Tribological properties of nanostructured Al_2O_3-40%TiO_2 multiphase ceramic particles reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coatings

The Ni-based alloy composite coatings reinforced by nanostructured Al2O3-40%TiO2 multiphase ceramic particles were prepared on the surface of 7005 aluminum alloy by plasma spray technology. The microstructure and tribological properties of the composite coatings were researched. The results show that the composite coatings mainly consist of γ-Ni, α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and rutile-TiO2 etc, and exhibit lower friction coefficients and wear losses than the Ni-based alloy coatings at different loads and speeds. The composite coating bears low contact stress at 3 N and its wear mechanism is micro-cutting wear. As loads increase to 6-12 N, the contact stress is higher than the elastic limit stress of worn surface, and the wear mechanisms change into multi-plastic deformation wear, micro-brittle fracture wear and abrasive wear. With the increase of speeds, the contact temperature of worn surface increases. The composite coating experiences multi-plastic deformation wear, fatigue wear and adhesive wear.

Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Glass Substrate with α-Alumina-g-Polystyrene Sulfonic Acid Composite Abrasive

Abrasive is the one of key influencing factors during chemical mechanical polishing（CMP） process. Currently, α-Alumina （α-Al2O3） particle, as a kind of abrasive, has been widely used in CMP slurries, but their high hardness and poor dispersion stability often lead to more surface defects. After being polished with composite particles, the surface defects of work pieces decrease obviously. So the composite particles as abrasives in slurry have been paid more attention. In order to reduce defect caused by pure α-Al2O3 abrasive, α-alumina-g-polystyrene sulfonic acid （α-Al2O3-g-PSS） composite abrasive was prepared by surface graft polymerization. The composition, structure and morphology of the product were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy（TOF-SIMS）, and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, respectively. The results show that polystyrene sulfonic acid grafts onto α-Al2O3, and has well dispersibility. Then, the chemical mechanical polishing performances of the composite abrasive on glass substrate were investigated with a SPEEDFAM-16B-4M CMP machine. Atomic force microscopy（AFM） images indicate that the average roughness of the polished glass substrate surface can be decreased from 0.835 nm for pure α-Al2O3 abrasive to 0.583 nm for prepared α-Al2O3-g-PSS core-shell abrasive. The research provides a new and effect way to improve the surface qualities during CMP.

Parameter optimization for tungsten carbide/Ni-based composite coating deposited by plasma transferred arc hardfacing

Ni-based composite coatings with a high content of tungsten carbides(Stelcar65composite coatings)were synthesized by plasma transferred arc(PTA)hardfacing.The welding parameters of Stelcar65composite coatings were optimized by orthogonal tests.The PTA welding parameters including welding current,powder feed rate and welding speed have significant influence on the tungsten carbide degradation.The values for the optimum welding current,powder feed rate and welding speed were determined to be100A,25g/min and40mm/min,respectively.The produced WC/Ni-based composite coatings were crack-and degradation-free.The microstructure of deposited layers,as well as the microstructure and microhardness of the optimal coating were further analyzed.

Substrate matters:The influences of substrate layers on the performances of thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes

Thin-film composite(TFC) reverse osmosis(RO) membranes are playing the dominating role in desalination.Tremendous efforts have been put in the studies on the polyamide selective layers. However, the effect of the substrate layers is far less concerned. In this review, we summarize the works that consider the impacts of the substrates, including pore sizes, surface hydrophilicity, on the processes of interfacial polymerization and consequently on the morphologies of the active layers and on final RO performances of the composite membranes. All the works indicate that the pore sizes and surface hydrophilicity of the substrate evidently influence the RO performances of the composite membranes. Unfortunately, we find that the observations and understandings on the substrate effect are frequently varied from case to case because of the lack of substrates with uniform pores and surface chemistries. We suggest using track-etched membranes or anodized alumina membranes having relatively uniform pores and functionalizable pore walls as model substrates to elucidate the substrate effect.Moreover, we argue that homoporous membranes derived from block copolymers have the potential to be used as substrates for the large-scale production of high-performances TFC RO membranes.

