The effect of TiN deposition time on the field-emission performance coated on ZnO nanorod arrays

ZnO nanorod arrays (NRs) with a large number of sharp tips and uniform shapes were grown on the carbon cloth (CC) by a simple hydrothermal method. Titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles with various thicknesses were deposited on the ZnO NRs by magnetron sputtering to obtain ZnO/TiN core-shell arrays. Field emission (FE) performance of ZnO NRs show close dependence on TiN coating thickness. The turn-on field first decreases and then increases with increasing TiN coating thickness from 60 nm to 300 nm. The arrays with a design architecture can strike a balance between increased emission sites and limited field shielding effects. ZnO/TiN240 core-shell NRs have the lower turn-on electric field at 0.79 V/μm and the higher current densities at 9.39 mA/cm². The field enhancement factor (β) of ZnO/TiN240 is about 3.2 times that of the bare ZnO NRs. On the other hand, the electrochemical properties were improved due to the formation of core-shell heterojunction on the ZnO/TiN interface and porous structure, which makes the ion and charge transport more convenient. Hence, this work not only revealed that the ZnO/TiN core-shell structure exhibited excellent improvement in both FE and supercapacitors applications, but also that growing arrays on CC was expected to achieve flexible display.     

Fabrication and properties of 3D printed zirconia scaffold coated with calcium silicate/hydroxyapatite

The scaffold of bone repair needs a variety of material combinations to meet its intended performance; a typical single material such as zirconia has excellent mechanical properties, while hydroxyapatite and calcium silicate are bioactive materials with different degradation rates. In this paper, porous zirconia scaffolds were fabricated using 3D printing technology. The surface of the scaffold was coated by dipping with different contents of calcium silicate and hydroxyapatite to improve the biological activity and mechanical properties. Mechanical tests show that the coating material can effectively fill the pores of the porous scaffold, increasing its compressive strength by an average of 55%. The simulated body fluid (SBF) test showed that the higher calcium silicate in the coating increased the degradation rate. Cell experiments showed that the coated scaffolds exhibited good cytocompatibility and were beneficial to the proliferation and differentiation of cells. In conclusion, coated scaffolds have potential applications in the field of bone repair.     

Effect of environmental pressure on the microstructure of YSZ thermal barrier coating via suspension plasma spraying

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) as a potential technique to prepare thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) has been attracting more and more attention. However, most reports on SPS were carried out in the atmosphere. Given the unique features of in-flight particles and plasma jets under low pressure, the resulting coatings are expected to be different from those under atmospheric pressure. In this article, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings were prepared using suspension plasma spraying under different environmental pressures. The results show that as the environmental pressure decreased, the column-like structural coating turned into a vertical crack segmented structure, as well as a dramatic decrease in surface roughness. More nanoparticle agglomerates were formed in the coating under lower environmental pressures. The real porosity of the coating increased with a decrease in environmental pressure.     

Understanding on the hydrogen detection of plasma sprayed tin oxide/tungsten oxide (SnO2/WO3) sensor

The plasma spray technique was well proven in producing metal oxide based gas sensors in the last two decades using different powder feedstocks. However, limited research was made to fabricate hydrogen gas sensor from tin oxide layer coated over tungsten oxide layer. This paper attempts to interpret the hydrogen gas sensing performances of plasma sprayed coating derived by depositing tin oxide layer over tungsten oxide (SnO₂/WO₃) layer. Plasma sprayed SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed maximum response of 90% at 150 °C in contrast to stand-alone WO₃ (89% at 350 °C) and stand-alone SnO₂ (89% at 250 °C). The lower operating temperature of SnO₂/WO₃ sensor without compromising gas response was attributed to the WO₃–SnO₂ hetero-junction. SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed selective sensing towards hydrogen with respect to carbon monoxide and methane gases. This sensor also possessed repeatable characteristics after 39 days from the initial measurement. In a nut-shell, plasma spayed SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed stability of base resistance, repeatability after successive response and recovery cycles, selective sensing towards 500 ppm H₂ with significant magnitude of gas response of 90%, response time of 35 s and recovery time of 269 s at a temperature of 150 °C.     

