Atomic layer deposition of ultrathin layered TiO_2 on Pt/C cathode catalyst for extended durability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

This study shows the preparation of a TiO2 coated Pt/C（TiO2/Pt/C） by atomic layer deposition（ALD）,and the examination of the possibility for TiO2/Pt/C to be used as a durable cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells（PEFCs）. Cyclic voltammetry results revealed that TiO2/Pt/C catalyst which has 2 nm protective layer showed similar activity for the oxygen reduction reaction compared to Pt/C catalysts and they also had good durability. TiO2/Pt/C prepared by 10 ALD cycles degraded 70% after 2000 Accelerated degradation test, while Pt/C corroded 92% in the same conditions. TiO2 ultrathin layer by ALD is able to achieve a good balance between the durability and activity, leading to TiO2/Pt/C as a promising cathode catalyst for PEFCs. The mechanism of the TiO2 protective layer used to prevent the degradation of Pt/C is discussed.

Porous a-Al_2O_3 thermal barrier coatings with dispersed Pt particles prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition

Porous α-Al2O3 thermal barrier coatings （TBCs） containing dispersed Pt particles were prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition （CPED）. The influence of the Pt particles on the microstructure of the coatings and the CPED process were studied. The prepared coatings were mainly composed of α-Al2O3. The average thickness of the coatings was approximately 100 μm. Such single-layer TBCs ex- hibited not only excellent high-temperature cyclic oxidation and spallation resistance, but also good thermal insulation properties. Porous α-Al2O3 TBCs inhibit further oxidation of alloy substrates because of their extremely low oxygen diffusion rate, provide good thermal insu- lation because of their porous structure, and exhibit excellent mechanical properties because of the toughening effect of the Pt particles and because of stress relaxation induced by deformation of the porous structure.

Effect of electrolyte temperature on the nano-carbonitride layer fabricated by surface nanocrystallization and plasma treatment on a γ-TiAl alloy

The distribution of nano-carbonitrides produced by the treatments of surface nanocrystallization and plasma electrolytic carbonitriding on a γ-TiAl was investigated by means of figure analysis. The skewness and kurtosis of Gaussian shape distribution curves were studied and the effect of electrolyte temperature was determined. The usage of lower temperatures of the electrolyte is more suitable for achieving lower sizes of complex nano-carbonitrides. The surface roughness of treated samples was measured and it was observed that there is an optimum level of electrolyte temperature for surface roughness increase （difference between two measured data）.

La_2Zr_2O_7 TBCs toughened by Pt particles prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition

La2Zr2O7 thermal barrier coatings（TBCs） with dispersed Pt particles were prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition（CPED） with ceramic balls added to the cathode region. Compared with the conventional CPED, when ceramic balls are used in the cathode region, the plasma discharge ignition current density decreases approximately 62-fold and the stable plasma discharges occur at the whole cathode surface. Such TBCs with a thickness of 100 μm exhibit a crack-free surface and are composed of pyrochlore-structured La2Zr2O7. Cyclic oxidation, scratching, and thermal insulation capability tests show that such TBCs not only exhibit high resistance to oxidation and spallation but also provide good thermal insulation. These beneficial effects are attributed to the excellent properties of TBCs, such as good thermal insulation because of low thermal conductivity, high-temperature oxidation resistance because of low-oxygen diffusion rate, and good mechanical properties because of the toughening effect of Pt particles.

Unrevealing the effects of low temperature on cycling life of 21700-type cylindrical Li-ion batteries

The low-temperature performance of Li-ion batteries(LIBs) has important impacts on their commercial applications. Besides the metallic lithium deposition, which is regarded as one of the main failure mechanisms of the LIBs at low temperatures, the synergistic effects originating from the cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separators to the batteries are still not clear. Here, the 21700-type cylindrical batteries were evaluated at a wide range of temperatures to investigate the failure mechanism of batteries. Voltage relaxation, and the post-mortem analysis combined with the electrochemical tests, unravel that the capacity degradation of batteries at low temperature is related to the lithium plating at graphite anodes,the formation of unsatisfied solid deposited/decomposed electrolyte mixture phase on the anode, the precipitation of solvent in the electrolytes and the block of separator pores, and the uneven dissolved transition metal-ions from the cathode. We hope this finding may open up a new avenue to alleviate the capacity degradation of advanced LIBs at low temperatures and shed light on the development of outstanding low-temperature LIBs via simultaneous optimization of all the components including electrodes, electrolytes and separators.

