The effect of annealing on mechanical and tribological properties of diamond-like carbon multilayer films

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) multilayer films have been deposited by plasma CVD deposition onSi wafer substrate. The deposited films have then been post-annealed in vacuum at 250 °C for 2 h. Changes in internal stress, hardness, critical load, friction coefficient and wear have been investigated toassess the influence of annealing on mechanical and tribological properties of DLC multilayer films. At the same time, DLC single layerfilms are also deposited and annealed in the same method for a comparison.The results show that there is 28–33% decrease in internal stress and 10–13% decrease in hardness of theDLC single layer films after the anneal treatment. However, for the DLC multilayer films, there is 41–43% decreasein internal stress and less than 2% decrease in hardness. In addition, the annealed DLC multilayer filmhas the same friction and wear properties as that un-annealed film. This result indicates that the anneal treatment isan effective method for the DLC multilayer films to reduce the internal stress and to increase the critical load.The by-effect of the annealing, decrease of hardness and wear resistance of the multilayer film, can be restrictedby the multilayer structure.     

The dual role of silver during silicon etching in HF solution

ABSTRACT: It was reported that during silicon etching, silver was subjected to have a controversial role. Some researchers debate that silver protects silicon, and, at the same time, other ones confirm that silver catalyzes silicon underneath. In this paper, we give experimental results arguing the dual role that silver has during the formation of silicon nanostructures. We give a proof that the role of silver depends on the experimental details and the intrinsic properties of silver during its deposition on the silicon wafer. Through our investigations, we tracked the silver particles that indicated which mechanism is involved. Characterizations of the prepared samples were made using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).     

Failure of silver nanowire transparent electrodes under current flow

Silver nanowire transparent electrodes have received much attention as a replacement for indium tin oxide, particularly in organic solar cells. In this paper, we show that when silver nanowire electrodes conduct current at levels encountered in organic solar cells, the electrodes can fail in as little as 2 days. Electrode failure is caused by Joule heating which causes the nanowires to breakup and thus create an electrical discontinuity in the nanowire film. More heat is created, and thus failure occurs sooner, in more resistive electrodes and at higher current densities. Suggestions to improve the stability of silver nanowire electrodes are given.     

Improved adhesion and tribological properties of fast-deposited hard graphite-like hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

Graphite-like hard hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) was deposited using an Ar-C₂H₂ expanding thermal plasma chemical vapour deposition (ETP-CVD) process. The relatively high hardness of the fast deposited a-C:H material leads to high compressive stress resulting in poor adhesion between the carbon films and common substrates like silicon, glass and steel. A widespread solution to this problem is the use of an adhesion interlayer. Here we report on the changes in adhesion between the graphite-like a-C:H films and M2 steel substrates when different types of interlayers are used. Insignificant to very small improvements in adhesion were observed when using amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiO_x), amorphous organosilicon (a-SiC_xO_y:H_z) and amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiC_x:H_y) as adhesion layers. However, when sputtered Ti was used as an interlayer, the adhesion increased significantly. The dependence of the adhesive properties on the deposition temperature and interlayer thickness, as well as on the thickness of the a-C:H layer is presented and discussed. The low wear rates measured for the a-C:H/Ti/M2 stack suggest that these films are ideal for tribological applications.     

High conductivity of isotropic conductive adhesives filled with silver nanowires

As an alternative to lead-bearing solder, isotropic conductive adhesives (ICA) have been utilized for many years in microelectronic packaging. In this study, silver nitrate (AgNO₃) as precursor, N-N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent and reducing agent, preparing silver (Ag) nanowires in the nanoporous templates formed by the controlled hydrolysis and condensation of butyl titanate (Ti(OC₄H₉)₄). The Ag nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. An isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA) has been developed by adding Ag nanowires as conductive filler. Bulk resistivity and shear strength of the ICA are measured and compared with those of conventional ICA filled with micrometer-sized Ag particles (about 1 μm) and nanometer-sized Ag particles (about 100 nm). It is found that the ICA filled with lower content of Ag nanowires exhibits lower bulk resistivity and higher shear strength than ICA filled with micrometer-sized Ag particles and nanometer-sized Ag particles. Possible conductive mechanisms of the ICA are discussed.     

