Methanol oxidation at platinized lead coatings prepared by a two-step electrodeposition-electroless deposition process on glassy carbon and platinum substrates

Platinized lead deposits, Pt(Pb), have been formed on glassy carbon (GC) and platinum electrodes by a two-step process, whereby a controlled amount of Pb was electrodeposited onto the substrates and was subsequently coated with a thin Pt layer upon immersion of the Pb/GC or Pb/Pt electrodes into a chloroplatinic acid solution. The spontaneous surface replacement of Pb by Pt resulted in Pt(Pb)/GC or Pt(Pb)/Pt electrodes which consisted of dispersed Pt(Pb) particles and displayed typical Pt surface electrochemistry in deaerated acid solutions. When tested as methanol oxidation anodes, these electrodes exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity both during voltammetric and constant potential experiments. This behaviour is attributed to an electronic effect of the underlying Pb onto the Pt surface layer.     

Effect of plasma pretreatment on durability of sol-gel superhydrophobic coatings on laser modified stainless steel substrates

Superhydrophobic surfaces were generated on stainless steel SS 304 substrates, using a combination of physical as well as chemical modification of the surface and tested for use in biomedical applications. Nanosecond pulsed laser was used for physical modification, i.e. creating nanoscaled roughness on the substrates. An additional chemical modification was performed using fluorosilane-based sol-gel nanocomposite coatings to further improve the hydrophobicity. Presently, the key challenge that such surfaces face, is to possess a substantial durability. In this study, a surface activation technique such as plasma pre-treatment was adopted to improve the adhesion of coatings on the laser treated substrates. The coatings deposited using dip coating technique were cured at 150 °C. The surface morphology and the roughness of the processed substrates and the coated samples were characterized using Atomic Force Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope. The wettability of the surface was monitored and evaluated throughout the study using water contact angle measurements. Weathering tests and scratch resistance measurements using a crockmeter were carried out to evaluate the durability, which revealed that the adhesion could be improved with plasma treatment of the laser textured substrates, prior to coating deposition. Maximum anti-bacterial activity of up to 90% towards the bacterial species Escherichia coli was found on the substrates coated with the fluorosilane-based superhydrophobic coatings for an exposure time of 30 min, without any addition of external anti-bacterial agents. Thus, the preliminary results obtained from the present investigation were found to be promising and were indicative of use of these surfaces for biomedical applications.     

Optimizing inkjet printing process to fabricate thick ceramic coatings

This article describes the use of Taguchi optimization and ANOVA techniques on inkjet printing process to determine optimal parameters for fabrication of thick ceramic coatings over glass substrates. Stable nanoparticle suspensions are synthesized through high energy milling of precursor powders with adequate quantities of binder and suspending solvent. Most often, inkjet printing process is being used for developing fine and thin layers (<10 µm). However, an attempt is made to fabricate thick ceramic films by varying only IJP process parameters and without multiple layer deposition, thereby reducing efforts in ink synthesis and processing time of coated substrates. Three parameters of IJP were varied for developing a model that was used for precisely predicting the printed layer thickness under varying process parameters. ANOVA technique showed that open time interval in combination with nano particle concentration in the ink could potentially lead to thick coatings. The higher volume % of solvent in the diluted suspension ink under the influence of substrate heating contributed significantly to coffee stain effect with irregular surface coatings. However, increasing the concentration of nanoparticles in the diluted ink resulted in substantial improvement in thickness of the layer with simultaneous control of coating defects.     

A simple approach to fabricate sticky superhydrophobic polystyrene surfaces

We present a facile method for the fabrication of a sticky superhydrophobic polystyrene surface using ethanol as the non-solvent. The obtained surface shows the hierarchical textured morphology as well as the multiple scales of roughness and large numbers of microspheres. Without any chemical modification, the prepared polystyrene surface exhibits sticky superhydrophobicity with a high equilibrium contact angle of 153°. Interestingly, a water droplet on the surface cannot move at any tilt angle even when the substrate is turned upside down. The mechanism of the fabricated surface with high adhesion is discussed in detail. Moreover, the obtained polystyrene surface exhibits the strong adhesion to the liquid droplets of pH value from 1 to 14.     

