Surface Review and Letters

The oxygen adsorption and desorption on the CdZnTe(111)B-(2×2) surface were studied with synchrotron radiation ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (SRUPS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that a surface state of clean CdZnTe(111)B-(2×2) surface appears at 0.5 eV below Fermi level (E_F), which disappears after the oxygen exposure, and shows again after annealing in UHV. The surface work function of CdZnTe(111)B-(2×2) decreases after the oxygen exposure, and futher reduces after annealing.

The evolution of compact surface of the 100 nm copper film deposited on the glass-ceramics doped with vanadium coating in the course of the oxidation by the CCl₄–L (L = dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), CCl₄ concentration ≈ 1 mol/L) was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in contact mode. The dynamics of active centers formation and destruction was investigated in the course of the oxidation process. The metallic sample dissolution rate was estimated as a function of the coordinating solvent nature. The development of the metal surface oxidation was established to lead to a significant increase of surface roughness. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that different parts of the surface react at different rates. Further course of the reaction leads to a significant decrease of the surface roughness of copper films. The amount of the metal reacted has an almost linear dependence on the reaction time. AFM scans indicate that there is the same mechanism of the reaction between copper and carbon tetrachloride for all solvents.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on the surface of silver nanoparticles (NPs) using two different sets of technology parameters by radio-frequency magnetron arc plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in this paper. The probe profilometer, SEM, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and UV–vis spectrophotometer were used to characterize the film thickness, microstructure, composition and sensing performance. Results showed that the basic vacuum degree had a greater influence on the properties of DLC films than that of RF forward power. The LSPR interface prepared in short time had sensing performance, but the sensitivity decreased with the thickness of DLC films increase. DLC films of higher sp³ bonds content can slow down the decline rate of the sensitivity caused by increasing of the film thickness.

This study presents an ab initio investigation of the interaction of Al₅H₁₂ with the alloying transition elements (TM) in the TMAl₅H₁₂ (TM = Ti, V, Fe, Co and Ni). Hydrogen atoms are found to prefer the tetrahedral sites in the fcc Al bulk system with a binding energy that is more energetically favored than octahedral sites by 0.17 eV. Absorbed H atoms in Al increase the lattice constant and decrease the cohesive energy by 13.8% and 32.7%, respectively. The present values of the H–H bond length (0.75 Å) and the dissociation energy of H₂ (4.47 eV) are in good agreement with the previously measured values. The binding energy of H atoms in TiAl₅H₁₂ system is higher than the other studied systems due to the hybridization between s-state of H and d-state of Ti atom. The magnetic moments of Fe in FeAl₅H₁₂ system and Ni in NiAl₅H₁₂ system are enhanced as compared to the dehydrogenated system.

Magnesium and its alloys are potential biodegradable implant materials due to their attractive biological properties. But the use of magnesium is still hampered by its poor corrosion resistance in physiological fluids. In this study, a HA-containing coating was fabricated by micro-arc oxidation (MAO). The active plasma species of micro-discharge was studied by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The microstructure and composition were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The corrosion behavior and apatite-forming ability were studied by electrochemical tests and immersed samples in simulated body fluids (SBF). The results show that the microdischarge channel model is gas discharges and oxide layer discharges. The elements from the substrate and electrolyte take part in the formation of the coating. The MAO coating significantly improves the corrosion resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy and enhances the apatite formation ability.

In this present paper, a three-electrode system has been fabricated and integrated on the cylindrical polymer capillary surface by micromachining technology, which could be used as a flexible and implantable microneedle for glucose sensor application in future. A UV lithography system is successfully developed for high resolution alignment on cylindrical substrates. The multilayer alignment exposure for cylindrical polymer capillary substrate is for the first time realized utilizing the lithography system. The ±1 μm alignment precision has been realized on the 330 μm-outer diameter polymer capillary surface, on which the three-electrode structure consisting of two platinum electrodes and one Ag/AgCl reference electrode has been fabricated. The fabricated whole device as microneedle for glucose sensor application has been also characterized in 1 mol/L KCl and 0.02 mol/L K₃Fe(CN)₆ mix solution. The measured cyclic voltammetry curve shows that the prepared three-electrode system has a good redox property.

