Review of copper and copper alloys as immune and antibacterial element

This review discussed the relationship among copper, human, and bacteria. Copper plays an important role in human immunity. Copper can boost human immune defense reactions at recommended intake level. The content mainly focused on copper antibacterial activity and copper antibacterial mechanisms. Conclusions stated that copper antibacterial activity is affected by copper homeostasis mechanisms in bacteria, adhesion, humidity, strain specificity, and manufacturing methods of antibacterial agents. For the preparation of particle antibacterial agents and surface antibacterial agents, this review discussed several manufacturing methods, such as sol-gel, cold spray, and biosynthesis belonging to chemical synthesis, physical synthesis, and biological synthesis, respectively. Sol-gel method contributes to the preparation of particle agents and surface agents. Cold spray technique is utilized in synthesis of surface copper agent. Biosynthesis is a novel technology which can be applied in nanoparticle agent preparation.     

Preliminary Study on Cavity Characteristics of Cold Sprayed Thickness Coating

In this article,the absence of self-replenishing of cold spray is studied by examining the thick coating deposited around the pre-drilled microsize hole.Thick copper coating was deposited around the microsize holes(about 200 and 500μm) using cold spraying methods on copper substrate,the cross-section of cavity around the hole were observed with SEM to investigate the characteristics of cavity.Computational methods were also used to investigate the original formation reason of the cavity.The results indicate:the original formation reason of cavity is that particles are too closed when impact onto the substrate.The repellant force between the particles perpendicular to the impaction direction will lead to porosity if the particles are too close.Much lower flatten ratio occurred for succeeding particle if the particles are too close at the same point because the momentum energy convert to the former particle’s deformation.A high probability of above two phenomenon resulting from high powder feeding rate will form the original cavity.In relative wider cavity,coating can be deposited in the bottom,while in the relative narrow cavity,coating can not be deposited.The thickness of the coating in the cavity is much thinner than coating around the cavity.The cavity grow larger and larger on pre-drilled holes just as the regime effect of cold spray of fixed location deposition.     

An analysis of the cold spray process and its coatings

In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and extensive spray tests were performed for detailed analyses of the cold spray process. The modeling of the gas and particle flow field for different nozzle geometries and process parameters in correlation with the results of the experiments reveal that adhesion only occurs when the powder particles exceed a critical impact velocity that is specific to the spray material. For spherical copper powder with low oxygen content, the critical velocity was determined to be about 570 m/s. With nitrogen as the process gas and particle grain sizes from 5–25 μm, deposition efficiencies of more than 70% were achieved. The cold sprayed coatings show negligible porosity and oxygen contents comparable to the initial powder feedstock. Therefore, properties such as the electrical conductivity at room temperature correspond to those of the bulk material. The methods presented here can also be applied to develop strategies for cold spraying of other materials such as zinc, stainless steel, or nickel-based super-alloys.     

Measurement and numerical simulation of particle velocity in cold spraying

The velocity of cold spray particles was measured by a diagnostic system designed for thermal spray particles that is based on thermal radiation. A laser beam was used to illuminate the cold spray particles in cold spraying to obtain a sufficient radiant energy intensity for detection. The measurement was carried out for copper particles of different mean particle sizes. The particle velocity was also estimated using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model developed previously. The simulated velocity agreed well with the measured result. This fact indicates that particle velocity in cold spraying can be predicted reasonably by simulation. Therefore, it is possible to optimize the cold spray process with the aid of the simulation results. This article was originally published inBuilding on 100 Years of Success, Proceedings of the 2006 International Thermal Spray Conference (Seattle, WA), May 15–18, 2006, B.R. Marple, M.M. Hyland, Y.-Ch. Lau, R.S. Lima, and J. Voyer, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2006.     

