Fabrication and characterization of multi-scale coated boron powders with improved combustion performance:A brief review

Boron has high mass and volume calorific values,but it is difficult to ignite and has low combustion efficiency.This literature review summarizes the strategies that are used to solve the above-mentioned problems,which include coatings of boron by using fluoride compounds,energetic composites,metal fuels,and metal oxides.Coating techniques include recrystallization,dual-solvent,phase transfer,electrospinning,etc.As one of the effective coating agents,the fluorine compounds can react with the oxide shell of boron powder.In comparison,the energetic composites can effectively improve the flame temperature of boron powder and enhance the evaporation efficiency of oxide film as a condensed product.Metals and metal oxides would react with boron powder to form metal borides with a lower ignition point,which could reduce its ignition temperature.

Micro-aluminum powder with bi-or tri-component alloy coating as a promising catalyst:Boosting pyrolysis and combustion of ammonium perchlorate

A novel design of micro-aluminum(μAl)powder coated with bi-/tri-component alloy layer,such as:Ni-P and Ni-P-Cu(namely,Al@Ni-P,Al@Ni-P-Cu,respectively),as combustion catalysts,were introduced to release its huge energy inside Al-core and promote rapid pyrolysis of ammonium perchlorate(AP)at a lower temperature in aluminized propellants.The microstructure of Al@Ni-P-Cu demonstrates that a three-layer Ni-P-Cu shell,with the thickness of~100 nm,is uniformly supported byμAl carrier(fuel unit),which has an amorphous surface with a thickness of~2.3 nm(catalytic unit).The peak temperature of AP with the addition of Al@Ni-P-Cu(3.5%)could significantly drop to 316.2℃ at high-temperature thermal decomposition,reduced by 124.3℃,in comparison to that of pure AP with 440.5℃.It illustrated that the introduction of Al@Ni-P-Cu could weaken or even eliminate the obstacle of AP pyrolysis due to its reduction of activation energy with 118.28 kJ/mol.The laser ignition results showed that the ignition delay time of Al@Ni-P-Cu/AP mixture with 78 ms in air is shorter than that of Al@Ni-P/AP(118 ms),decreased by 33.90%.Those astonishing breakthroughs were attributed to the synergistic effects of adequate active sites on amorphous surface and oxidation exothermic reactions(7597.7 J/g)of Al@Ni-P-Cu,resulting in accelerated mass and/or heat transfer rate to catalyze AP pyrolysis and combustion.Moreover,it is believed to provide an alternative Al-based combustion catalyst for propellant designer,to promote the development the propellants toward a higher energy.

Preparation and properties of thermal insulation coatings with a sodium stearate-modified shell powder as a filler

Waste shell stacking with odor and toxicity is a serious hazard to our living environment. To make effective use of the natural resources, the shell powder was applied as a filler of outdoor thermal insulation coatings. Sodium stearate(SS) was used to modify the properties of shell powder to reduce its agglomeration and to increase its compatibility with the emulsion. The oil absorption rate and the spectrum reflectance of the shell powder show that the optimized content of SS as a modifier is 1.5wt%. The total spectrum reflectance of the coating made with the shell powder that is modified at this optimum SS content is 9.33% higher than that without any modification. At the optimum SS content of 1.5wt%, the thermal insulation of the coatings is improved by 1.0℃ for the cement mortar board and 1.6℃ for the steel plate, respectively. The scouring resistance of the coating with the 1.5wt% SS-modified shell powder is three times that of the coating without modification.

Shell powder as a novel bio-filler for thermal insulation coatings

The feasibility of employing shell powder as a novel bio-filler to prepare fluorocarbon coating is demonstrated.According to the relevant Chinese standards, the thermal and mechanical properties of the shell powder-filled fluorocarbon coating were evaluated, and compared with those filled by commercial calcium carbonate. All the shell powder-filled coatings can meet the requirements stated in the relevant standards, and with decreasing the particle size of the shell powders, the performance of the thermal insulation coating is enhanced. The coating(SC3) filled by shell powders with an average particle size of 2.81 μm possesses a better thermal insulation performance than the coating(CC) filled by commercial calcium carbonate. The coating SC3 has comparable adhesive force and washing resistance with the coating CC, and in the washing resistance test, after 2000 cycles, the coating SC3 was still able to cover totally their substrates. This work demonstrates a high value-added disposal method for the aquacultural wastes.