Microstructure of Ni /WC Surface Composite Layer on Gray Iron Substrate

The surface infiltrated composite （Ni/WC） layers on gray iron substrate were fabricated through a vacuum infiltration casting technique （VICT） using Ni-based composite powder with different WC particles content as raw materials.The microstructures of surface infiltrated composite layer,the interface structures between surface composite layer and the substrate,the changes of macro-hardness with the increasing of WC content and the micro-hardness distribution are investigated.The infiltrated composite layer includes a surface composite layer and a transition layer,and the thickness of the transition layer decreases with the increasing content of WC.The thickness of transition layer with 20%WC content in the surface infiltrated composite layer was 170 μm which was the thickest for all transition layers with different WC content.The surface composite layer was mainly composed of WC,W2C,FeB and NiB,along with Ni-Cr-Fe,Ni （Cr） solid solution,Ni （Si） solid solution and Ni （Fe） solid solution.The transition layer was composed of Ni （Cr） solid solution,Ni （Fe） solid solution,Ni （Si） solid solution,Fe （Ni） solid solution and eutectic.The surface macro-hardness and micro-hardness of the infiltrated layer had been evaluated.The macro-hardness of the surface composite layer decreases with the WC content increasing,and the average macro-hardness is HRC60.The distribution of micro-hardness presents gradient change.The average micro-hardness of the infiltrated layer is about HV1000.

Fabrication of in-situ synthesized ceramic reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coatings by reactive braze coating processing

In-situ synthesized ceramic such as TiC,Cr7C3 and Cr5B3 reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coating was fabricated on the surface of mild steel substrate by reactive braze coating processing with colloidal graphite,Cr,Ni,ferro-boron,Si and titanium powders as the raw materials at low temperature of 1000℃,and a new kind of coating materials was developed.By means of SEM,EDS,XRD and surface hardness tester,the microstructures,phases,hardness and wear-resistance of the coating were analyzed,respectively.The results revealed that the coating was mainly composed of the ceramic in-situ synthesized reinforcement phases of TiC,Cr7C3 and Cr5B3 and the binder phases in-situ synthesized of Ni31Si12 and(Ni,Fe)solid solution;The ceramic reinforcement phases of TiC,Cr7C3 and Cr5B3 were randomly distributed in the binder phases of Ni31Si12 and(Ni,Fe)solid solution;The coating had about 15vol%pores and can possibly be applied as a self-lubrication coating;The coating and the substrate were integrated together by metallurgical bonding;The coating had a hardness up to 91-94HR15N.

Design and Analysis of Microstrip Antenna Arrays in Composite Laminated Substrates

In high performance aerospace systems where weight and aerodynamics are of major concern, fiber reinforced composite laminates can be tailored to achieve desirable mechanical properties and accommodate low-profile microstrip antenna. This work aims at the analysis of microstrip antenna array embedded in composite laminated substrates. The size of a single antenna is first calculated by spectral domain analysis to model the effects of the substrate’s electromagnetic property and the orientation of the laminate layers. The antenna array as well as the feed network, composed of microstrip transmission lines, quarter wave-length impedance transformers, and T-junction power dividers, is then tuned to accommodate the effects of the coupling between the antenna elements and the feed network loss. The performance of the 1 × 2, 1 × 4, and 1 × 8 linear array and 2 × 2 and 2 × 4 planar array are shown to have better directivity when embedded in composite laminated substrate compared with those when attached on isotropic substrate. Both 1 × 2 and 1 × 4 arrays at 2.4 GHz are validated experimentally to achieve better coverage.

Tribological properties of Ni-base alloy composite coating modified by both graphite and TiC particles

In order to reduce the friction coefficient of Ni-base alloy coating and further improve its wear resistance,Ni-base alloy composite coatings modified by both graphite and TiC particles were prepared by plasma spray technology on the surface of 45 carbon steel.The results show that friction coefficient of the composite coating is 47.45% lower than that of the Ni-base alloy coating,and the wear mass loss is reduced by 59.1%.Slip lines and severe adhesive plastic deformation are observed on the worn surface of the Ni-base alloy coating,indicating that the wear mechanisms of the Ni-base alloy coating are multi-plastic deformation wear and adhesive wear.A soft transferred layer abundant in graphite and ferric oxide is developed on the worn surface of the composite coating,which reduces the friction coefficient and wear loss in a great deal.The main wear mechanism of the composite coating is fatigue delamination of the transferred layer.