Machining and mechanical engraving of copper thermal-sprayed coatings

Copper rolls and copper thermal spray coated rolls are being used throughout the printing industry. Copper is the material of choice for printing rolls that are subsequently machined, mechanically engraved, and hard chrome plated. However, there are several limitations associated with the application of copper thermal spray coatings, especially onto copper substrates at thicknesses greater than 0.015 in. This article presents thermal spray techniques that will improve the coating quality of copper coatings. These techniques reduce the oxide content, lower the porosity level, and produce a coating with a more desirable hardness range that allows for improved machining and easier mechanical engraving of copper coatings.     

Influence of Spray Materials and Their Surface Oxidation on the Critical Velocity in Cold Spraying

The critical velocity is an important parameter in cold spraying, which determines the deposition efficiency under a given spray condition. The critical velocity depends not only on materials types, but also on particle temperature and oxidation conditions. In the present paper, three types of materials including copper, 316L stainless steel, Monel alloy were used to deposit coatings by cold spraying. The critical velocities of spray materials were determined using a novel measurement method. The oxygen content in the three powders was changed by isothermal oxidation at ambient atmosphere. The effect of oxygen content on the critical velocity was examined. It was found that the critical velocity in cold spray was significantly influenced by particle oxidation condition besides materials properties. The critical velocity of Cu particles changed from about 300 m/s to over 610 m/s with the change of oxygen content in powder. It is evident that the materials properties influence the critical velocity more remarkable at low oxygen content than at high oxygen content. The results suggest that with a severely oxidized powder the critical velocity tends to be dominated by oxide on the powder surface rather than materials properties.     

An Experimental and Finite Element Study of Cold Spray Copper Impact onto Two Aluminum Substrates

The effect of cold spray temperature and substrate hardness on particle deformation and adhesion has been studied, with particular emphasis on adiabatic shearing leading to melting. Copper particles were cold sprayed onto commercial purity (CP) aluminum and alloy 7050-T7451, with stagnation temperatures 200, 400, and 600 °C. Deposition efficiency, assisted by particle embedding, increased with temperature and was higher on the softer CP substrate. Crater surfaces, adhered particles, and interfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam, and transmission electron microscopy. For comparison, the impact of 15 μm Cu particles was simulated using finite element modeling. A thin layer of material on the substrate-side of the interface was predicted to reach melting point on both substrates at higher impact velocities. Formation of a molten layer was found experimentally. At 600 °C, the effect of substrate heating by the gas jet could not be ignored.     

Impact of high velocity cold spray particles

This article presents experimental data and a computational model of the cold spray solid particle impact process. Copper particles impacting onto a polished stainless steel substrate were examined in this study. The high velocity impact causes significant plastic deformation of both the particle and the substrate, but no melting was observed. The plastic deformation exposes clean surfaces that, under the high impact pressures, result in significant bond strengths between the particle and substrate. Experimental measurements of the splat and crater sizes compare well with the numerical calculations. It was shown that the crater depth is significant and increases with impact velocity. However, the splat diameter is much less sensitive to the impact velocity. It was also shown that the geometric lengths of the splat and crater scale linearly with the diameter of the impacting particle. The results presented will allow a better understanding of the bonding process during cold spray.     

基体表面粗糙度对冷喷涂粒子沉积过程影响的物质点法数值分析

目的 解决有限元法模拟冷喷涂粒子沉积过程时存在的网格畸变等问题,并探讨粒子和粗糙基板的结合方式。方法 基于物质点法建立冷喷涂粒子沉积的仿真模型。利用FORTRAN语言自编程序对铜粒子冷喷涂铜基板的过程进行仿真分析,并与其他研究中的试验结果进行对照,结果吻合较好,表明物质点法模拟冷喷涂粒子沉积问题是可行且有效的。此外,分析基体表面粗糙度对粒子沉积过程的影响规律,并探讨粒子在不同位置沉积的结合机理。结果 随着表面粗糙度的增大,粒子扁平化趋势增大,回弹动能减小。表面粗糙度足够大时,粒子射流可能和基板形成机械咬合结构;粒子在波谷处沉积时受两侧波峰作用难以扁平化,但是凹坑深度增大,回弹动能减小,粒子基板结合强度增大;粒子在左侧半腰处沉积时,其在切向速度分量作用下与右侧波峰形成二次接触,形成了较长的射流。结论 粒子与基板的结合强度随着表面粗糙度的增大而增大。粒子在波峰处可以形成机械咬合结构;在波谷处凹坑深度增大、回弹动能减小,起填充作用;在半腰处能够与右侧波峰产生二次接触,增大结合强度。研究结果可为冷喷涂工艺生产提供一定指导。     