Developing polydopamine modified molybdenum disulfide/epoxy resin powder coatings with enhanced anticorrosion performance and wear resistance on magnesium lithium alloys

Epoxy resin powder coating has been successfully applied on the corrosion protection of magnesium lithium alloys.However,poor wear resistance and microcracks formed during the solidification have limited it extensive application.There are limited approaches to exploit such anti-corrosion and mechanical properties of magnesium lithium alloys.Herein,the epoxy resin powder coating with polydopamine modified molybdenum disulfide(MoS_(2)@PDA-EP powder coating with 0,0.1,0.2,0.5,1.0 wt.%loading)was well prepared by melt extrusion to investigate its anticorrosion performance and wear resistance.The results revealed that the addition of MoS_(2)@PDA enhanced the adhesion strength between coatings and alloys,wear resistance and corrosion protection of the powder coatings.Among them,the optimum was obtained by 0.2 wt.%MoS_(2)@PDA-EP powder coating which could be attributed to well dispersion and efficient adhesion with coating matrix.To conclude,MoS_(2)@PDA-EP powder coating is meaningfully beneficial for the anticorrosive and wear performance improvement of magnesium lithium alloys.

STUDY ON UV CURABLE POWDER COATINGS BASED ON HYPERBRANCHED POLYMERS

By introducing semicrystalline moieties into hyperbranched molecular smictures three kinds of prepolymers of potential use as UV powder coatings were prepared and characterized.

Curing Kinetics, Mechanical Properties and Thermal Stability of Epoxy/Graphene Nanoplatelets(GNPs) Powder Coatings

Epoxy/graphene nanoplatelets（GNPs） powder coatings were fabricated using ultrasonic predispersion of GNPs and melt-blend extrusion method. The isothermal curing kinetics of epoxy/GNPs powder coating were monitored by means of real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） with a heating cell. The mechanical properties of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings had been investigated, by evaluating their fracture surfaces with field-emission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） after three-point-bending tests. The thermal stability of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings was studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis（TGA）. The isothermal curing kinetics result showed that the GNPs would not affect the autocatalytic reaction mechanism, but the loading of GNPs below 1.0 wt % additive played a prompting role in the curing of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. The fracture strain, fracture toughness and impact resistance of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings increased dramatically at low levels of GNPs loading（1 wt %）, indicating that the GNPs could improve the toughness of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. Furthermore, from FE-SEM studies of the fracture surfaces, the possible toughening mechanisms of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings were proposed. TGA result showed that the incorporation of GNPs improved the thermal stability of the cured coatings. Hence, the GNPs modified epoxy can be an efficient approach to toughen epoxy powder coating along with improving their thermal stability.

Microstructure of Ni–Al powder and Ni–Al composite coatings prepared by twin-wire arc spraying

Ni–Al powder and Ni–Al composite coatings were fabricated by twin-wire arc spraying（TWAS）. The microstructures of Ni-5wt%Al powder and Ni-20wt%Al powder were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy（SEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）. The results showed that the obtained particle size ranged from 5 to 50 μm. The morphology of the Ni–Al powder showed that molten particles were composed of Ni solid solution, NiAl, Ni_3Al, Al_2O_3, and NiO. The Ni–Al phase and a small amount of Al_2O_3 particles changed the composition of the coating. The microstructures of the twin-wire-arc-sprayed Ni–Al composite coatings were characterized by SEM, EDS, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. The results showed that the main phase of the Ni-5wt%Al coating consisted of Ni solid solution and Ni Al in addition to a small amount of Al_2O_3. The main phase of the Ni-20wt%Al coating mainly consisted of Ni solid solution, Ni Al, and Ni_3Al in addition to a small amount of Al and Al_2O_3, and Ni Al and Ni_3Al intermetallic compounds effectively further improved the final wear property of the coatings. TEM analysis indicated that fine spherical NiAl_3 precipitates and a Ni–Al–O amorphous phase formed in the matrix of the Ni solid solution in the original state.