Tribological behavior and mechanisms of graphite/CaF_2/TiC/Ni-base alloy composite coatings

In order to reduce the friction coefficients and improve the wear resistance of mechanical parts, which work in the severe friction and wear conditions at heavy loads, the graphite/CaFg/TiC/Ni-base alloy composite coatings were prepared by plasma spray and their tribological behavior and mechanisms were investigated. The results show that the friction coefficients of the composite coatings are in the range of 0.22-0.288, which are reduced by 25.9% to 53% compared with those of the pure Ni-base alloy coatings, and the wear rates of the former are 18.6%-70.1% less than those of the latter. When wear against GCr15 steel balls, a transferred layer mainly composed of ferric oxides, graphite and CaF2 may gradually develop on the worn surface of the composite coatings, which made the friction and wear between GCr15 steel ball and the composite coatings change into that between the former and the transferred layer. So the friction coefficients and the wear lubrication effect of the transferred layer. The main wear layer in friction process. rates of the composite coatings are greatly reduced because of the solid mechanism of the composite coatings is delamination of the transferred

Effects of graphite content on microstructure and tribological properties of graphite/TiC/Ni-base alloy composite coatings

In order to reduce the friction coefficients and further improve the anti-wear properties of Ni-base alloy coatings reinforced by TiC particles,graphite/TiC/Ni-base alloy（GTN） coatings were prepared on the surface of 45 carbon steel.The effects of graphite content on the microstructure and tribological properties of the GTN coatings were investigated.The results show that the addition of graphite to the GTN coatings may greatly reduce the friction coefficients and improve their wear resistance.The 6.56GTN and 12.71GTN coatings exhibit excellent integrated properties of anti-friction and wear resistance under low and high loads,respectively.Under a low load,the wear mechanisms of the GTN coatings are mainly multi-plastic deformation with slight abrasive wear and gradually change into mixture of multi-plastic deformation,delamination and micro-cutting wear with the increase of graphite fraction.As the load increases,the main wear mechanisms gradually change from micro-cracks,micro-cutting and adhesive wear to micro-cutting and micro-fracture with the increase of graphite fraction.

Tribological properties and wear prediction model of TiC particles reinforced Ni-base alloy composite coatings

TiC particles reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coatings were prepared on 7005 aluminum alloy by plasma spray. The effects of load, speed and temperature on the tribological behavior and mechanisms of the composite coatings under dry friction were researched. The wear prediction model of the composite coatings was established based on the least square support vector machine (LS-SVM). The results show that the composite coatings exhibit smaller friction coefficients and wear losses than the Ni-based alloy coatings under different friction conditions. The predicting time of the LS-SVM model is only 12.93%of that of the BP-ANN model, and the predicting accuracies on friction coefficients and wear losses of the former are increased by 58.74%and 41.87%compared with the latter. The LS-SVM model can effectively predict the tribological behavior of the TiCP/Ni-base alloy composite coatings under dry friction.

Effect of Salinity on the Growth Performance, Body Composition, Antioxidant Indexes of Perinereis aibuhitensis and Total Nitrogen in the Substrate

In this study, the effects of different salinity levels (9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, and 33) on the growth performance, body composition, antioxidant indexes of Perinereis aibuhitensis (initial average mass, 20.4 ± 0.3 mg) and total nitrogen in the substrate were investigated. The survival rate, specific growth rate, feed coefficient, and protein efficiency ratio under different salinity levels were measured. The results showed that the survival rate of P. aibuhitensis at the salinity level of 9 was significantly lower than that of P. aibuhitensis at other salinity levels (P P. aibuhitensis at other salinity levels was not significant (P > 0.05). On the basis of quadratic polynomial fitting of the relationship between salinity levels and the specific growth rate, feed coefficient, and protein efficiency ratio, it was concluded that 25.36 - 25.9 is the most suitable salinity range for the growth performance of P. aibuhitensis. The main body composition (moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and ash content) was measured at different salinity levels. The results indicated that, with the increase in salinity, the moisture content of P. aibuhitensis decreased gradually;in contrast, the ash content increased gradually, as the salinity level increased. However, in the salinity range of 18 to 33, the difference in ash content was not significant (P > 0.05). Salinity had a significant influence on the crude protein content (P P. aibuhitensis specimens were cultured for 60 days was higher than the total nitrogen in the soil. With an increase in salinity, the total nitrogen content first decreased and then increased, and the lowest value was observed at the salinity level of about 24.

