Synthesis and characterization of amorphous Al–Mg–B prepared by various deposition temperatures

Amorphous Al–Mg–B thin films were synthesized via a combinatorial sputtering approach. The properties of Al–Mg–B films with the varying deposition temperature was investigated. The deposition temperature was found to dominate the hardness of the amorphous as-deposited film. The hardness increases with increasing deposition temperature and may even exceed that of crystalline AlMgB₁₄ material. The high hardness may be attributed to the existence of randomly distributed B₁₂ icosahedra structure. Therefore, the thin film that was deposited on cemented carbide shows well-cutting performances in turning Ti alloy bar. At the same time, an appropriate method of pretreatment is the key to ensure the coating tool with the excellent adhesion by impact fracture test.     

Cutting performance of PVD-coated carbide and CBN tools in hardmilling

In this study, cutting performance of CBN tools and PVD-coated carbide tools in end-milling of hardened steel was investigated. In high-speed dry hardmilling, two types of CBN tools were applied: the CBN-rich type and an ordinary one. In the case of relatively low-speed milling, on the other hand, a few coated carbide tools were selected where four kinds of coating films, TiN, TiCN, TiAlN and multi-layered TiAlN/AlCrN, were deposited on the K10 and P30 grade carbide. The cutting performance was mainly evaluated by tool wear, cutting temperature, cutting force and surface roughness. In dry cutting of hardened carbon steel with the ordinary CBN tool, the cutting tool temperature rose rapidly with increase in cutting speed; and tool temperature reached approximately 850 °C at the cutting speed of 600 m/min. In the case of the CBN-rich tool, the cutting temperature decreased by 50 °C or more because of its high thermal conductivity. It is remarkable that tool wear or damage on a cutting tool was not observed even when the cutting length was 156 m in both CBN tools. In the case of coated carbide tools, the temperatures of TiN-, TiCN- and TiAlN-coated carbide tools rose as cutting proceeded because of the progress of tool wear, but that of TiAlN/AlCrN-coated carbide tool hardly rose due to little tool wear. When the base material was K10 grade carbide, tool temperature was lower than that of P30 with any coating. The tool flank wear depends considerably on hardness and oxidizing temperature of the coating film.     

Synthesis and characterization of amorphous Zr-based alloys with Ta and W additions

A reference Zr₅₇Cu₂₀Al₁₀Ni₈Ti₅ bulk metallic glass as well as a number of alloys obtained by addition of refractory elements Ta or W (combined with Sn) to the main Zr–Cu–Al–Ni system were elaborated by mould casting, twin roll casting and planar flow casting. The chemical compositions were chosen according to empirical rules, and as combinations of the binary eutectics for strongly interacting elements, taking into account the corresponding enthalpies of mixing. Optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and tensile mechanical testing were used to characterize the fully and partially obtained amorphous materials. Correlation of glass forming ability, thermodynamic parameters, crystallization behaviour and mechanical properties with chemical composition and production technology is discussed.     

Comparative investigation of smooth polycrystalline diamond films on dental burs by chemical vapor deposition

Depositions of hot filament chemical vapor-deposited diamond on cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co) rotary cutting dental burs are presented. Conventional dental tools made of sintered polycrystalline diamond have a number of problems associated with the heterogeneity of the crystallite, decreased cutting efficiency, and short life. A preferential (111) faceted diamond was obtained after 15 h of deposition at a growth rate of 1.1 μm/h. Diamond-coated WC-Co dental burs and conventional sintered burs are mainly used in turning, milling, and drilling operations for machining metal ceramic hard alloys such as CoCr, composite teeth, and aluminum alloy in the dental laboratory. The influence of structure, the mechanical characteristics of both diamond grains and hard alloys on the wear behavior, as well as the regimen of grinding on diamond wear are considered. Erosion wear properties are also investigated under air-sand erosion testing. After machining with excessive cutting performance, calculations can be made on flank and crater wear areas. Diamond-coated WC-Co dental burs offered significantly better erosion and wear resistance compared with uncoated WC-Co tools and sintered burs. This paper was presented at the fourth International Surface Engineering Congress and Exposition held August 1–3, 2005 in St. Paul, MN.     