Characterization of functionally graded ZrO_2 thermal barrier coatings sprayed by supersonic plasma spray with dual powder feed ports

The functionally graded thermal barrier coatings （FG-TBCs） with 80%ZrO2-13%CeO2-7%Y2O3 （C-YSZ）/NiCoCrAlY were prepared using a recently developed supersonic plasma spraying（S-PS） with dual powder feed ports system. The thermal shock experiment of FG-TBCs specimens was carried out by means of the automatic thermal cycle device, in which the samples were heated to 1200℃ by oxygen-acetylene flame jet then water-quenched to ambient temperature. The temperature—time curves of specimens and photographs can be watched on-line and recorded by a computer during the test. The results show that the totally 1mm-thick FG-TBCs have excellent thermal shock resistance due to the fact that the coatings have no any peeling-off after 200 thermal cycles. The microstructures and morphologies of FG-TBCs were characterized and analyzed by SEM.

The Review of Powder Coatings

With the environmental regulations becoming more stringent and awareness of consumers increasing to protect environment, an urgent problem is to reduce the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Powder coating is a kind of solid powder coating without any solvent. Due to its excellent application performance and environment-friendly, it is widely used in the field of metal coating, especially appliances of offices and home. In recent years, the use of powder coatings has been developed very fast and the requirements of functional powder coatings are also gradually strengthened. According to resin of the film forming, powder coatings can be divided into two types: thermosetting powder coatings and thermoplastic powder coatings. Each kind of powder coatings has its own advantages and disadvantages, and they will be applied in different fields. In order to improve the properties of powder coatings, there are many reports and studies about them. The compositions of powder coatings were extruded, crushed and screened to gain powder of coating. The powder always was stored at room temperature. The powder coatings often operated by two kinds which were electrostatic spraying method and fluidized bed dipping method. After that, the powder was heated to melt and cure. Finally, a smooth bright permanent film on articles was formed to achieve the purpose of decoration and corrosion. The process flow preparation of powder coatings always separated into dry process production and wet process production. The development courses of powder coatings about resins, pigments and fillers are summarized. The future development trends of powder coatings are illustrated.

Preparation of PbTiO_3 Conductive Powders and Coatings

La2O3 and Ce2O3 were penetrated into PbTiO3 to obtain conductive powders, and then they were mixed with polyurethane and butyl acetate to prepare conductive coatings. The results showed that the electric property of modified PbTiO3 powders was improved by penetration of La2O3 and Ce2O3. XRD patterns showed that some new compounds such as La2Ti6O15, CeTi21O38 and Pb0.634La0.209Ti0.948O2.284 were formed, which led to the rapid increase of conductivity. The resistivity of modified PbTiO3 powders decreased to 3.88 Ω·m. The coatings using modified PbTiO3 powders as fillings also had a good conductivity. When the PbTiO3 powders were 10% and antisettle agent (bentonite) content was 0.50%, and mass ratio between polyurethane and butyl acetate was 1.05, the surface resistivity of the coatings fell down to 1.3×108 Ω·m. This kind of conductive coatings could be used in electromagnetic shielding.

Effects of direct stray current on the performance of cathodic disbonding epoxy powder coatings

The influence of the direction and magnitude of direct(DC)stray current on the disbonding performance of epoxy powder coating was studied by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy technology.The results show that the application of DC stray current could accelerate the anodic dissolution.The peeling degree of the coating increases as the magnitude of positive DC stray current interference increases in the range of 2–8V.With 16V positive stray current disturbance,the degree of coating disbonding decreases.With the application of negative stray current,the coating peeling becomes more serious,and the degree of peeling increases as the DC stray current increases.

Effects of two silicone resin coatings on performance of FeSiAl magnetic powder cores

Two silicon resins with excellent thermal stability,JH1123 and JH7102,are used as the insulated agents and binders for the gas-atomized FeSiAl powder,and corresponding magnetic powder cores(MPCs)are fabricated.The insulation capability and application prospects of the two silicon resins are evaluated by comparing the magnetic properties of the coated powder and MPCs.The scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results show that uniform insulation layers are both formed on the powder surfaces.JH1123 has stronger binding ability,and the JH1123-coated powder exhibits severe agglomeration,with d50(average particle size)approximately twice that of the JH7102-coated powder.Both as-prepared MPCs exhibit outstanding soft magnetic properties.Wherein,the permeability of FeSiAl@JH1123 is up to 74.0,which is 35.5%higher than that of FeSiAl@JH7102 because JH1123 can further improve the density of the MPCs.As for FeSiAl@JH7102,it has better direct current bias and lower core loss of 716.9 mW cm^(−3) at 20 mT and 1000 kHz due to its lower coercivity and greater anti-magnetic saturation ability.A comprehensive comparison shows that FeSiAl@JH1123 is suitable for medium and high frequency applications,while FeSiAl@JH7102 is more suitable for high frequency applications.This indicates that the use of JH1123 and JH7102 silicon resins for binding and insulated coating not only simplifies the preparation process of MPCs,but also enables the controlled production of MPCs for different applications.

