Tribological properties of ethylene–propylene–diene rubber + polypropylene + thermal‐shock‐resistant ceramic composites

This work is part of a program on composites used in thermoelectric devices. Tribological properties of dynamic vulcanizate blends of polypropylene and ethylene‐propylene‐diene rubber filled with 5 wt% of microscale powder have been studied. The microscale thermal‐shock‐resistant ceramic filler contains α‐Al₂O₃, mullite (3Al₂O₃ · 2SiO₂ or 2Al₂O₃SiO₂), β‐spodumene glass‐ceramic and aluminium titanate. We found that our ceramic particles are abrasive; they cause strong abrasion of softer steel ball surfaces during dry sliding friction. To overcome the difficulty of particle dispersion and adhesion, the filler was modified through grafting using three types of organic molecules. Dry sliding friction was measured using four types of counter‐surfaces: tungsten carbide, Si₃N₂, 302 steel and 440 steel. Thermoplastic vulcanizate filled with neat ceramic powder shows the lowest friction compared to composites containing the same but surface‐treated powder. We introduce a ‘bump’ model to explain the tribological responses of our composites. ‘Naked’ or untreated ceramic particles protrude from the polymer surface and cause a decrease of the contact area compared to neat polymer. The ball partner surface has only a small contact area with the bumps. As contact surface area decreases, so does friction and the amount of heat generated during sliding friction testing. Chemical coupling of the ceramic to the matrix smoothens the bumps and increases the contact surface, giving a parallel increase in friction. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ultrafiltration Behavior of Organic Mixtures Simulating Sweetwater Solutions

In the present study, attempts were made to examine the filtration behavior of organic mixtures (oleic acid-triglycerides) compared to single organic solute (triglycerides) contained in synthetic glycerol-water solutions (known as sweetwater). Furthermore, the rejections of individual solutes were studied. The TG-FA mixtures permeated preferentially when compared with single TG which is mainly due to the solubility as well as diffusivity of small fatty acid in the TG-FA mixtures. Furthermore, PVDF membrane provided higher fluxes and experienced less fouling than PES membrane for both cases. In case of the PVDF membrane the rejection of fatty acid was 6.20% while oil rejection in glycerol-water plus TG and TG-FA mixtures was 82.42% and 84.67%, respectively. However, the PES membrane underwent higher fatty acid rejection (20.93%) as well as oil rejection in single TG (94.70%) and TG-FA mixtures (91.08%). It is noteworthy that the nature of the membrane, membrane MWCO, and the feed characteristics had a significant effect on the fouling potential and filtration performance.     

Dry adhesion of polythiophene nanotube arrays with drag‐induced direction dependence

Polythiophene (Pth) bilayer films each consists of a nanotube layer and a compact layer had been prepared by electrochemical polymerization and using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes as template. The films were treated by mechanical polishing and freeze drying to improve the degree of orientation of nanotubes and their surface smoothness. A treated Pth bilayer film can adhere strongly on glass with its nanotube surface by applying a dragging preload. The applied dragging preload caused the original vertically aligned Pth nanotube array to tilt opposite to the direction of preload, which induced a superstrong shear adhesion force of up to 144 ± 30 N cm^?2 for the film with a tube length of 26 μm as the film was dragged along the direction of preload. However, the shear adhesion force opposite to the direction of dragging preload was relatively low (44 ± 17 N cm^?2). The direction‐dependent force management of Pth bilayer films is quite similar to that gecko does, indicating the potential for developing advanced adhesive systems. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Effects of tetrahedral amorphous carbon film deposited on dental cobalt–chromium alloys on bacterial adhesion

The dental cobalt–chromium alloys are an important biomaterial used in making artificial dentures. Bacterial adhesion to cobalt–chromium alloys usually results in severe complications such as periodontal infection, secondary caries, and denture stomatitis, which have severe adverse impacts on human health. Therefore, an effective method is needed to reduce the bacterial adhesion to dental cobalt–chromium alloys. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ta-C films deposited on a dental cobalt–chromium alloy on the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans (ATCC175), Actinomyces viscosus (ATCC19246) and Candida albicans (ATCC76615). A filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique was used to coat the cobalt–chromium alloy with a ta-C film. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the surface characteristics of the coating. Surface roughness was detected. Surface free energy and its components were calculated by measuring the contact angle. The results showed that the maximum sp³ fraction was achieved at 200 V substrate bias voltage. Compared with uncoated specimens, the ta-C film coated specimens had a lower surface roughness, a higher surface energy and a higher hydrophilicity. Most importantly, the adhesion of the three tested bacterial strains to the ta-C film coated cobalt–chromium alloy was significantly decreased. These results showed that ta-C film surface treatment could significantly reduce the bacterial adhesion to dental cobalt–chromium alloys, suggesting the potential of ta-C film surface treatment in artificial denture applications.     