Study of structure and corrosion resistance of Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared by HVAF and HVOF

Fe-based amorphous coatings with a composition of Fe_49.7Cr₁₈Mn_1.9Mo_7.4W_1.6B_15.2C_3.8Si_2.4 have been prepared on a mild steel substrate by High velocity air fuel (HVAF) and High velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) processes. The microstructure and corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution of the coatings prepared by the two processes were comparatively studied. It was found that the two coatings exhibit dense structure with the porosity of 0.4% and compact bonding with the substrate. However, HVOF coating contains higher oxygen content than HVAF coating, resulting from the formation of significant oxide contours between the partially melted particles in HVOF process. Electrochemical polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis indicate that the HVAF coating has better corrosion resistance than the HVOF coating. The preferential corrosion along the oxide contours thus providing efficient diffusion channels for electrolyte accounts for the poor corrosion resistance in HVOF coating. The present results demonstrate that HVAF with less cost can be a promising spray process to fabricate the Fe-based amorphous coating for industrial applications.     

Synthesis of electrochemically and thermally stable amorphous hole-transporting carbazole dendronized fluorene

A novel amorphous hole-transporting carbazole dendrimer, 2,7-bis[3,6-di(carbazol-9-yl)carbazol-9-yl]-9,9-bis-n-hexylfluorene (G2CF), was synthesized by a divergent approach involving bromination and Ullmann coupling reactions. G2CF showed UV–vis absorption bands at 304 and 332 nm in chloroform solution and the photoluminescence spectra showed a maximum peak at 373 nm in a bluish-purple region. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis revealed G2CF was an electrochemically and thermally stable amorphous material with a high glass transition temperature (T_g) of 237 °C. The organic light-emitting device having the structure of ITO/G2CF/Alq₃/LiF:Al exhibited a bright green emission with a maximum luminescence of 11,000 cd/m² at 16 V and a turn-on voltage of 5.4 V.     

基于微磨削方法的微织构刀具制备与切削性能研究

目的研究表面微织构对硬质合金刀具切削性能的影响。方法采用微磨削方法在硬质合金刀具前刀面加工出具有不同结构参数的横向、纵向和交叉微织构,通过AL6061切削试验和有限元切削仿真,研究表面微织构对硬质合金刀具的切削温度及刀具磨损的影响。结果采用V形金刚石砂轮微磨削方法能够加工出几何形状规则且表面质量良好的表面微织构。与无织构刀具相比,微织构刀具的切削温度明显降低,高温区域明显减少,其中横向织构刀具降温效果最为显著。微织构刀具的切削温度随沟槽间距的增大而升高,沟槽间距为150μm时,切削温度最低。表面微织构能够有效减轻刀具前刀面的粘结磨损,横向织构刀具减摩抗粘效果最好,且采用较小的沟槽间距更利于减轻刀具的粘结磨损。随着切削速度的增加,表面微织构的抗粘结作用更加明显,当切削速度为150 m/min时,沟槽间距为150μm的横向织构刀具的切屑粘结面积最小。结论在横向、纵向和交叉织构刀具中,沟槽间距为150μm的横向织构刀具切削性能最好,即降温效果、抗粘结性能最为显著。     

Microstructural, thermal and magnetic properties of amorphous/nanocrystalline FeCrMnN alloys prepared by mechanical alloying and subsequent heat treatment

Amorphous FeCrMnN alloys were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of the elemental powder mixtures under a nitrogen gas atmosphere. The phase identification and structural properties, morphological evolution, thermal behavior and magnetic properties of the mechanically alloyed powders were evaluated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. According to the results, at the low milling times the structure consists of the nanocrystalline ferrite and austenite phases. By progression of the MA process, the quantity and homogeneity of the amorphous phase increase. At sufficiently high milling times (>120 h), the XRD pattern becomes halo, indicating complete amorphization. The results also show that the amorphous powders exhibit a wide supercooled liquid region. The crystallization of the amorphous phase occurs during the heating cycle in the DSC equipment and the amorphous phase is transformed into the crystalline compounds containing ferrite, CrN and Cr₂N. The magnetic studies reveal that the magnetic coercivity increases and then decreases. Also, the saturation magnetization decreases with the milling time and after the completion of the amorphization process (>120 h), the material shows a paramagnetic behavior. Although the magnetic behavior does not considerably change by heating the amorphous powders up to the crystallization temperature via DSC equipment, the material depicts a considerable saturation magnetization after the transformation of the amorphous phase to the nanocrystalline compounds.     

Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride films prepared by vapor-transport chemical vapor deposition

The deposition of amorphous silicon carbonitride (a-SiCN:H) films has been successfully achieved through an in-house developed vapor-transport chemical vapor deposition (VT-CVD) technique in a nitrogenated atmosphere. Polydimethylsilane (PDMS) was used as a single-source precursor for both silicon and carbon, while NH₃ was mixed with argon to ensure the in-situ nitrogenation of the films. The chemical bonding and the atomic composition of the a-SiCN:H films were systematically investigated, as a function of their N content, by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). AFM was used to obtain 2-D and 3-D views of the films. The mechanical properties [(hardness (H) and Young's modulus (E)] of the freshly prepared films were investigated by the nanoindentation technique. It is shown that by controlling the NH₃/Ar gas flow ratio in the reactor, a-SiCN:H films with various N contents [(0-27) at.% range] are achieved. On the microstructural level, the increase incorporation of N in the a-SiCN:H films is found not only to lead to C atom substitution by N atoms in the local Si-C-N environment but also to an enhanced incorporation of hydrogen bonded to both Si and N. Furthermore, the increase incorporation of N in the a-SiCN:H films resulted in an increase of the average R_rms surface roughness from 4 to 12 nm. Moreover, the films became porous with pore size and density increase as a result of increasing N at.%. Ultimately, both H and E of the a-SiCN:H films were found to be sensitive to their N content, as they decrease (from ~ 17 GPa and 160 GPa to ~ 13 GPa and 136 GPa, respectively) when the N content is increased from 0 to 27 at.%. The formation of Si-N, Si-H, and N-H bonds at the detriment of the more stiff Si-C bonds is thought to account for the observed lowering of the mechanical properties of the a-SiCN:H films as their N content increased.     

Surface characterization and properties of silicon nitride films prepared by ion-assisted deposition

Silicon nitride (SiN) films had been prepared at low substrate temperature (100 °C) using the ion-assisted deposition (IAD) process. The films had been analyzed by the measurement of X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, nano indenter, and ellipsometry. The effects of N-ion current density on the surface morphology, compositional, mechanical, and infrared optical properties of SiN thin films were investigated. The results showed that the stoichiometric Si₃N₄ thin film with desirable properties, such as continuous and smooth surface morphology, extremely low hydrogen content, mechanical strong, and low extinction coefficient, could be obtained by using the IAD technique.     

Mechanism and prediction of failure of diamond films deposited on various substrates by HFCVD

Diamond films were deposited on the WC-Co cemented carbide and Si3N4 ceramic cutting tool substrates by hot-filament-assisted chemical vapour deposition. The adherence property of diamond films was estimated using the critical load (Pcr) in the indentation test. The adhesive strength of diamond films is related to the intermediate layer between the film and the substrate. Poor adhesion of diamond films to polished cemented carbide substrate is owing to the formation of graphite phase in the interface. The adhesion of diamond films deposited on acid etched cemented carbide substrate is improved, and the peeling-off of the films often happens in the loosen layer of WC particles where the cobalt element is nearly removed. The diamond films' adhesion to cemented carbide substrate whose surface layer is decarbonizated is strengthened dramatically because WC phase forms by reaction between the deposited carbon and tungsten in the surface layer of substrates during the deposition of diamond, which results in chemical combination in the film-substrate interface. The adhesion of diamond films to silicon nitride substrate is the firmest due to the formation of chemical combination of the SiC intermediate layer in the interfaces. In the piston-turning application, the diamond-coated Si3N4 ceramic and the cemented carbide cutting tools usually fail in the form of collapsing of edge and cracking or flaking respectively. They have no built-up edge(BUE) as long as coating is intact.As it wears through, BUE develops and the cutting force on it increases 1 - 3 times than that prior to failure. This can predict the failure of diamond-coated cutting tools.     

Elastic properties of amorphous and crystalline B1−xCx and boron at low temperatures

We present measurements of the internal friction (Q⁻¹) and speed of sound variation (δ

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₀) of amorphous boron (a-B) and amorphous B₉C (a-B₉C). The elastic properties of these materials, which can only be produced as thin films, are consistent with those of other amorphous solids measured to date and exhibit good agreement with the tunneling model (TM) of amorphous solids. The TM parameter

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γ_t²/ρ

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_t² extracted from the elastic data has the same order of magnitude as that observed for all amorphous solids studied to date; a review will be presented. Using the results from the elastic measurements, we calculate the T² thermal conductivity Λ expected in the TM regime (T≤1 K) for a-B. The predicted thermal conductivity falls within the expected range for amorphous solids and agrees with the thermal conductivity of the crystalline icosahedral boride MB_68-δ (M=Y, Gd), which has been previously shown to exhibit glass-like excitations. We have also measured the internal friction and speed of sound variation of bulk polycrystalline c-B_1−xC_x at low temperatures (0.07 K<T<10 K). The elastic properties evolve towards the behavior characteristics of amorphous solids for increasingly carbon-deficient (x<0.20) specimens. The magnitude of the internal friction for the most carbon-deficient crystalline c-B_1−xC_x sample (x=0.1, c-B₉C) is comparable to that for a-B and a-B₉C, thereby confirming the inherent glass-like vibrational properties of carbon-deficient c-B_1−xC_x. Such behavior supports the glass-like character of carbon-deficient c-B_1−xC_x high temperature (T>50 K) thermal transport reported previously and provides the first experimental evidence for the presence of two-level systems (TLS) in these crystalline solids. However, discrepancies with the tunneling model are present; the data for c-B_1−xC_x bear some similarity to those for amorphous metals in which electronic relaxation channels are active, although details are still unclear. Previous studies have shown that the TM quantity C=Pγ_t²/ρ