Influence of sintering parameters on tribological properties of ceria stabilized zirconia bio-ceramics

Nano-structured ceria stabilized zirconia powder was synthesized from their respective nitrate salts using a wet chemical co-precipitation method. Dried powder was calcined at different temperatures. Particle size of calcined powders was measured by X-ray diffraction (Scherrer equation) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Relative quantities of phases (e.g. monoclinic, tetragonal and cubic) were estimated using rigorous Rietveld analysis. The powder was compacted and sintered conventionally following different time and temperature schedules in order to optimize the sintering schedule for fabrication of dense material. The microstructures of the sintered samples were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Vickers hardness (∼945 VHN) showed appreciable increase (>35%) in the hardness value compared to earlier reported ones. Fretting wear of some of the selected samples was carried out in un-lubricated condition. Wear volume and specific wear rate were estimated and correlated with the microstructure. Fatigue microcrack formation, plastic deformation, grain pull-out and abrasion were found to be the main wear mechanisms.     

Influence of SiC addition on tribological properties of SiAlON

The tribological properties of gas pressure sintered SiAlON and its composite with 18 wt% silicon carbide (SiC) against two different mating materials, i.e., alumina and SiAlON are evaluated. SiAlON and SiAlON–18%SiC composite ceramics were prepared by pressure less sintering and gas pressure sintering. Fretting wear tests were carried out under dry unlubricated ambient conditions (room temperature 23–25 °C; relative humidity 50–55%) with a load of 8 N for 45,000 cycles. Friction and wear properties of SiAlON–SiC proved better than the monolithic SiAlON. The formation of silica roll like structure on the composite worn surface was observed.     

Some tribological properties of SHS-produced chromium sulfide

Oxidation resistance and tribological properties of SHS-produced chromium sulfide have been explored. The material was oxidized up to 5 to 7 μm thick from its surface upon heat treatment at 1000°C for a short time. It also exhibited a unique compositional change in sulfur and chromium at the interface between matrix and oxide layer formed during heat treatment. Meanwhile, the synthesized material showed the coefficient of kinetic friction of below 0.18, which is an acceptable value for a solid lubricant. Although the friction coefficient of CrS was initially low, it was found to grow upon high-temperature oxidation of the CrS surface. This fluctuation in the tribological property seems to depend on both the crystal structures of chromium sulfide and chromium oxide and of the interface between the oxide and matrix.     

Effect of coordination number on the formation of silver nanoparticles in polymer/silver salt complex membranes

Polymer/silver salt complex membranes consisting of AgBF₄ dissolved in poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (POZ) exhibited higher separation performance for propylene/propane mixtures but gradual decrease of separation properties, primarily due to the reduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles. In this study, the effect of salt concentration on the formation of silver nanoparticles in POZ/AgBF₄ complex membranes was investigated. Separation test showed that 1/0.5 POZ/AgBF₄ complex membrane exhibited improved long-term stability on the membrane separation performance for propylene/propane mixtures compared to 1/1 POZ/AgBF₄ complex membrane. The stability improvement would be attributed to the suppression of the reduction of silver ions to silver metal nanoparticles, resulting from the higher coordination number of silver ions to carbonyl oxygens of POZ in 1/0.5 POZ/AgBF₄ membrane than 1/1 membrane. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–visible spectra results confirmed that the rate of silver metal nanoparticle formation in the 1/0.5 POZ/AgBF₄ complex membrane was significantly retarded compared to that of 1/1 POZ/AgBF₄ complex membrane. It is therefore concluded that the coordination number of silver ions for carbonyl oxygens is of pivotal importance in controlling the reduction reaction of silver ions to silver metals and consequently improving the membrane separation performance for propylene/propane mixtures.     

Electrical behavior and positive temperature coefficient effect of graphene/polyvinylidene fluoride composites containing silver nanowires

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites filled with in situ thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) and silver nanowire (AgNW) were prepared using solution mixing followed by coagulation and thermal hot pressing. Binary TRG/PVDF nanocomposites exhibited small percolation threshold of 0.12 vol % and low electrical conductivity of approximately 10^-7 S/cm. Hybridization of TRGs with AgNWs led to a significant improvement in electrical conductivity due to their synergistic effect in conductivity. The bulk conductivity of hybrids was higher than a combined total conductivity of TRG/PVDF and AgNW/PVDF composites at the same filler loading. Furthermore, the resistivity of hybrid composites increased with increasing temperature, giving rise to a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) effect at the melting temperature of PVDF. The 0.04 vol % TRG/1 vol % AgNW/PVDF hybrid exhibited pronounced PTC behavior, rendering this composite an attractive material for making current limiting devices and temperature sensors.     