The self-assembling behavior and inhibition effect of dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on copper surface were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical methods. The assembling process was monitored by AFM phase images. The assembling time influences the corrosion protection efficiency of dodecanethiol SAMs. Surface friction significantly decreases when the copper surface is covered by SAMs.

A wedge-shaped iron (Fe) film system, quenched by silicone oil during deposition, has been prepared on glass substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering, and the influence of external disturbance on buckling patterns is investigated. The experiment shows that the wedge-shaped Fe film possesses a high compressive stress, which is relieved by spontaneous formation of telephone cord buckles in the atmosphere condition. The growth process can last several days to more than a month. When the film is disturbed by an external force, the stored stress energy will release drastically to form straight-sided buckles within several seconds. The morphological characteristics, edge effect and formation mechanism of the straight-sided buckles are discussed in detail.

RO-Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂(R = Ca, Mg) glasses containing different concentrations of TiO₂ (ranging from 0 to 9 mol.%) were prepared by conventional melting method. When TiO₂ was present in lower concentrations (≤ 6 mol.%), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that titanium ions took part in network forming positions. However, for further increase in the concentration of TiO₂ (> 6 mol.%), FTIR data indicated the formation of TiO₄ tetrahedrons and TiO₆ octahedrons. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) were determined using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The T_g variation with the concentration of TiO₂ showed an increasing trend up to 6 mol.% of TiO₂ and beyond this concentration, T_g was found to decrease. The dielectric constant ε_r and loss tan δ continued to decrease with the concentration of TiO₂ up to 6 mol.% and beyond that ε_r and tan δ were found to increase. This behavior was mainly explained in terms of the rigidity of glass network.

Finite volume method (FVM) is adopted in the present investigation to simulate the temperature and reactant gas velocity distributions in hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) diamond film growth inside holes, using a detailed 3D computational model well in accordance with the actual reactor. The influences of the heat transfer characteristic of the substrate and the auxiliary heat transfer conditions are firstly studied by control variable method (CVM), including the thermal conductivity of the substrate k, the size of the red bronze support block V(x × y × z), the cooling water flux Q_w, the reactant gas flux Q_g, the arrangement of the gas outlets A_out and the emissivities of the different solid surfaces ϵ. Thereafter, the substrate temperature data measured in the actual HFCVD reactor with three chosen groups of parameters are compared with those obtained from the simulations, presenting similar trends and small deviations less than 5%. Moreover, the auxiliary heat transfer conditions are optimized for both the WC-Co and SiC substrates based on the simulation and measurement results, and corresponding deposition parameters are also determined. Furthermore, HFCVD diamond films are deposited on the inner surfaces of both the substrates under the optimized conditions. The characterization results show that high-quality diamond films with uniform thickness and fine-faceted crystals are obtained, indicating that this optimization method focusing on the heat transfer conditions is feasible and correct.

The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, optical and morphological properties of ZnO thin films has been investigated. ZnO thin films were deposited on quartz substrate for various temperatures ranging from room temperature to 250°C by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, 100 mJ, 6 ns, 10 Hz) with corresponding fluence of 6 J/cm² was employed for the ablation of ZnO target. Characterization of the thin films was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution UV-visible spectrometer, atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). From XRD analysis, the amorphous behaviors of films at room temperature and crystalline behavior along the preferred orientation of (002) is exhibited for higher substrate temperature. The transmittances of grown films increase with the increasing substrate temperature. The evaluated values of bandgap energies increase with increasing substrate temperature up to the range of 150°C and then monotonically decrease with the further increase in temperature. AFM and SEM analysis illustrates that the density and height of grains for deposited films increase significantly with increasing substrate temperature.

Nitriding is usually used to improve the surface properties of steel materials. In this way, the wear resistance of steels is improved. We conducted a series of studies in order to investigate the microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of salt bath nitrided AISI 4140 steel. The present study has two parts. For the first phase, the tribological behavior of the AISI 4140 steel which was nitrided in sulfinuz salt bath (SBN) was compared to the behavior of the same steel which was untreated. After surface characterization using metallography, microhardness and sliding wear tests were performed on a block-on-cylinder machine in which carbonized AISI 52100 steel discs were used as the counter face. For the examined AISI 4140 steel samples with and without surface treatment, the evolution of both the friction coefficient and of the wear behavior were determined under various loads, at different sliding velocities and a total sliding distance of 1000 m. The test results showed that wear resistance increased with the nitriding process, friction coefficient decreased due to the sulfur in salt bath and friction coefficient depended systematically on surface hardness. For the second part of this study, four artificial neural network (ANN) models were designed to predict the weight loss and friction coefficient of the nitrided and unnitrided AISI 4140 steel. Load, velocity and sliding distance were used as input. Back-propagation algorithm was chosen for training the ANN. Statistical measurements of R², MAE and RMSE were employed to evaluate the success of the systems. The results showed that all the systems produced successful results.