Preparation of ultramicro molybdenum carbide powders and study on wear properties of their coating

Using specially designed mechanochemical ball-mill equipment, ultramicro molybdenum carbide （MoC） powders were prepared by high-energy ball milling from pure molybdenum powders in civil coal gas atmosphere at room temperature. The structure and the particle size of the powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and Transmission Electron micros-copy （TEM）. The results showed that after milling for 30 h, the MoC powders of hexagonal structure were obtained, and their average parti-cle size was around 100 nm. It was found that chemisorption of CO in coal gas onto the fresh molybdenum surfaces created by milling was the predominant processes during the solid-gas reaction, and the energy input due to the introduction of highly dense grain boundaries and lattice defects provided the activation energy for the transition from Mo-C chemisorption to MoC. A coating was formed on the 40Cr steel base using plasma spray by mixing Ni60 alloy powders and ultramicro MoC powders of 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, and 15 wt.%, respectively. Coat-ing abrasion tests under the condition of dry-grinding, 2 h wear time, and 300 N load showed that the wear resistance property of the coating added with ultramicro MoC powders could be improved greatly, and the wear resistance property of the coating increased with the increase of ultramicro MoC content. The wear mechanisms of ultramicro MoC coating is mainly plough wear and flaking wear assisted. In the abra-sion process, the evenly distributed ultramicro MoC particles play a dispersion strengthening and self-lubricating role in the coating.

Preparation and Characterization of Carboxyl-terminated Poly(butadiene-co-acrylonitrile)-epoxy Resin Prepolymers for Fusion-bonded-epoxy Powder Coating

Liquid carboxyl-terminated poly（butadiene-co-acrylonitrile）（CTBN）-epoxy resin（EP） prepolymers were prepared with different contents of CTBN.The chemical reactions between EP and CTBN were characterized by Fourier ransform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography（GPC）.The scanning electron micrograph（SEM） and dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA） of curing films showed phase separation,and the rubber particles were finely dispersed in the epoxy matrix.Mechanical properties analysis of curing films showed that impact strength and elongation at break increased significantly upon the addition of CTBN,indicating good toughness of the modified epoxy resins.Thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） showed that the incorporation of CTBN had little effect on the thermal stability of EP.Fusion-bonded-epoxy（FBE） powder coatings modified with CTBN-EP prepolymers were prepared.The experimental results demonstrate the ability of CTBN-EP prepolymers,toughening technology to dramatically enhance the flexibility and impact resistance of FBE coatings without compromising other key properties such as corrosion protection.

Preparation and characterization of molybdenum powders with copper coating by the electroless plating technique

Molybdenum powders with a diameter of approximately 3 μn were coated with copper using the electroless plating technique in the pH 12.5-13 and temperature range of 55-75℃. The optimization of the electroless copper bath was evaluated through the combination of process parameters like pH and temperature. The optimized values ofpH and temperature were found to be 12.5 and 60℃, respectively, which attributes to the bright maroon color of the coating with an increase in weight of 46%. The uncoated and coated powders were subjected to microstructural studies using scanning electron microscope （SEM） and the phases were analyzed using X-my diffrction （XRD）. An attempt was made to understand the growth mechanism of the coating. The diffusion-shrinkage autocatalytic model was suggested for copper growth on the molybdenum surface.

Corrosion resistance of waterborne epoxy coating pigmented by nano-sized aluminium powder on steel

A novel kind of waterborne epoxy coating pigmented by nano-sized aluminium powders on high strength steel was formulated. Several coatings with different pigment volume content (PVC) were prepared. The coating morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Immersion test and neutral salt spray test were also conducted to investigate the corrosion resistance of the coating. It is demonstrated that the critical pigment volume content (CPVC) value is between 30% and 40%. The coating with PVC of 30% exhibits good corrosion resistance in 3.5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution.