Effect of Process Parameters and Heat Treatments on Properties of Cold Sprayed Copper Coatings

Cold gas dynamic spraying or cold spray is specifically suitable to obtain high-conductivity copper coatings for a variety of applications. Copper coatings at different coating parameters were deposited and subjected to various post treatments. The effect of process parameters and the treatment conditions on coating properties such as electrical conductivity, porosity, microhardness etc., was studied. The as-coated specimens exhibited low conductivities and conductivity was found to improve with heat treatment. Treatments were carried out in vacuum at different temperatures and for different durations and conductivities close to bulk annealed copper were achieved. Good correlation was observed between the conductivity, porosity and hardness of the as-coated and heat-treated specimens. Similar correlations were observed between conductivity-porosity and hardness-porosity of the coatings and the relative influence of cold work and porosity on coating properties was determined.     

Copper Surface Coatings Formed by the Cold Spray Process: Simulations Based on Empirical and Phenomenological Data

Copper surface coatings produced by the cold spray process have been simulated by means of a two-dimensional computer simulation and compared with experimental data in terms of their porosity. During cold spray, solid state powders containing micrometer-sized particles are accelerated to supersonic velocities and fired onto a substrate, whereupon they undergo plastic deformation and subsequently adhere. Many factors may determine the resultant coating properties, among which include the particle size distribution, velocity, stagnation temperature, and pressure. The approach taken herein differs from those traditionally employed for modeling particle deformations and the subsequent formation of a surface coating. Such approaches rely heavily on the distribution of kinetic energy, elasticity, and fluidity of particles impacting the surface. Consequently, they are computationally impractical to simulate a bulk sample with statistical distributions of particle shape, size, and various experimental conditions. Rather than modeling the physical processes involved in particle deformations, our approach relies on correlating empirical and phenomenological statistical relationships of particle sizes and velocities obtained from experimental data to simulate coatings several hundreds of micrometers thick. In doing so, it enables the porosity of the coating to be related to both the temperature and particle size of the cold spray powders.     

Deposition Behavior of Copper Fine Particles onto Flat Substrate Surface in Cold Spraying

Cold spray is a promising process to fabricate high-quality metallic coatings. However, it is necessary to improve some properties, especially the adhesive strength of the coating to the substrate to clarify deposition mechanism of the solid particles onto substrate surface. In this study, deposition behavior of the cold sprayed copper fine particles was observed precisely and the adhesive strength of the coating was evaluated. The deposition behavior of the sprayed individual copper particles on mirror polished stainless steel substrate was fundamentally investigated. The interface microstructure between sprayed particle and substrate revealed that an amorphous-like band region was recognized at interface during coating fabrication at high power conditions. For the deposition mechanism of the cold sprayed particles onto substrate surface, it was indicated that the deformation of the particles initially induce the destruction of its surface oxide and an appearance of the active fresh surface of the material may enhance the bonding between particles and substrate. On the other hand, in coating fabrication at high power condition, bonding between particle and substrate may be possibly formed via oxygen-rich amorphous-like layer at interface.     

The Use of Particle/Substrate Material Models in Simulation of Cold-Gas Dynamic-Spray Process

Cold spray is a coating deposition method in which the solid particles are accelerated to the substrate using a low temperature supersonic gas flow. Many numerical studies have been carried out in the literature in order to study this process in more depth. Despite the inability of Johnson-Cook plasticity model in prediction of material behavior at high strain rates, it is the model that has been frequently used in simulation of cold spray. Therefore, this research was devoted to compare the performance of different material models in the simulation of cold spray process. Six different material models, appropriate for high strain-rate plasticity, were employed in finite element simulation of cold spray process for copper. The results showed that the material model had a considerable effect on the predicted deformed shapes.     