Effects of Cr interlayer on mechanical and tribological properties of Cr-Al-Si-N nanocomposite coating

Cr-Al-Si-N coatings were deposited on SUS 304 substrate by a hybrid coating system. A Cr interlayer was introduced between Cr-Al-Si-N coating and SUS 304 substrate to improve the coating adherence. The effects of Cr interlayer on the microhardness, adhesion, and tribological behavior of Cr-Al-Si-N coatings were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the microhardness of the Cr-Al-Si-N coatings gradually deceases with increasing thickness of Cr interlayers. The adhesion between Cr-Al-Si-N and SUS 304 substrate is improved by addition of the Cr interlayers. A peak critical load of ~50 N is observed for the coating containing Cr interlayer of 60 nm as compared ~ 20 N for the coating without Cr interlayer. The thicker Cr interlayers result in reduced critical load values. Moreover, the wear resistance of the Cr-Al-Si-N coatings is greatly enhanced by introducing the Cr interlayer with thickness of 60 nm in spite of the decreased microhardness. The friction coefficient of the coating system is also moderately reduced.     

W18Cr4V高速钢渗铬热处理对HFCVD金刚石膜生长的影响

采用热丝化学沉积法在高速钢基体上沉积金刚石薄膜.为了减少石墨的形成、增强膜基结合强度,沉积前先使用渗铬热处理在高速钢表面制备一层碳化铬中间层.采用场发射扫描电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪、激光拉曼光谱和洛氏硬度计对渗铬基体和金刚石膜进行检测分析,研究渗铬热处理对高速钢基体与金刚石膜的物相组织、结构形貌和附着性能的影响.结果表明:渗铬热处理能在钢基表面形成一层致密的富Cr层,此过渡层能有效提高金刚石的形核率,在渗铬钢基表面形成连续致密的高质量金刚石膜,但该金刚石膜的应力较大,1 471N载荷的压痕测试导致薄膜严重破坏,说明膜基结合强度有待进一步提高.     

不同过渡层对钢基金刚石薄膜的影响

采用超高真空热丝化学气相沉积(HFCVD)系统,以甲烷和氢气为反应气体,在高速钢W18Cr4V基体上利用3种不同的过渡层(WC、Cr、WC/Cr)制备金刚石薄膜。采用场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE–SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、显微激光拉曼光谱仪(Raman)以及洛氏硬度计对过渡层和金刚石薄膜进行检测分析,研究了不同过渡层对金刚石薄膜形貌质量和附着性能的影响。结果表明,3种过渡层均可以有效减少钢基中Fe对金刚石薄膜的负面影响,提高金刚石的形核率;其中,采用WC/Cr过渡层时膜基间残余应力最小,仅为0.25 Gpa,附着性能最好。     

微喷砂预处理对硬质合金上沉积类金刚石薄膜结构和性能的影响

使用45μm白刚玉对YG6硬质合金样品进行微喷砂预处理后,利用阳极层流型气体离子源和非平衡磁控溅射复合技术制备梯度过渡类金刚石薄膜。研究表明:优化的微喷砂预处理工艺能显著提高膜/基结合力,降低膜层的摩擦因数。文中通过对优化微喷砂预处理前后表面接触角成分和硬度的测试,以及制备出膜层的物相和微观结构的分析,进一步探讨了优化微喷砂预处理对类金刚石薄膜性能的影响。     

过渡层对铜基金刚石薄膜的影响

采用热丝化学气相沉积(HFCVD)在纯铜基体及4种不同的过渡层(Ti、Nb、Ni、W)上制备金刚石薄膜。利用场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、拉曼光谱仪(Raman)以及维氏硬度计对金刚石薄膜进行检测分析,研究了不同过渡层对金刚石薄膜形貌质量和附着性能的影响。结果表明,在纯铜基体以及多种过渡层上都能制备高纯度的金刚石薄膜;在形核率较高的基体上金刚石颗粒的尺寸较小,在Ni过渡层上金刚石颗粒的尺寸较大;金刚石薄膜在Ti过渡层上结合性能最好,但是非金刚石相最多。在Nb、W过渡层上的结合性能最差。