The corrosion behavior of sputter-deposited aluminum-tungsten alloys

Thin films on aluminum-tungsten alloys were prepared by co-deposition of pure aluminum and pure tungsten, each sputtered by an independently controlled magnetron source, on glass and sapphire substrates. Completely amorphous films were obtained in the Al₈₀W₂₀-Al₆₇W₃₃ composition range. Passivity and corrosion behavior of amorphous Al-W alloys were investigated in 1 M deaerated hydrochloric acid solution using polarization and impedance spectroscopy measurements and have been correlated with the properties of pure alloy components. Tungsten and sputter-deposited Al-W thin films are inherently passive materials while aluminum undergoes pitting corrosion in hydrochloric acid solution. The passive film formed at the OCP on each alloy possesses excellent electric and dielectric properties comparable to those of the isolating film on tungsten. The absolute impedance increases with increasing tungsten content in the alloy. According to electrochemical polarization measurements, alloying Al with W in solid solution significantly enhances the material's resistance to pitting corrosion by shifting the breakdown potential above 2000 mV (Al₆₇W₃₃) and lowering the corrosion rate at the OCP by more than two orders of magnitude. The most likely mechanism explaining the passivity of amorphous Al-W alloys, the Solute Vacancy Interaction Model (SVIM), involves the formation of complexes between highly oxidized solute atoms (W⁺⁶) and mobile cation vacancies, which restrict the transport of Cl⁻ through the oxide film and inhibit its breakdown in hydrochloric acid solution. The role that film stress relaxation effects and microscopic defects in amorphous Al-W films, of the some composition, and deposited on various substrates play in their corrosion resistance is discussed.     

Fringe probing of an evaporating microdroplet on a hot surface

The phenomenon of droplets impacting and evaporating on a hot surface is of interest in many areas of engineering. Quantitative measurement of these processes provides great help to reveal the physics behind. A novel technique was developed to quantitatively measure the volume evolution and contact diameter of an evaporating microdroplet on a hot surface utilizing interference fringe scattering method. In this method, fine fringes produced by the interference of two coherent laser beams was scattered by the droplet and projected onto a screen. The profile and volume of the droplet can be derived from the spatial fringe spacing on the screen. The number of total fringes measurable on the screen was used to determine the instantaneous contact diameter of the microdroplet. Validation experiments demonstrated that the measurement errors are less than ±5% and ±1% for microdroplet volume and contact diameter, respectively. By using this method, the dynamic of droplet impingement, evaporation and boiling using ethanol, pure water and water solution of a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) with impact velocity of 7.5 m/s and diameters ranged from 0.19 to 0.46 mm were investigated.     

Utilities in the sky?: Comparison of space-based and terrestrial solar power systems

Could huge arrays of space-based solar power systems one day supply utility scale electricity to the electric power grid on earth? How realistic a possibility is this option for alternative energy supply at the moment? Finley R. Shapiro, USA compares space-based and terrestrial solar power systems.     

PIM卧管式三旋在催化裂化装置上的应用

分析了PIM卧管式三旋在催化装置应用过程中所出现的问题 ,并且有针对性地进行了改造 ,取得了良好的效果     

中国珠宝销售的可持续发展

通过对改革开放20多年来中国珠宝业发展的回顾与分析, 认为在激烈的市场竞争中, 珠宝业要达到可持续发展必须具备6个要素: (1)敬业精神; (2)信用意识; (3)创新意识和创新能力; (4)激励机制和团队精神; (5)资本营运和资源整合能力; (6)关系营销技巧.