Effect of the Structural Scale of Plasma-Sprayed Alumina Coatings on Their Friction Coefficients

The objective of this study is to compare the tribological properties of alumina coatings with two different structural scales, a micrometer-sized one manufactured by atmospheric plasma spraying and a sub-micrometer-sized one manufactured by suspension plasma spraying. Coating architectures were analyzed and their friction coefficients in dry sliding mode measured. Sub-micrometer-sized structured coatings present a lower friction coefficient than micrometer ones, thanks to their higher cohesion and smaller characteristic structural feature sizes.     

Developments in direct current plasma spraying

Thermal spray processing is used to confer specific in-service properties to components via the production of a coating between 50 μm (minimum value) to a few millimeters thick. Thermal spray represents a global market of about 4.8 Billion Euros (i.e., ∼ US$5 billion) in 2004; 30% of which is European based. 50% of this activity is devoted to plasma spray processing with about 90% dedicated to direct current (DC) plasma torches. Several developments of new torch architectures, among which three-cathode torches, have evolved recently. However, most of the recent progress has been applied to conventional DC torches. The advances were related to two prime factors: (i) the development of industrial sensors permitting to diagnose the processes during spray operation (especially in-flight particle characteristics in terms of their surface temperature and velocity) and additionally the monitoring of the substrate and coating temperatures with the objective of controlling the operating parameters via a close-loop controller; (ii) the adaptation of plasma spray systems to manufacture nano-structured coatings via the development of suspension plasma spray and solution plasma spray. As well, there has been an enhanced understanding of the mechanisms controlling the coating formation and of the effects of the arc root fluctuations; thereby permitting a more robust process. This paper develops the above points by presenting focused examples.     

Quality control of the intrinsic deposition efficiency from the controls of the splat morphologies and the deposit microstructure

A simple heuristic model was developed to demonstrate the major characteristics of impinging particles prior to impact and during the spreading stages. It is based on the determination of transfer functions be-tween the powder particle size distribution and splat equivalent diameter distributions. The input data consist mainly of the aforementioned distributions, determined experimentally using a particle size ana-lyzer for powder particle size analysis and the wipe test for splat equivalent diameter analysis. Output data relate to the major characteristics of the impinging particles: flattening degree, intrinsic deposition efficiency, impact velocity, etc. Comparisons of the model predictions with experimental data showed rea-sonable agreement. Implementation of this simple protocol provides understanding of interactions dur-ing the process and also has technological and economical impacts. It permits quality control (QC) of deposition efficiency by control of splat morphologies and aids in the definition of specifications for the powders used (for example, in terms of the lower and upper limits of the particle size distribution leading to the formation of a deposit with given processing parameters) allowing the optimization of the spray pa-rameters to obtain high-integrity deposits.     

Modification of thermal barrier coating architecture by in situ laser remelting

Yttria partially stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are widely used to protect components of aero gas turbines against high heat fluxes and hence increase their properties by reducing their in-service temperature. However, these coatings degrade in service conditions.

Therefore, manufacturing TBC which present both low thermal conductivity and high life-time is a real challenge. Engineering the coating architecture by an adapted process is a prerequisite to modify TBC characteristics. In this study, laser remelting was combined to thermal spraying in order to modify the TBC properties.

In situ laser treatment (i) changes structure from lamellar to dendritic columnar; (ii) generates a pore architecture less sensitive to sintering, maintaining the TBC thermal and mechanical properties during thermal treatments at high temperatures; (iii) improves the thermal insulation properties of the TBC by decreasing its thermal conductivity of about 30%; (iv) decreases its permeability permitting to reduce oxidation and corrosion phenomena of the underneath layers and substrate; (v) increases the resistance to isothermal shocks (with the possibility to double the number of cycles); (vi) conducts to a metastable tetragonal phase more stable during thermal shocks; (vii) without modifying the elastic response of the deposit.     

SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF URANIUM(VI) AND THORIUM(IV) WITH A TETRA-CARBOXYLATED CALIX[4]ARENE AND EFFECT OF ALKALI IONS (Na+, K+)

ABSTRACT

The solvent extraction of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) with a tetra-carboxylated calix[4]arene (LH₄) in chloroform has been studied in the presence or absence of alkali ions (M⁺=Na⁺, K⁺). When studied alone, UO₂ ²⁺ and Th⁴⁺ were extracted into chloroform as 2:2 and 1:1 metal:ligand complexes, respectively. The efficiency of extraction increases in the presence of alkali ions, due to the formation of heteronuclear complexes. For uranium(VI), the extracted species are found to be both 2:2:2 and 1:1:1 (uoi₂ ²⁺:M⁺:LH₄,) mixed complexes. For Th(IV) in the presence of Na⁺, the formation of a mixed complex in 1:1:1 (Th(IV):Na⁺:LH₄,) proportions has been evidenced. However, the exact nature of this species could not be determined. In practical grounds, LH. may be useful as a selective extracting agent for Th(IV) with respect to U(VI) since separation factor Th(IV)/U(VI) close to 1000 have been measured in competitive extraction, in the presence or absence of alkali ions.     