Enhanced soft magnetic properties of iron powders through coating MnZn ferrite by one-step sol–gel synthesis

The MnZn ferrite coating formed on the surface of iron-based soft magnetic powders via facile and modified sol–gel process has been fabricated to obtain better magnetic performance due to its higher permeability compared with traditional nonmagnetic insulation coatings. The influence of the MnZn ferrite contents on the magnetic performance of the soft magnetic composites(SMCs) has been studied. As the MnZn insulation content increases, the core loss first experiences a decreasing trend that is followed by progressive increase, while the permeability follows an increasing trend and subsequently degrades. The optimized magnetic performance is achieved with 2.0 wt% MnZn ferrite, which results from the decrement of inter-particle eddy current losses based on loss separation. A uniform and compact coating layer composed of MnZn ferrite and oxides with an average thickness of 0.38 ± 0.08 μm is obtained by utilizing ion beam technology, and the interface between the powders and the coating shows satisfied adhesiveness compared with the sample directly prepared by mechanical mixing. The evolution of the coating layers during the calcination process has been presented based on careful analysis of the composition and microstructure.

Effects of palm fat powder and coated folic acid on growth performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility and hepatic fat accumulation of Holstein dairy bulls

This study evaluated the effects of palm fat powder(PFP) and coated folic acid(CFA) on growth performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, microbial enzyme activity, microflora, hepatic lipid content and gene expression in dairy bulls. Forty-eight Chinese Holstein bulls((362±12.4) days of age and(483±27.1) kg of body weight(BW)) were assigned to four groups in a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangements. Supplemental PFP(0 or 30 g PFP kg-1 dietary dry matter(DM)) and CFA(0 or 120 mg FA d-1 as CFA) were mixed into the top one-third of a total mixed ration. The study included a 20-day adaptation period and followed by a 90-day collection period. The lower(P<0.01) feed conversion ratio with PFP or CFA addition resulted from the constant DM intake and the higher(P<0.05) average daily gain. The higher(P<0.05) ruminal p H, ether extract digestibility, microbial α-amylase activity, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens copy, and expression of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor α(PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1(CPT1), and lower ruminal total volatile fatty acids(VFA) concentration, acetate to propionate ratio, neutral detergent fibre(NDF) digestibility, copies of total protozoa and Ruminococcus flavefaciens, and expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1(SREBP1) and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase α(ACACA) were observed for PFP addition. Supplementation with CFA increased(P<0.05) ruminal total VFA concentration, acetate to propionate ratio, digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein and NDF, activity of cellobiase, pectinase and α-amylase, copies of selected microbial except for total protozoa, as well as expression of PPARα, but decreased(P<0.05) ruminal p H, and expression of SREBP1 and ACACA. The PFP×CFA interaction(P<0.05) was observed for ammonia N, hepatic TG content, and m RNA expression of CPT1 and FAS. There had no significant difference in hepatic TG content when CFA was supplemented in the diet without PFP addition, the lower(P=0.001) hepatic TG content was observed when CFA was supplemented in the diet with PFP addition. The higher(P<0.05) m RNA expression of CPT1, and the lower(P<0.05) m RNA expression of FAS and ammonia N concentration were observed when CFA was supplemented in diet either without or with PFP addition. The results indicated that supplementation of CFA in PFP diet was more effective on increasing hepatic CPT1 expression, and decreasing ammonia N, hepatic TG content and FAS expression than in diet without PFP. Supplementation with PFP or CFA improved growth performance of dairy bulls by promoting nutrient utilization, microbial enzyme activity, microflora, and hepatic gene expression.

D.C.Plasma-Sprayed Coatings of Nanostructured Alumina-Titania-Silica

Nanocrystalline powders of w(Al2O3)=95%, w(TiO2)=3%, and w(SiO2)=2%, were reprocessed into agglomerated particles for plasma spraying, by using consecutive steps of ball milling, slurry forming, spray drying, and heat treatment. D. C. plasma was used to spray the agglomerated nanocrystalline powders, and resultant coatings were deposited on the substrate of stainless steel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the morphology of the agglomerated powders and the cross section of the alumina-titania-silica coatings. Exper-imental results show that the agglomerated nanocrystalline particles are spherical, with a size from (10 - 90)μm. The flow ability of the nanocrystalline powders is greatly improved after the reprocessing. The coatings deposited by the plasma spraying are mainly of nanostructure. Unlike conventional plasma-sprayed coatings, no laminar layer could be found in the nanostructured coatings. Although the nanostructured coatings have a lower microhardness than conventional microstructured coatings, the toughness of the nanostructured ceramic coatings is significantly improved.