Some molecular aspects of craze formation

Summary The changes in molecular orientation occurring during craze initiation and growth are discussed. Craze initiation is considered as a stress-induced, rotational, collective reorganisation of stiff chain sections in volume elements having a particularly large compliance. An energy balance is established for the transformation of a partially oriented matrix into craze fibrils which relates the fibril diameter to fibrillation stress and surface energy parameters. The predicted dependence of fibril diameter on temperature and preorientation is confirmed by experiments on polycarbonate.Dedicated to C. C. Hsiao and J. A. Sauer on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the publication of their paper: On Crazing of Linear High Polymers     

Microstructure,mechanical and tribological properties of microwave sintered calcia-doped zirconia for biomedical applications

Among the available ceramics materials for load bearing bio-implant applications, Y-TZP is superior (fracture toughness: ∼10 MPa m^0.5) for its better mechanical properties. However, due to concerns related to property degradation of Y-TZP during long exposure in body fluid, the current work is taken up to study the feasibility of developing stabilised zirconia ceramics in CaO–ZrO₂ system, using microwave sintering (MW) technique. The present paper reports the processing, microstructure and tribological properties of microwave sintered Ca-doped ZrO₂ based ceramics. An important experimental result is that MW sintering to greater than 90% theoretical density can be achieved in Ca-PSZ (8 mol% CaO) and Ca-FSZ (16 mol% CaO) ceramics by sintering at 1585 °C for 1 h. The sintered materials exhibit Vickers hardness ∼8–10 GPa, which would allow them to be used as load bearing implants. Also, a modest fracture toughness (∼6 MPa m^0.5) was measured for Ca-PSZ, which is better than commercial grade alumina. So, it is possible to synthesize a material which has better combination of hardness and toughness than other commercially available bioceramics like alumina, hydroxyapatite, TCP, etc. Considering its specific application for THR (total hip replacement), tribological experiments using fretting wear tester serve to provide data about the wear behaviour of the proposed materials. The fretting experiments were conducted against a bearing-steel counterbody in air as well as in a SBF (simulated body fluid) environment. The wear behaviour of the investigated tribocouple is dominated by the formation of Fe oxide/chloride layer at the worn surface.     

Comparison of adsorptive features between silver ion and silver nanoparticles on nanoporous materials

The removal of Ag⁺ or AgNPs released from nano-products or effluent of WTP is important to reduce the potential risk of AgNPs. In this work, we prepared bimodal nanoporous silica (BNS) to compare the removal efficiency of Ag⁺ and AgNP with unimodal nanoporous silica (NS). To determine the adsorption capacity of Ag⁺ and AgNPs on NS and BNS, isotherm and kinetics studies was carried out at different concentrations. The results showed BNS with a bimodal nanoporous structure and a large external surface showed a higher uptake capacity and faster adsorption rate.     

Characterization of silver and silver/nickel composite particles prepared by spray pyrolysis

Pure silver and silver/nickel composite particles were prepared by spray pyrolysis of aqueous solutions of AgNO₃, and mixed salts of AgNO₃ and Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, respectively. In the case of pure silver, reduction to metallic silver and subsequent sintering to highly spherical and dense particles took place immediately and almost simultaneously once favorable conditions for the former were imposed, irrespective of the nature of the carrier gas. For the composite particles, the high rates of reduction and sintering of the silver were still maintained, while crystallization of the silver, and the reduction and sintering of the nickel were considerably retarded, compared to the spray pyrolysis of each pure salt. Once the counterpart salt was added, the size of the composite particles increased compared to that of each pure metallic particles, but it was little affected by the furnace set temperature, the residence time and the molar ratio of the two precursor salts. Within single particles, an increase in either the temperature or the residence time caused segregation—silver in the shells and nickel in the cores—and improved the particles' surface smoothness and sphericity accordingly.     

Evaluation of hardness, tribological behaviour and impact load of carbon-based hard composite coatings exposed to the influence of humidity

Diamond-like composite coatings were deposited by PACVD with an interface magnetron sputtered metallic layer prepared by d.c. unbalanced magnetron sputtering onto HSS substrates. The focus of the present work was on the study of the humidity effect on the tribological properties, hardness and impact resistance of the deposited coatings. The coatings were tested under both dry and humid conditions using several testing methods, like the pin-on-disc test equipped with linear reciprocating movement, impact test and depth sensing indentation test. It was found that the humidity may substantially influence not only the results of tribological tests, but surprisingly, also the results of the dynamic wear and hardness tests. By increasing the relative humidity, the value of dynamic impact resistance increased at an equivalent stress of 1.6 GPa more than three times. On the other hand, the wear rate of the coated part increased by more than four orders of magnitude. The results of the indentation test were influenced by humidity mainly at nanometre scales. The hardness measured at dry conditions was higher by 25% than the values obtained by the measurements under humid conditions.     