Laser cladding was applied to deposit in situFe-Ti-B composite coatings on mild carbon steel with precursor of ferrotitanium, ferroboron and pure Fe alloy powders. The composite coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Wear resistance of the laser-cladded Fe-Ti-B coatings was evaluated under dry sliding condition at room temperature using block-on-ring wear tester. Results indicate that in situ reinforcements of TiB₂ and Fe₂B can be synthesized in the Fe-Ti-B coatings. The amount of TiB₂ increases with the increase of content of ferrotitanium and ferroboron in the precursor. Reinforcements are formed through the liquid-precipitation route following the solidification path of the Fe-Ti-B system. Hardness and wear properties of the coatings improved significantly in comparison to the as-received substrate due to the presence of hard reinforcements.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), used in gas turbine blades, are exposed to oxidation and thermal fatigue conditions. The characterization of TBCs was often performed in laboratory experiments, therefore, its detail failure mechanism is not quite obvious. For better understanding of the phenomenon, it is recommended to observe it under the condition simulating the real service conditions of gas turbines. In the present work, ZrO₂ coatings were prepared by air plasma spraying (APS). Scanning electron microscope (SEM), equipped with a heating system, was used to study the in situ microstructure change of TBCs at service temperature at which the aircraft is operated. The bond coat (BC) layer's thickening process and thermally grown oxide (TGO) generation along with the cracks growth are revealed. Moreover, the influence of the service temperature and holding time on the failure mechanism of TBCs is discussed. The crack healing produced during the coating re-melting reaction is observed, and it is the key factor to increase the thermal conductivity of the coating.

In present work, the wetting behavior of carbon fiber and Al–Mg alloys (up to 17 wt.%) from 700°C to 1000°C was investigated by sessile drop method. Below 900°C, the contact angles decreased slightly with increase of temperature regardless of Mg amount. However, the contact angles decreased sharply at elevated temperature (above 900°C). Moreover, below 900°C, the contact angles decreased slightly with holding time, and significant decrease of contact angle with increase of holding time was found above 1000°C. All contact angle-holding time curves at 1000°C demonstrated three kinetic stages. It is observed that the contact angles decreased with Mg amount regardless of wetting temperature. The addition of Mg element will inhabit the nucleation and growth of Al₄C₃ phase, which is unfavorable to the wetting behavior. However, the addition of Mg element will also decrease the surface energy, which demonstrates dominant effect and leads to the decrease of contact angles.

Y³⁺ doped CeO₂ nanopowders (Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_1.95, abbreviated as YDC) were synthesized by citrate-nitrate-auto combustion process using cerium nitrate hexahydrate, yttrium nitrate hexahydrate and citric acid. The as-synthesized powders were calcined at 700°C and converted into dense bodies followed by sintering at 1200°C. The microstructure of the synthesized powders and sintered bodies were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface morphology of the nanoparticles and clusters were also analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The particles size of the YDC was found to be in the range from 10 to 30 nm, which is in good agreement with the crystallite size calculated from X-ray peak broadening method. Also, the X-ray diffraction confirmed that the Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_1.95 crystallizes as the cubic fluorite structure of pure ceria. The optical absorption by functional molecules, impurities and oxygen vacancies were analysed by FTIR and Raman spectroscopic studies. From the FTIR spectrum, the absorption peak found at 530 cm^-1 is attributed to the vibrations of metal-oxygen bonds. The characteristic Raman peak was found to be 468 cm^-1, and the minute absorption of oxygen vacancies were observed in the region 500–640 cm^-1.