Surface morphology and electrochemical characterization of electrodeposited Ni-Mo nanocomposites as cathodes for hydrogen evolution

In this work, we study the influences of current density on surface morphology and electrochemical characterization of electrodeposited Ni-Mo. The Ni-Mo composite coatings are deposited on pretreated copper substrates by electrolytic deposition. The Ni-Mo solution is taken from nickel sulfate fluid and ammonium heptamolybdate with 10 g/l. The Ni-Mo composite coatings are deposited at a temperature of 303 K with an applied current density of j dep= 10 A/dm2-30 A/dm2.We find that the corrosion resistance is improved by incorporating Mo particles into Ni matrix in 0.6-M Na Cl solution. From the potentiodynamic polarization curve of electrodeposited Ni-Mo it is confirmed that the corrosion resistance decreases with increasing applied current density. The x-ray diffraction（XRD） analyses of Ni-Mo coatings indicate three phases of Mo Ni4, Mo1.24Ni0.76, and Ni3 Mo phases crystallites of nickel and molybdenum. The scanning electronic microscopy（SEM） tests indicate that Ni-Mo coatings present cracks and pores.

Effects of ionic strength and temperature on the aggregation and deposition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The aggregation and deposition of carbon nanotubes（CNTs） determines their transport and fate in natural waters.Therefore,the aggregation kinetics of humic-acid treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes（HA-MWCNTs） was investigated by time-resolved dynamic light scattering in NaCl and CaCl_2 electrolyte solutions.Increased ionic strength induced HA-MWCNT aggregation due to the less negative zeta potential and the reduced electrostatic repulsion.The critical coagulation concentration（CCC） values of HA-MWCNTs were 80 mmol/L in NaCl and 1.3 mmol/L in CaCl_2 electrolyte,showing that Ca^（2＋） causes more serious aggregation than Na~＋.The aggregation behavior of HA-MWCNTs was consistent with Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory.The deposition kinetics of HA-MWCNTs was measured by the optical absorbance at 800 ran.The critical deposition concentrations for HA-MWCNT in NaCl and CaCl_2 solutions were close to the CCC values,therefore the rate of deposition cannot be increased by changing the ionic strength in the diffusion-limited aggregation regime.The deposition process was correlated to the aggregation since larger aggregates increased gravitational deposition and decreased random Brownian diffusion.HA-MWCNTs hydrodynamic diameters were evaluated at 5,15 and 25℃.Higher temperature caused faster aggregation due to the reduced electrostatic repulsion and increased random Brownian motion and collision frequency.HA-MWCNTs aggregate faster at higher temperature in either NaCl or CaCl_2electrolyte due to the decreased electrostatic repulsion and increased random Brownian motion.Our results suggest that CNT aggregation and deposition are two correlated processes governed by the electrolyte,and CNT transport is favored at low ionic strength and low temperature.

Mechanism and Properties of Al_(2)O_(3)-Ru Composite Coatings Prepared by Cathode Plasma Electrolytic Deposition

Alumina coatings doped with different precious metals were prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition.Results show that the porosity of precious metal-doped alumina coatings(especially Al_(2)O_(3)-Ru)decreases,and the high-temperature cyclic oxidation resistance and spallation resistance are enhanced.The Al_(2)O_(3)-Ru composite coating shows better effect:its average oxidation rate K and average amount of oxide spallation G are minimum.Meanwhile,Nernst equation was used to explain the simultaneous deposition of precious metal and alumina,and the whole process and mechanism of deposition were analyzed.

Hydrophobicity and tribological properties of Al_(2)O_(3)/PTFE composite coating

Al_(2)O_(3)/polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)composite coating was prepared on titanium alloy by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition(CPED)and impregnation method,to improve the hydrophobicity and tribological properties.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)analysis of the coating indicate that PTFE penetrates into the interior of the coating and is well bonded to titanium alloy substrate by cross-linking with Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic coating.The contact angles were measured by contact angle measurement,and the tribological properties of the composite coating were evaluated by sliding wear test.The surface of the composite coating is found to possess good hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 140°.The results also indicate an improved tribological properties of Al_(2)O_(3)/PTFE composite coating at room temperature with a steady friction coefficient as low as 0.05.The self-lubricating anti-wear composite coating is expected to solve fouling problems and poor wear resistance of titanium alloys.