Electroless versus electrodriven deposition of silver crystals in polyaniline: Role of silver anion complexes

Electrocrystallization of silver is studied at polyaniline-coated electrodes using silver cations and two silver anion complexes (silver thiosulfate and silver–EDTA) as reducing species. Use of the silver thiosulfate complex results in a significant shift of the silver deposition potential window in the negative direction and highly impeded metal crystallization. The silver cation and silver–EDTA plating solutions allow to perform both electrodriven and electroless metal deposition. Number and size of silver crystals obtained by the two deposition methods in the different plating solutions are compared. Electroless precipitation in the silver–EDTA solution results in the highest number (10⁸ cm⁻²) of small-sized crystals. This result is discussed in terms of the special role of the EDTA anions for the redox state of the polyaniline layers. It is demonstrated that factors such as polyaniline redox charge, concentration of reducing ions and dipping time allow effective control over the amount of electroless deposited metal.     

In situ TiBX/TiXNiY/TiC reinforced Ni60 composites by laser cladding and its effect on the tribological properties

Ni-based composite coatings reinforced by TiB_X/Ti_XNi_Y/TiC with different Ti6Al4V contents were precipitated on a 35CrMoV substrate via laser cladding. The phase composition, elemental distribution, and precipitated phases of the coatings were characterised using X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical and tribological properties of the cladding layer were also characterised. The results showed that the coating contained TiB₂, TiC, TiB, Ni₃Ti, and NiTi₂ phases with uniform elemental distribution and grain refinement. A schematic of the growth model and precipitation sequence of the reinforced phases was generated. The microstructure, elemental segregation, hardness, and friction behaviour of the cladding layer were significantly influenced by the addition of Ti6Al4V. The optimal microstructure and best mechanical properties were obtained by the addition of 4 wt% Ti6Al4V, with that coating possessing a hardness, average friction coefficient, and wear volume of 770.8 HV₁, 0.180 and 6132 um³, respectively.     

Morphological evolution,growth mechanism,and magneto-transport properties of silver telluride one-dimensional nanostructures

Single crystalline one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of silver telluride (Ag₂Te) with well-controlled shapes and sizes were synthesized via the hydrothermal reduction of sodium tellurite (Na₂TeO₃) in a mixed solution. The morphological evolution of various 1D nanostructures was mainly determined by properly controlling the nucleation and growth process of Ag₂Te in different reaction times. Based on the transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies, the formation mechanism for these 1D nanostructures was rationally interpreted. In addition, the current–voltage (I-V) characteristics as a function of magnetic field of the highly single crystal Ag₂Te nanowires were systematically measured. From the investigation of I-V characteristics, we have observed a rapid change of the current in low magnetic field, which can be used as the magnetic field sensor. The magneto-resistance behavior of the Ag₂Te nanowires with monoclinic structure was also investigated. Comparing to the bulk and thin film materials, we found that there is generally a larger change in R (T) as the sample size is reduced, which indicates that the size of the sample has a certain impact on magneto-transport properties. Simultaneously, some possible reasons resulting in the observed large positive magneto-resistance behavior are discussed.     

Functionalized silver doped hydroxyapatite scaffolds for controlled simultaneous silver ion and drug delivery

Bacterial infections are a major problem in bone tissue regeneration, thus it is essential to incorporate antibacterial properties within the bone scaffolds. Silver compounds are frequently used as antibacterial agents to prevent bacterial infections and numerous studies have shown that silver ions can be incorporated within the biocompatible and osteoconductive biomaterial hydroxyapatite (HAp) structure, but, so far, no study has thoroughly evaluated silver ion release rates in long term. Therefore, we have established a novel carrier system for local drug delivery based on functionalized silver doped hydroxyapatite with determined long term silver ion release rates. Silver ions from prepared scaffolds were released with a rate of 0.001±0.0005 wt%/h taking into account the incorporated silver amount. Moreover, lidocaine hydrochloride was incorporated in the prepared scaffolds, to provide local anesthetic effect. These scaffolds were functionalized with sodium alginate and chitosan and in vitro drug release rate in simulated body fluid was evaluated. The results suggested that the developed novel composite scaffolds possess the antibacterial activity up to one year as well as controlled anesthetic drug delivery up to two weeks.