Effects of Different Substrate Composition on Growth of Gesneriaceae Plants

The cultivation experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of dif-ferent proportions of peat soil, perlite, vermiculite and yel ow mud on growth of Gesneriaceae species （Chirita gueilinensis, Sinningia speciosa, Lysionotus pauci-florus, Hemiboea henryi, Aeschynanthus acuminatus, Saintpaulia ionantha）. The growth traits of each plant growing in 7 different matrix materials were investigated. The plant height, crown width and chlorophyl content of each plant were mea-sured. The results showed that the best substrate ratio was peat soil∶vermiculite=2∶1 for C. gueilinensis, L. pauciflorus and H. henryi; peat soil∶perlite∶vermiculite = 2∶1∶1 for S. ionantha; peat soil∶vermiculite∶yel ow mud=2∶1∶1 for S. speciosa; peat soil∶per-lite∶vermiculite∶yel ow mud=2∶1∶1∶1 for A. acuminatus.

Growth and Characterization of InAs1-xSbx with Different Sb Compositions on GaAs Substrates

InAs1-xSbx with different compositions is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on （100）-oriented semi-insulating GaAs substrates. The increase of Sb content in the epilayer results in the deterioration of crystal quality and surface morphology. Hall measurements show that the carrier concentration increases with the composition of Sb. The electron mobility decreases initially, when Sb composition exceeds a certain value, and the mobility increases slightly. In this work, we emphasize the comparison of crystal quality, surface morphology and electrical properties of epilayers with different Sb compositions.

Substrate Type Affects Growth, Yield and Mineral Composition of Cucumber and Zucchini Squash

The expansion of hydroponics in many countries of the world in the last few decades may be ascribed to the ability of soilless growing systems to avoid various problems arising from the use of the soil. Cucumber （Cucurnis sativus L.） and zucchini （Cucurbita pepo L.） plants were grown in closed-soilless culture under unheated-greenhouse conditions at the experimental farm of University of Tuscia, Central Italy to evaluate the effects of four substrates （rockwool, pumice, perlite, and cocofiber） on growth, yield and plant mineral composition. For both cultures, plants grown in cocofiber, perlite and pumice yielded more than those grown in rockwool. The better temperature regime in cocofiber, perlite and pumice was due to the greater thermal inertia compared to rockwool slabs. Thc concentration of N in zucchini and cucumber leaves was significantly higher in cocofiber, perlite and pumice in comparison to the rockwool treatment. The concentration of K was significantly affected by the substrate only for the zucchini squash with the highest value recorded on the organic substrate （cocofiber）, whereas the Ca concentration was significantly influenced by the growing media only for cucumber with the highest value observed on pumice. Finally, the lowest Mg concentration in leaf tissue was observed on plants grown with the rockwool substrate for both zucchini squash and cucumber. We can conclude that cocofiber, perlite and pumice are suitable for zucchini and cucumber production in closed soilless system, whereas the use of rockwool is more suitable for crops grown under heated greenhouse conditions.

Effect of La_2O_3/Ce O_2 particle size on high-temperature oxidation resistance of electrodeposited Ni-La_2O_3/Ce O_2 composites

Ni-La2O3/CeO2 composite films were prepared by electrodeposition from a nickel sulfate bath containing certain content of micrometer and nanometer La2O3/CeO2 particles. The effect of La2O3 or CeO2 particle size on the oxidation resistance of the electrodeposited Ni-La2O3/CeO2 composites in air at 1000 °C was studied. The results indicate that, compared with the electrodeposited Ni-film, Ni-La2O3/CeO2 composites exhibit a superior oxidation resistance due to the codeposited La2O3 or CeO2 particles blocking the outward diffusion of nickel. Moreover, compared with nanoparticles, La2O3 or CeO2 microparticles have stronger effect because La2O3 or CeO2 microparticles also act as a diffusion barrier layer at the onset of oxidation.