Characterization of copper layers produced by cold gas-dynamic spraying

The cold gas-dynamic spray method produces coatings or deposits by introducing solid feedstock particles into a supersonic gas stream developed through the use of a converging-diverging (de Laval) nozzle. The particles thus accelerated impact on a substrate surface and develop into a dense deposit through a process believed to be similar to cold compaction. The work reported here explores the internal nature and physical characteristics of copper deposits produced by the cold gas-dynamic spray method using two vastly different starting powders: in one case, a “spongy” copper obtained by a direct-reduction process, and in the second, a denser, more spheroidal particulate produced by gas atomization. Optical and electron microscopies (scanning electron microscopy [SEM] and transmission electron microscopy [TEM]) were used to observe details of microstructure in the feedstock particles and deposits. Young’s modulus and residual stress measurements for the deposits were obtained through mechanical means, and measurements of hardness and electrical conductivity are reported. The internal structure of the cold-spray deposit was influenced by the surface purity of the feedstock material.     

Nanopowder deposition by supersonic rectangular jet impingement

With a view toward developing the next generation of coatings using nanopowders, a cold gas dynamic spray (CGDS) technique has been investigated. In this method, a powder feeder is used to inject nanopowder agglomerates into a supersonic rectangular jet, with a design Mach number of 3.2. The powder particles gain speeds of up to 700 m/s through momentum transfer from the jet and bond to the substrate surface due to kinetic energy dissipation. Coatings of copper and nano-WC/10% Co on steel and aluminum substrates (3 to 5 μm in thickness) have been produced. The benefit of this process is that the material does not undergo any chemical changes during coating formation. To improve the quality of the coatings produced, the flapping motions produced by supersonic jet impingement were studied. Powder particle velocities and the jet impingement flow field were quantified using particle image velocimetry (PIV).     

Utilization of Titanium Particle Impact Location to Validate a 3D Multicomponent Model for Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing

Cold spray is a solid-state rapid deposition technology in which metal powder is accelerated to supersonic speeds within a de Laval nozzle and then impacts onto the surface of a substrate. It is possible for cold spray to build thick structures, thus providing an opportunity for melt-less additive manufacturing. Image analysis of particle impact location and focused ion beam dissection of individual particles were utilized to validate a 3D multicomponent model of cold spray. Impact locations obtained using the 3D model were found to be in close agreement with the empirical data. Moreover, the 3D model revealed the particles’ velocity and temperature just before impact—parameters which are paramount for developing a full understanding of the deposition process. Further, it was found that the temperature and velocity variations in large-size particles before impact were far less than for the small-size particles. Therefore, an optimal particle temperature and velocity were identified, which gave the highest deformation after impact. The trajectory of the particles from the injection point to the moment of deposition in relation to propellant gas is visualized. This detailed information is expected to assist with the optimization of the deposition process, contributing to improved mechanical properties for additively manufactured cold spray titanium parts.     

On the Bonding Mechanism in Cold Spray of Deformable hex-BN-Ni Clusters

Bond strength and the lubrication potential of coatings made of 7 µm Hexagonal Boron Nitride particles encapsulated with nickel (hBN-Ni), and deposited onto aluminum 6061 substrates via cold spray were examined; for all tests, N₂ was used as the carrier gas at a temperature of 480 °C and pressure of 2.4 MPa. Results showed significant improvement in both wear resistance and reduced surface friction. Coated samples also demonstrated unexpected high bond strength, which was much greater than pure nickel cold sprayed onto aluminum. However, while the results were truly promising, the primary reason for the observed high bond strength could not be explained using existing cold spray theories which were primarily developed for pure metal particles. Based on the present findings compared to cold-sprayed layers of composite nickel-nickel (nickel particles encapsulated with nickel), a mechanism for bonding of hBN-Ni particles to aluminum based on the level of plastic deformation and hardenability is proposed. Indeed, the high bond strength between the coating and substrate is related to the relatively high initial ductility of the nickel encapsulation, compliance of the hBN, as well as the ensuing significant plastic deformation of the composite particles during cold spray deposition.     