Novel approach to fabricate polycarbonate antibacterial superhydrophobic surfaces

A novel approach to fabricate a stable polycarbonate (PC) surface with superhydrophobicity and antibacterial properties obtained by use the phase separation and solvent/non-solvent selected method without any use to surface chemical modification materials, with high chemical stability. At the same time a systematic study of dependence surface morphology on the acetone/DMF solvent mixture treatment. In medical devices, the bacterial attachment onto the surface of polymers such as a PC is influenced by the physicochemical properties of the polymers, including surface roughness and hydrophobicity. The resulting surfaces demonstrated that the water CA of the PC surface was 154 ± 2° with excellent inhibition percentage of two bacteria. FESEM showed that the surface structure comprised branches or petals outside the ‘plant seabeds’ with a hierarchical micro-/nano-binary formation, in addition to related AgNps with a rough surface. In order to test the stability and properties of the PC surfaces, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii suspensions in ‘Amide Organic’ was poured above the surface and allowed to settle on top of the surface for several minutes, then, the Anti-adhesive effect of colonies bacteria was evaluated and the results showed the very small percentage of bacteria was adhesive on surfaces.     

Electrophoretic deposition of ceramic coatings on ceramic composite substrates

Abstract

The applicability of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) for the fabrication of single layer and multilayer ceramic coatings on dense ceramic composite materials has been examined. Al₂O₃/Y-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (TZP) functionally graded composites of tubular shape were successfully coated with a two layer coating comprising porous alumina and dense reaction bonded mullite layers. The dual layer coating structure was designed to eliminate the numerous cracks caused by volume shrinkage during sintering of the individual EPD formed layers. In another example, mullite fibre reinforced mullite matrix composites were coated with a thin layer of nanosized silica particles using EPD. The aim was to achieve a compressive residual stress field in the silica layer on cooling from sintering temperature, in order to increase composite fracture strength and toughness. The EPD technique proved to be a reliable method for rapid preparation of single layer and multilayer ceramic coatings with reproducible thickness and microstructure on ceramic composite substrates.     

Solution equilibrium characteristics of electroless copper deposition on thermally-activated palladium-catalysed polyimide substrates

Solution equilibrium characteristics of two electroless copper baths containing EDTA and tartrate as the complexing agents were studied as functions of pH. Equilibrium diagrams were constructed for both Cu-tartrate and Cu-EDTA systems. It was determined that copper is chiefly complexed as Cu2L2 in acidic conditions and as Cu(OH)2L2–4 in alkaline conditions in the tartrate bath, and as CuA–2 in the EDTA bath, where L and A are the complexing tartrate and EDTA ligands, respectively. Electroless copper deposition rates were studied from a tartrate bath on thermally activated palladium-catalysed polyimide substrates as functions of copper and formaldehyde concentrations, and pH.     

A rapid one-step process for fabrication of superhydrophobic surface by electrodeposition method

Superhydrophobic surfaces are commonly prepared by a combination of low surface energy materials and micro/nano structures. In this work, a rapid one-step electrodepositing process is developed to fabricate superhydrophobic cathodic surface by copper plate in an electrolytic solution containing nickel chloride(NiCl₂·6H₂O), myristic acid and ethanol. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and contact angle measurement have been performed to characterize the morphological features, chemical composition and superhydrophobicity property. The results demonstrate that the micro/nano scales cauliflower-like structure are composed of Ni crystals and Ni[CH₃(CH₂)₁₂COO]₂ crystals. The maximum contact angle is about 164° and rolling angle is less than 2°. The needed electrolytic time is largely shortened to 1 min. This method is rapid, easy and effective, and it will have great prospects for industrial applications.     

CoNiP electroless deposition process for fabricating ferromagnetic nanodot arrays

An electroless deposition process for fabricating CoNiP nanodot arrays (less than 50 nm in height) with high magnetic coercivities was investigated. To fabricate such nanostructures, we improved the crystallinity of the CoNiP deposits in the initial deposition stage by applying an fcc-Cu(1 1 1) underlayer with low lattice mismatch to hcp-Co(0 0 0 2), and an autocatalytic electroless deposition process at the Cu surface was carried out by using dual reducing agents, H₂PO₂⁻ and N₂H₄. CoNiP films demonstrated high perpendicular magnetic coercivities in the initial deposition stage since the highly crystalline hcp(0 0 0 2) CoNiP layers were grown parallel to the Cu underlayers. Nanopatterned substrates were formed by UV-nanoimprint lithography. CoNiP was electroless deposited on the nanopatterned substrates. As a result, CoNiP was deposited selectively from the bottom of the nanopores with few defects in a large area. Perpendicular coercivities higher than 3000 Oe were obtained for nanodots even with heights of 50 nm. Thus, an electroless deposition process that can be used to form nanostructures with high crystallinities in the initial stage without any anomalous deposition was demonstrated.     

