of the co-deposited Ni-Cr composite coatings were comparatively evaluated by sliding against Si3N4 ceramic balls under non-lubricated conditions. It is found that the incorporation of Cr particles enhances the microhardness and wear resistance of Ni coatings. The wear resistance of Ni composite coating containing Cr nanoparticles is higher than that of the Ni composite coating containing Cr microparticles with a comparable Cr particle content. The co-deposition of smaller nanometer Cr particles with Ni effectively reduces the size of Ni crystals and significantly increases the hardness of the composite coatings due to grain-refinement strengthening and dispersion-strengthening,resulting in a significant improvement of wear resistance of the Ni-Cr nanocomposite coatings.

PROCESS AND PROPERTIES OF ELECTROLESS PLATING RE-Ni-B-SiC COMPOSITE COATINGS

Technology and properties of electroless composite RE-Ni-B-SiC coatings have been investigated.Results show that stabilizer plys a decisive role in electroless composite Ni-B-SiC,the addition of appropriate quantity of RE(rare earth) into the Ni-B-SiC bath not only increases SiC content in composite coatings,their hardness and wear resistance but also improves crystalline fineness,Wear resistance increases with the increase of SiC.Hardness and wear resistance of composite coatings reach peak values a fter heat treatment at 4OO and 500℃ for 1h respectively.

Characteristics of electrodeposited RE-Ni-W-B-B_4C-MoS_2 composite coating

The high temperature oxidation resistance of RE Ni W B B 4C MoS 2 composite coating, the effects of electrodeposition conditions on the morphologies of the coating and the effect of heat treatment temperature on its hardness, abrasion resistance and phase structure were investigated by using scanning electron microscope(SEM), X ray diffractometer, microhardness tester and abrasion machine. The results show that the oxidation degree of RE Ni W B B 4C MoS 2 composite coating is small when the temperature is lower than 700 ℃, but it increases sharply when the temperature is higher than 700 ℃. The hardness of RE Ni W B B 4C MoS 2 composite coating increases with increasing heat treatment temperature, it comes up to the maximum value at 400 ℃,but it decreases gradually if the temperature rises continuously. The most favourable abrasion resistance was attained after RE Ni W B B 4C MoS 2 composite coating being heat treated at 400 ℃. Without heat treating, it is mainly amorphous and partially crystallized, but wholly crystallized after being heat treated at 500 ℃. RE in the composite coating is in the form of CeO 2 and additions of CeO 2 and B 4C can enhance the thermostability of RE Ni W B B 4C MoS 2 composite coating.