Dust Explosion Characteristics of Aluminum, Titanium, Zinc, and Iron-Based Alloy Powders Used in Cold Spray Processing

Compared to conventional thermal spray coating, cold spray processing typically employs finer, smaller-diameter metal powders. Furthermore, cold-sprayed particles exhibit fewer surface oxides than thermally sprayed particles due to the absence of particle melting during spraying. For these reasons, it is important to consider the potential for dust explosions or fires during cold spray processing, for both industrial and R&D applications. This work examined the dust explosion characteristics of metal powders typically used in cold spray coating, for the purpose of preventing dust explosions and fires and thus protecting the health and safety of workers and guarding against property damage. In order to safely make use of the new cold spray technology in industrial settings, it is necessary to manage the risks based on an appropriate assessment of the hazards. However, there have been few research reports focused on such risk management. Therefore, in this study, the dust explosion characteristics of aluminum, titanium, zinc, carbonyl iron, and eutectoid steel containing chromium at 4 wt.% (4 wt.% Cr-eutectoid steel) powders were evaluated according to the standard protocols JIS Z 8818, IEC61241-2-3(1994-09) section 3, and JIS Z 8817. This paper reports our results concerning the dust explosion properties of the above-mentioned metal powders.     

Effect of Ceramic Particle Velocity on Cold Spray Deposition of Metal-Ceramic Coatings

In this paper, metal-ceramic coatings are cold sprayed taking into account the spray parameters of both metal and ceramic particles. The effect of the ceramic particle velocity on the process of metal-ceramic coating formation and the coating properties is analyzed. Copper and aluminum powders are used as metal components. Two fractions of aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are sprayed in the tests. The ceramic particle velocity is varied by the particle injection into different zones of the gas flow: the subsonic and supersonic parts of the nozzle and the free jet after the nozzle exit. The experiments demonstrated the importance of the ceramic particle velocity for the stability of the process: Ceramic particles accelerated to a high enough velocity penetrate into the coating, while low-velocity ceramic particles rebound from its surface.     

Sensors in Spray Processes

This paper presents what is our actual knowledge about sensors, used in the harsh environment of spray booths, to improve the reproducibility and reliability of coatings sprayed with hot or cold gases. First are described, with their limitations and precisions, the different sensors following the in-flight hot particle parameters (trajectories, temperatures, velocities, sizes, and shapes). A few comments are also made about techniques, still under developments in laboratories, to improve our understanding of coating formation such as plasma jet temperature measurements in non-symmetrical conditions, hot gases heat flux, particles flattening and splats formation, particles evaporation. Then are described the illumination techniques by laser flash of either cold particles (those injected in hot gases, or in cold spray gun) or liquid injected into hot gases (suspensions or solutions). The possibilities they open to determine the flux and velocities of cold particles or visualize liquid penetration in the core of hot gases are discussed. Afterwards are presented sensors to follow, when spraying hot particles, substrate and coating temperature evolution, and the stress development within coatings during the spray process as well as the coating thickness. The different uses of these sensors are then described with successively: (i) Measurements limited to particle trajectories, velocities, temperatures, and sizes in different spray conditions: plasma (including transient conditions due to arc root fluctuations in d.c. plasma jets), HVOF, wire arc, cold spray. Afterwards are discussed how such sensor data can be used to achieve a better understanding of the different spray processes, compare experiments to calculations and improve the reproducibility and reliability of the spray conditions. (ii) Coatings monitoring through in-flight measurements coupled with those devoted to coatings formation. This is achieved by either maintaining at their set point both in-flight and certain spray parameters (spray pattern, coating temperature…), or defining a good working area through factorial design, or using artificial intelligence based on artificial neural network (ANN) to predict particle in-flight characteristics and coating structural attributes from the knowledge of processing parameters.