Anti-coking and anti-carburizing behavior of amorphous AlPO4 coating

The aim of the present study was to examine the anti-coking and anti-carburizing behavior of amorphous AlPO₄ coating. So, aluminum phosphate composition was synthesized by sol-gel process and applied on the AISI 304 stainless steel by dip coating technique. Anti-coking performance was examined in a tube furnace at 1000 °C for 30 min under Ethane (C₂H₆) atmosphere. Carburizing test was performed in a sealed charcoal medium at 1100 °C for a total of 30 h exposure time. Phase composition of the samples was analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) after coking and carburizing tests. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to study the morphology and elemental analysis of the samples after coke and carbon formation experiments. Microhardness indenter was applied on the cross section of the carbon-exposed specimens to plot the hardness profile through the carburizing zone. The results of the coking experiment revealed catalytic coke formed on the uncoated surface, while irregular spherical coke with no trace of catalytic coke was formed on the coated surface, indicating the great anti-coking performance of the amorphous AlPO₄ coating. The results of pack-carburizing test demonstrated that the thickness of the carbide layer formed on the bare surface was ～10 times greater than that of the coated sample. Hardness measurement for the amorphous AlPO₄ coated sample detected lower values compared to those for the uncoated one at all distances from the surface, indicating less carbon diffusion occurred beneath the coated surface. In overall, the results declared that the amorphous AlPO₄ coating could be a good candidate for surface protection of stainless steel against catalytic coke formation and carbon diffusion.     

Dye removal by polymer derived ceramic nanobeads

Emulsion processed polymer derived ceramic (PDC) nanobeads are used for Methylene Blue dye removal from aqueous solutions. The PDC nanobeads, produced at 600 °C and 1200 °C pyrolysis, are subsequently coated with titania (anatase). Titania-coated nanobeads show less than 35%, i.e., limited dye adsorption capability in dark. Instead, enhanced total removal efficiency (∼97%) is obtained when the initial adsorption is succeeded by photodegradation under UV. Direct reusability tests show that even after the third cycle, very high regeneration efficiencies being above 92% are observed for titania-coated nanobeads.     

Bioceramic coatings on metallic implants: An overview

Metallic implants sometimes fail in orthopedic surgeries due to insufficient bio-functionality, implant-associated infections, poor osteointegration due to high inertness (Ti, Co–Cr, stainless steel alloys), and a too fast degradation rate (Mg-based alloys). Bioceramic coatings are among the most appropriate solutions for overcoming these drawbacks. After providing a picture of the history as well as the pros and cons of the different types of metallic implants, this review focuses on bioceramic coatings that can be applied on them, including metal oxides, calcium phosphates, silicates, glasses, glass-ceramics, carbon, etc. Various coating strategies and applications are described and discussed, with emphasis on a selected number of highly promising researches. The major trends and future directions in the development of bioceramic coatings are finally suggested.     

Wear-resistant ceramic coatings deposited by liquid thermal spraying

As a surface strengthening and surface modification technology of materials, liquid thermal spray technology has been used in many fields, such as wear and friction reduction, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature oxidation resistance. This article reviews the progress of liquid thermal sprayed coating in wear resistance as well as friction reduction in recent years. The influences of microstructure, composition, phase structure and mechanical properties on the tribological properties of typical coatings (including ceramic coatings and multiphase composite coatings) are investigated. The tribological properties of the coating are determined by the coating characteristics (including microstructure, porosity, mechanical properties, etc.) and the service conditions (working temperature, lubrication state, etc.). Typical ceramic wear-resistant coatings include Al₂O₃, YSZ, HA coatings, etc. The tribological properties of the coating can be significantly improved through process optimization and heat treatment. The comparison of nanostructured and microstructured ceramic-based coating reveals that nanostructured coating reduces wear by absorbing stress. The interaction between different constituent phases improves wear resistance and reduces wear in composite coatings. Finally, various challenges faced by liquid thermal spray are pointed out, and future research focuses are proposed.