Dry Sliding Behavior of Sub-Micrometer-Sized Suspension Plasma Sprayed Ceramic Oxide Coatings

Almost half of the energy produced by an automotive engine is dissipated by friction in the cylinders, the clutch, etc. In the context of reduction of the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to mitigate climate global warming (CGW), reduction of energy losses due to friction is a critical issue. Surface treatments appear in such a context, as never than before, to be able to provide pertinent solutions to improve sliding behavior of mechanical parts. Numerous studies have clearly shown that decreasing the scale of coating structure below the micrometer scale was leading to an improvement of its tribological behavior in terms of friction coefficient and wear rate thanks to improved mechanical properties, the toughness in particular. Suspension Plasma Spraying (SPS) appears as a thermal spray process to be able to manufacture thick (i.e., a few tens of micrometers) coatings exhibiting a sub-micrometer-sized or even a nanometer-sized architecture, while keeping the versatility and flexibility of the thermal spray routes: i.e., the ability to process a wide range of material natures onto a wide range of substrate materials of various geometries. This article aims at studying the tribological behavior of several ceramic oxide composite coatings under dry conditions. The structural scale and the effect of composition are considered in particular.     

Are cellulose nanocrystals “alien particles” to human experience?

A wide family of cellulose‐based additives are authorized worldwide as fillers and thickening agents in foods, pills, and tablets, and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is, among these, the most important one. Since MCC manufacturing is similar to the main production route of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), it is reasonable to wonder whether the MCC would contain CNCs as minor components. In this Short Communication, we provide first results about the occurrence of CNCs in MCC, observed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy after serial filtrations of MCC suspensions. The incidence of cellulose nanoparticles has been proved in several different trials in our ongoing works on diverse MCC samples, and the nanoparticles isolated showed shape and dimensions similar to those commonly produced by acidic hydrolysis at laboratory level. Therefore, the presence of CNCs in many products is considered as a certainty. The foods and the pharmaceuticals we have been consuming so far do indeed contain traces of CNCs to such an extent that this wide presence in consumed products should be taken into account when considering possible limitations of the use of these nanoparticles in food contact materials manufacture.     

Tunable acousto-optic spectral imager for atmospheric composition measurements in the visible spectral domain

We describe a new spectral imaging instrument using a TeO₂ acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) operating in the visible domain (450-900?nm). It allows for fast (～1 second), monochromatic (FWHM ranges from 0.6?nm at 450?nm to 3.5?nm at 800?nm) picture acquisition with good spatial resolution. This instrument was designed as a breadboard of the visible channel of a new satellite-borne atmospheric limb spectral imager, named the Atmospheric Limb Tracker for the Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (ALTIUS), that is currently being developed. We tested its remote sensing capabilities by observing the dense, turbulent plume exhausted by a waste incinerator stack at two wavelengths sensitive to NO₂. An average value of 6.0±0.4×10¹⁷ molecules?cm^-2 has been obtained for the NO₂ slant column density within the plume, close to the stack outlet. Although this result was obtained with a rather low accuracy, it demonstrates the potential of spectral imaging by using AOTFs in remote sensing.     

RNase L inhibitor is induced during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection and down regulates the 2-5A/RNase L pathway in human T cells

The interferon-regulated 2-5A/RNase L pathway plays a major role in the antiviral and antiproliferative activities of these cytokines. Several viruses, however, have evolved strategies to escape the antiviral activity of the 2-5A/RNase L pathway. In this context, we have cloned a cDNA coding for the RNase L inhibitor (RLI), a protein that specifically inhibits RNase L and whose regulated expression in picornavirus-infected cells down regulates the activity of the 2-5A/RNase L pathway. We show here that RLI increases during the course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, which may be related to the downregulation of RNase L activity that has been described to occur in HIV-infected cells. In order to establish a possible causal relationship between these observations, we have stably transfected H9 cells with RLI sense or antisense cDNA-expressing vectors. The overexpression of RLI causes a decrease in RNase L activity and a twofold enhancement of HIV production. This increase in HIV replication correlates with an increase in HIV RNA and proteins. In contrast, reduction of RLI levels in RLI antisense cDNA-expressing clones reverses the inhibition of RNase L activity associated with HIV multiplication and leads to a threefold decrease in the viral load. This anti-HIV activity correlated with a decrease in HIV RNA and proteins. These findings demonstrate that the level of RLI, via its modulation of RNase L activity, can severely impair HIV replication and suggest the involvement of RLI in the inhibition of the 2-5A/RNase L system observed during HIV infection.