Effects of current density on preparation and performance of Al/conductive coating/α-PbO_2-Ce O_2-TiO_2/β-Pb O_2-MnO_2-WC-ZrO_2 composite electrode materials

Al/conductive coating/α-Pb O2-Ce O2-Ti O2/β-PbO 2-MnO 2-WC-Zr O2 composite electrode material was prepared on Al/conductive coating/α-PbO 2-Ce O2-Ti O2 substrate by electrochemical oxidation co-deposition technique. The effects of current density on the chemical composition, electrocatalytic activity, and stability of the composite anode material were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDXS）, anode polarization curves, quasi-stationary polarization（Tafel） curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Results reveal that the composite electrode obtained at 1 A/dm2 possesses the lowest overpotential（0.610 V at 500 A/m2） for oxygen evolution, the best electrocatalytic activity, the longest service life（360 h at 40 °C in 150 g/L H2SO4 solution under 2 A/cm2）, and the lowest cell voltage（2.75 V at 500 A/m2）. Furthermore, with increasing current density, the coating exhibits grain growth and the decrease of content of Mn O2. Only a slight effect on crystalline structure is observed.

Ni-based diamond composite coatings:preparation process,microstructure,properties and interfacial behavior

Ni-based coating,a kind of surface material,is characterized by high hardness,outstanding wear resistance,and excellent corrosion resistance.Ni-based coatings doped with hard phases can improve the coating quality.This is an important topic in related fields.Compared with traditional Ni-based coatings,Ni-based coatings doped with a hard phase have stronger competitive advantages.Among these,Ni-based diamond composite coatings have superior performance.Hence,it has become a kind of excellent functional coating.We outline the current state of research on Ni-based diamond composite coatings.Advances in seven preparation processes for Ni-based diamond composite coatings were discussed.These processes mainly include brazing,electrodeposition,sintering,laser cladding,plasma spraying,supersonic laser deposition,and vacuum cladding.The latest studies on the interfacial behavior,microstructure,and bond strength of these composite coatings are also summarized.The deficiencies for present Ni-based diamond composite coatings are pointed out.Meanwhile,the developmental directions of related fields are envisioned.That could provide theoretical guidance and reference information for research and technological development in the near future.

Effect of Counterface Material on Friction and Wear Behavior of Ni-Cr-W-Al-Ti-MoS_2 Composites

Ni-Cr-W-Al-Ti-MoS2 self-lubricating composites were prepared through the powder metallurgy （P/M） method. Their friction properties were investigated by a pin-on-disk tribometer in the range from the room temperature to 600 ℃. Alumina, silicon nitride and nickel-iron-sulfide alloys were selected as the counterface materials. Results indicate that the lowest friction coefficients under 0.22 can be obtained at 600℃ when rubbed against alumina. When rubbed against nickel-iron-sulfide alloys, are presented the lowest wear rates in the magnitude of 10^-6 mm^3/N-m, one order of magnitude lower than those when rubbed against ceramics. In the case of three rubbing pairs, the wear rates of the composite containing MoS2 present themselves inversely proportional to friction coefficients. With alumina ceramics used as a counterface, transfer films and glaze layers will form on the contact surface playing a main role in lubrication at high temperatures. However, when silicon nitride and nickel-iron-sulfide alloy are used, the lubricating transfer films appear not to be prominent.

Variation in Enzymes Activities of Rhizospheric Substrate and Influencing Factors during Nursing of Watermelon Seedlings

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of substrate en- zymes activities on nursing of watermelon seedlings. [Method] The composted mushroom residue was mixed with garden soil according to a certain proportion to prepare nursing substrate for watermelon seedlings. During the nursing, the activity variation in alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, neutral phosphatase and urease was investigated. In addition, the correlations between pH value, total nitrogen con- tent, total phosphorus content and organic matter content in substrate and enzyme activity were studied. At different young seedling stages, the rhizospheric substrates with different formulas were sampled for determination of enzymes activities. [Result] The enzyme activity differed significantly among different substrates. The correlation analysis results showed that the higher the organic matter content and total nitrogen content in substrate are, the higher the urease activity is; the phosphatase activity was significantly related to the organic matter content, total nitrogen content and to- tal phosphorus content in substrate; the pH value of substrate was significantly relat- ed to rhizospheric alkaline phosphatase activity; the shoot dry weight was positively related to urease activity; there was a significant correlation between phosphatase activity and root dry weight. [Conclusion] Through determining enzymes activities in the rhizospheric substrate for nursing watermelon seedlings, the optimum substrate M3 was screened out. The activities of rhizospheric urease, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and neutral phosphatase in the substrate M3 were all higher than those in the substrate fertilized with manure.