Plasma-polymerized coatings of trimethylsilane deposited on cold-rolled steel substrates Part 2. Effect of deposition conditions on corrosion performance

Trimethyl silane (TMS) plasma-polymerized films were deposited on cold-rolled steel (CRS) under different conditions. The films were characterized by angular-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and time-of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOFSIMS). The complementary information generated by these surface techniques gave detailed information on the film composition. The corrosion performance of the plasma films was estimated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and by exposure in a humidity test. All films were Si-based and their composition was a function of the deposition conditions and the plasma cleaning of substrate prior to deposition. A reducing plasma for metal surface treatment resulted in a film with the highest impedance. The plasma film surfaces were highly oxidized. The contact angle was the lowest for plasma films deposited from a mixture of TMS and oxygen and their corrosion performance was the poorest.     

Protective properties of organic phosphate-pigmented coatings on phosphated steel substrates

Investigations have been carried out on properties of coatings, differing by their pigmentation and binder, and applied on different chemical pre-treatments of the steel surface. Paints based on alkyd and alkyd-melamine binders, pigmented with zinc phosphate and modified basic zinc phosphate were applied on amorphous and crystalline phosphated steel surface and, for the comparison purpose, on degreased steel surface. The effect of the binder, the pigment and the pre-treatment of the steel surface on the protective properties of the coatings were determined by measurements of adhesion, water absorption and water permeability and by results obtained in salt spray and Prohesion tests. Coatings based on alkyd binder show a lower damage degree and good retention of adhesion in corrosion conditions, in spite of a higher water absorption and water permeability and a lower initial adhesive strength. Protective properties of coatings have been found to be highly dependent upon the substrate pre-treatment. Chemical pre-treatment of the steel substrate increases the protective properties of the system, which is particularly evident in the case of crystalline phosphating and the coating pigmented with modified basic zinc phosphate. This phenomenon can be explained by the synergism between this phosphate pigment with crystalline phosphate layer.     

电纺丝制备纳米纤维综述

综述了电纺丝在制备纳米纤维方面的发展和研究状况，详细介绍了电纺丝工作原理和部分关键设备，并总结了影响电纺纤维性能的因素和电纺丝的重要应用领域以及发展前景。     

氧化剂对钢铁表面氟铁酸盐转化膜的影响

通过中性盐雾试验,研究了过氧化氢、钼酸钠、澳酸钾、碘酸钾和过硫酸铵等氧化剂对Q195冷轧钢表面所形成的氟铁酸盐转化膜耐蚀性的影响.结果表明,氧化剂为过硫酸按时,形成的转化膜效果最好,其质量浓度为7 g/L时,转化膜的耐盐雾时间可达到8h.过硫酸按的加入使氟铁酸盐转化膜的形成加快,形成的无定形结构亦使得膜层耐蚀性能更好.     

Electrophoretic deposition and sintering of zirconia layers on microstructured steel substrates

A method is developed to electrophoretically deposit homogeneous zirconia layers with a thickness of about 5 μm on microstructured steel substrates. To realize layers in this range of thickness, the use of fine to submicron zirconia powder is necessary. To determine the electrokinetic behavior of the powder particles during electrophoresis, their electrophoretic mobility (EM) is measured. Special attention is drawn to the dependence of the mobility on particle size, where Henry theory can be applied. After depositing the layer on the substrate, it is sintered at 1000 °C and investigated by optical microscopy and SEM.     

The effect of dissolved oxygen on the deposition process in electroless cobalt plating

This paper describes the effect of dissolved oxygen on the deposition process in electroless cobalt solutions. In ammonia alkaline solutions, the deposition rate decreases as the dissolved oxygen content increases. The dissolved oxygen mainly affects the nucleation rate, and affects the growth rate only slightly.     