The aim of our investigation is focused on studying the effect of dopant dose loss during annealing treatments on heavily doped surface layers, obtained by recoil implantation of antimony in silicon. We are interested particularly by the increase of sheet resistance consequently to the shallow junctions obtained at the surface of substrate and the contribution of the dopant dose loss phenomenon following the high concentration of impurities at the surface. In this work, we report some quantitative data concerning the dopant loss at the surface of silicon implanted and its dependence with annealing treatments. Electrical measurements associated with Rutherford backscattering (RBS) technical analysis showed interesting values of sheet resistance compared with classical ion implantation and despite dopant dose loss phenomenon.

The dependence of particulate Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) monolayer quality on the surface nature of the substrate was investigated by pretreating the substrates with different methods, and the optimal withdrawal speed was determined by detecting the quality of particulate monolayers deposited at different withdrawal speeds. Furthermore, the effects of stearic acid (SA) concentration on the quality of particulate monolayers were discussed. Results indicated that surface amination would favor the transfer of the floating particulate monolayer from the interface to the substrate, which would be attributed to the formation of chemical bonds between the –NH₂ groups on the substrate surface and the functional groups of –COOH and Si–OH groups on surfaces of particles floating at the interface. And the withdrawal speed of 1 mm ⋅ min^-1 was appropriate for the fabrication of high-quality particulate LB monolayer because low withdrawal speed can offer sufficient time to form chemical bonds and expel the subphase from the substrate. Additionally, SEM images illustrated that the SA concentration of 0.40 mg ⋅ mL^-1 was suitable for the fabrication of well-ordered particulate LB monolayers composed by the particles of 380 nm.

HfN and VN thin films were deposited onto silicon and 4140 steel substrates with r.f. reactive magnetron sputtering by using Hf and V metallic targets with 4-inch diameter and 99.9% purity in argon/nitrogen atmosphere, applying a substrate temperature of 250°C and a pressure of 1.2 × 10^-3 mbar. In order to evaluate the structural, chemical, morphological, mechanical and tribological properties, we used X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nanoindentation, pin-on-disc and scratch tests. Film structure determined by XRD showed that FCC (NaCl-type) films are formed in both the cases by δ-HfN and δ-VN phases. Hardness and elastic modulus values obtained for both the films were 21 and 224 GPa for the HfN film and 19 and 205 GPa for the VN film, respectively. Additionally, the films showed low friction coefficient of 0.44 for HfN and 0.62 for VN when these films were evaluated against 100 Cr6 steel, and finally the critical load was found at 41 N for the HfN film and 34 N for the VN film.

In order to enhance the surface properties of P110 oil casing tube steel and increase its usage during operation, chromium coating was fabricated by pack cementation. Scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the surface morphology, cross-sectional microstructure, element distribution and phase constitutions of the coating. Comparative examinations on corrosion resistance between chromium coating and 13Cr stainless steel in CO₂-saturated simulated oilfield brine were carried out via electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the obtained coating was uniform and compact, mainly consisted of Cr_xC_y and doped with minor Cr₂N. Chromizing treatment made it possible to create on the working surface of P110 steel with enhanced corrosion resistance, and the chromium coating indicated lower pitting corrosion sensitivity than that of 13Cr stainless steel.

Two TiO₂/SnO₂:F/substrate hetero-structures (HS) with different geometry were deposited by spray pyrolysis. The thickness for the TiO₂ and SnO₂:F films was 3.8 μm and 2.3 μm, and the band gap energy 3.3 eV and 3.6 eV, respectively. Both films have a transmittance greater than 70% in most of the visible spectrum. The electrical resistivity of the SnO₂:F film was ρ = (1.7)×10^-4Ω ⋅ cm. The surface morphology of the TiO₂ film shows hemispheric agglomerates formed by nano-metric needle/platy shaped particles that give them a porous texture much like a "ball of wool," the length of the needles is from 100 nm and its thickness close to 20 nm. The geometry of HS has an important influence on its efficiency as photocatalyst under low-powered UV radiation. One of the geometry for this HS, in which the TiO₂/SnO₂:F interface is exposed, showed greater efficiency than the TiO₂ and SnO₂:F films separately, or than the common "sandwich" type HS geometry. Specifically, a decrease by 62% of the initial concentration of a watery solution of methylene blue (mb) of 20 ppm in approximately 5 h of UV radiation is observed for the exposed interface HS compared with less than 30% reduction observed for the common sandwich type HS.