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_t² (“tunneling strength”) is essentially independent of the material's shear modulus G=ρ

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_t² over a factor of 17. The elastic data presented in this work now extend the observed independence of the tunneling strength, C, over a factor of 70 in shear modulus.     

陶瓷刀具断续车削淬硬钢切削力和切削温度的有限元分析

为揭示Al2O3/(W,Ti)C陶瓷刀具断续车削淬硬钢时的切削力、刀具温度以及刀具应力的变化规律及相互关系,采用有限元方法进行金属切削仿真。仿真结果表明,断续车削过程中,刀具承受十分明显的周期性机械载荷冲击与热载荷冲击;单个切削周期内机械载荷与热载荷的变化规律体现了两者的密切相关性以及时间上的不一致性;由于剪切角偏转的影响,刀具最大主应力显著增大,所以切出过程对刀具破坏的作用尤为严重。     

Electrochemical characteristics of an amorphous Mg0.9V0.1Ni alloy prepared by mechanical alloying

Electrochemical characteristics of an amorphous MgNi alloy with Mg partially substituted by V were investigated. A Mg_0.9V_0.1Ni alloy prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) exhibited much better cycle life than MgNi alloy. It was found that the partial substitution of Mg in MgNi with V could suppress the formation of Mg(OH)₂ on the alloy surface during the charge–discharge cycling in alkaline solution. This may have unveiled an important factor to improve cycle life of the Mg-based alloy for use in nickel–hydrogen batteries.     

Synthesis,spheroidization and spray deposition of lanthanum zirconate using thermal plasma process

During the last decade, research efforts were devoted to the development and manufacturing of ceramic thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on turbine parts because the traditional turbine materials have reached the limits of their temperature capabilities. TBCs have been widely used in hot-section metal components in gas turbines either to increase the inlet temperature with a consequent improvement of the efficiency or to reduce the requirements of the cooling air. There are several ceramics that have been evaluated as TBC materials, and lanthanum zirconate (LZ) is one of the most promising among them. The properties namely high-melting point, phase stability up to its melting point, low thermal conductivity, low sintering ability and oxygen-non transparent make the LZ a potential TBC material for high-temperature applications. However, the production methods used to synthesise LZ are highly time consuming and the powder is not commercially available. Hence, in this investigation an attempt was made to synthesise, spheroidize and spray deposit LZ material using thermal plasma process. This paper illustrates the effectiveness of thermal plasma as a major materials processing technique. Suitable characterization techniques have been used to study the material modifications after respective plasma processing exposures.     

Fabrication of Ti-Cu-Ni-Al amorphous alloys by mechanical alloying and mechanical milling

Ti-based amorphous alloy powders were synthesized by the mechanical alloying (MA) of pure elements and the mechanical milling (MM) of intermetallic compounds. The amorphous alloy powders were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the vein morphology of these alloy powders shows deformation during the milling. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectral maps confirm that each constituent is uniformly dispersed, including Fe and Cr. The XRD and DSC results showed that the milling time required for amorphization for the MA of pure elements was longer than that of the MM for intermetallic compounds. The activation energy and crystallization temperature of the MA powder are different from those of the MM powder.     

Synthesis and optical characterization of CdTe nanocrystals prepared by ball milling process

CdTe nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) process. XRD pattern and HRTEM images confirmed the formation of cubic structural CdTe Nan crystals (2–40 nm). The capped CdTe nanocrystals show absorption peaks locating within the visible range of 500–700 nm, when uncapped ones locating within ultraviolet range.     

固溶温度对电子束熔丝成形TC17合金组织与力学性能影响

研究了固溶温度对电子束熔丝成形TC17钛合金组织及力学性能的影响。结果表明：电子束熔丝成形TC17钛合金为柱状晶组织,柱状晶沿堆积高度方向生长,在柱状晶内部为细小的（α+β）板条构成的网篮状组织。随固溶温度升高,（α+β）→β转变更加充分,初生α相含量减少,初生α相含量和形态对材料的塑性有较大影响,因此塑性降低,强度上升。