钢铁全光亮化学镀镍–钨–磷合金工艺研究

为了提高Ni–P合金镀层的耐蚀性和表观质量,在化学镀Ni–P二元合金镀液的基础上加入钨酸钠,在钢铁上制备了Ni–W–P三元合金镀层。探讨了镀液主要成分和工艺条件对镀层外观质量及耐蚀性的影响,获得了较佳的工艺规范:硫酸镍25~35 g/L,钨酸钠55~65 g/L,次磷酸钠30~40 g/L,复合配位剂80~100 g/L,组合光亮剂5~10 mg/L,p H 8.5~9.0,温度80~90°C。检测了镀层的相关性能。结果表明,所制备的Ni–W–P合金镀层结晶细致,光亮度和结合力好,具有良好的装饰效果,耐蚀性优于化学镀Ni–P合金镀层。     

A promising routine to fabricate GeSi nanowires via self-assembly on miscut Si (001) substrates

Very small and compactly arranged GeSi nanowires could self-assembled on vicinal Si (001) substrates with ~8° off toward ⟨110⟩ during Ge deposition. The nanowires were all oriented along the miscut direction. The small ration of height over width of the nanowire indicated that the nanowires were bordered partly with {1 0 5} facets. These self-assembled small nanowires were remarkably influenced by the growth conditions and the miscut angle of substrates in comparison with large dome-like islands obtained after sufficient Ge deposition. These results proposed that the formation of the nanowire was energetically driven under growth kinetic assistance. Three-dimensionally self-assembled GeSi nanowires were first realized via multilayer Ge growth separated with Si spacers. These GeSi nanowires were readily embedded in Si matrix and compatible with the sophisticated Si technology, which suggested a feasible strategy to fabricate nanowires for fundamental studies and a wide variety of applications.PACS: 81.07.Gf, 81.16.Dn, 68.65.-k, 68.37.Ps     

A fully aqueous sustainable process for strongly adhering antimicrobial coatings on stainless steel

In order to provide conducting surfaces with antibacterial properties, the electrografting of acrylate has been combined with the layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes. The challenges addressed by this strategy are (i) to insure the adhesion of the biocidal coating to the conducting surface and (ii) to avoid the use of organic solvents in the coating process. The electrografting process has been implemented in water and allows imparting strong adhesion of an anchoring polycationic layer, used in a second step for growing a chitosan-based bactericidal coating by layer-by-layer deposition. This novel process based on readily available precursors allows the coating from aqueous media and makes the coating technology quite sustainable.     

A peel adhesion study of electroless Cu layers on polymer substrates

The peel adhesion between two different electroless-plated Cu layers and polymer substrates was studied. Cu was electroless-plated onto polymer substrates using two different commercial solutions with different compositions. The adhesion strength between the electroless Cu layers and polymer substrates was measured with the 90° peel test. The adhesion was influenced by the coverage, grain size, and the thickness of the electroless Cu layer. Poor coverage of the electroless Cu layer increased the density of the pores at the interface between the Cu layer and the substrates, thereby degrading the adhesion strength because of a decrease in the contact area. In addition, the electroless Cu layers with larger nodules and larger grains were softer and had higher peel adhesion since the soft and ductile Cu layer promoted a greater amount of plastic deformation during the peel test. This led to enhanced peel adhesion. Finally, as the thickness of the electroless Cu layer increased, the peel adhesion decreased. The thicker Cu layers are not easily bent. Poor bending of the Cu layer induced less plastic deformation, causing a decrease in the peel adhesion. In conclusion, soft and thin electroless Cu layers with greater coverage are preferred in order to obtain good adhesion.     

Optimization of electroless Ni-Zn-P deposition process: experimental study and mathematical modeling

A mathematical model based on mixed potential theory was developed which was used to optimize a non-anomalous Ni-Zn-P electroless deposition process developed by us at USC. The model was developed by assuming an adsorption step in addition to the electrochemical steps. The concentrations of the Zn and Ni complex were estimated by solving the material balances in addition to the electroneutrality condition and the equilibrium relations. The composition of the coating was estimated from the partial current densities of all charge transfer reactions, which occur at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The model results showed that the adsorption plays a significant role in the alloy deposition process. From the model results, it was seen that the addition of Zn ions to the bath inhibits the deposition rate by changing the surface coverage of the adsorbed electroactive species on the electrode surface. The model indicated that an increase of pH of the bath increases the alloy deposition rate.