Microstructure Morphology Research Articles

Morphology evolution and non-uniformity removal mechanism analysis of diamond nanocone arrays by reactive ion etching

By etching diamond films, microstructures can be fabricated on the surfaces, giving films with extra functionalities. During the etching process, the evolution of diamond surface morphology will affect the electric field near the microstructure. These changes in the electric field will alter the trajectory of ions, thereby affecting the number of ion bombardments on the surface regions of the microstructure. Consequently, this will affect the removal rate of the material on the microstructure surface and consequently affects the evolution of microstructure morphology. In order to understand the morphology evolution process of diamond during etching. H2 and Ar were used as the reactive gases to etch the nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with masks. The electric field near the microstructure and the trajectories of reactive ions was stimulated. The number of H+ and Ar+ bombardments at various regions on the diamond microstructure surface has been recorded and analyzed. By observing the cross-sectional morphology of the microstructure at different periods, the etching process of nanocones was analyzed. The study found that the microstructure of the diamond surface would gradually be etched into convex shaped and waist drum shaped and cone. By stimulating the electric field near the microstructure, it was found that the electric field distorted near the microstructure, causing the electric field lines initially perpendicular to the diamond surface to be diverted. As a result, the trajectory of the particles originally arrived perpendicularly to the diamond surface was distorted and hence they bombarded against the sidewall of the diamond microstructures. The angle between the ion trajectory and the electric field line also increased gradually.

Effect of WC particle size on the microstructure and tribological properties of high-speed laser cladding Ni/WC composite coatings

Ni/WC composite coatings with WC particle sizes of 30–65, 65–100, and 100–145 μm were prepared on 304 steel using high-speed laser-cladding (HSLC). The phase composition, microstructure, and wear mechanism of the composite coatings were studied. The dendrite-growth mechanism around WC with different particle sizes and the effects of WC with different particle sizes on the microhardness and tribological properties of the composite coatings were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the composite coating consisted of intermetallic compound Ni3Fe and secondary carbides W2C and (Cr, Fe)7C3. The composite coating exhibited good macroscopic morphology and uniform microstructure. The WC particle size obviously influenced the columnar and cellular dendrites in the coating. The microhardness values of the three groups of composite coatings were 419.35, 314.64, and 331.65 HV. The average friction coefficients were 0.4876, 0.5693, and 0.5439. The wear volumes were 0.001, 0.0015, and 0.002 mm3. The wear mechanisms included adhesive, abrasive, and oxidation wear mechanisms. The results verified that the WC coating with a small particle size possessed the best microhardness and tribological properties.

Effect of Liquid Ammonia on the Structure and Properties of Superfine Wool Fibers

Superfine wool fiber has a soft and luxurious texture, excellent moisture absorption and is warmer and more comfortable than ordinary wool. Liquid ammonia, which has exceptional permeability, exerts a certain modification effect on the surface scales of wool in the finishing and processing of wool fabric, thereby enhancing its wear performance. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of liquid ammonia on valuable wool fibers such as superfine wool and cashmere. In this article, superfine wool tops were treated with continuous liquid ammonia finishing equipment and the effects of liquid ammonia on the microstructure and surface morphology of superfine wool fiber were investigated. In addition, the changes in length, fineness, anti-felting, and dyeing properties of superfine wool fiber after liquid ammonia treatment were examined. The results demonstrated that the interstitial integrity of intercellular substance of superfine wool was compromised following treatment with liquid ammonia, which had a greater tendency to infiltrate cortical cells and induce alterations in wool structure and performance. Furthermore, the surface scales of superfine wool were damaged after treatment with liquid ammonia, leading to improved anti-felting and dyeing properties.

Impact of Molding Temperature, Fiber Loading and Chemical Modifications on the Physicomechanical, and Microstructural Morphology Properties of Woven Kenaf Fiber/PLA Composites for Non-Structural Applications

ABSTRACT These days, green composites are getting a lot of attention for their biodegradability, sustainability, and affordability. This study applies polylactic acid as the matrix and untreated and surface-treated kenaf fibers as reinforcement to fabricate kenaf-reinforced PLA-based composites. Kenaf fibers are exposed to three different chemical treatments (sodium hydroxide, potassium permanganate, and potassium dichromate) and investigate the effect of surface modifications on the mechanical properties of kenaf/PLA composites. The surface modified fibers were characterized by FTIR Spectroscopy. The consequences of processing variables such as fiber volume percent ranging from 25% to 50% and molding temperature range of 160°C to 180°C were also examined on the mechanical characteristics of developed composites and are validated using SEM analysis. Surface modifications result in improved tensile and flexural characteristics of developed treated kenaf/PLA composites. Alkali treated woven kenaf fiber composites with greater matrix adhesion have optimum tensile and flexural strength of 72.81 MPa and 94.45 MPa respectively. The present study revealed that composites (fabricated at 170°C molding temperature) have maximal tensile and flexural strength at 35% fiber volume fraction.

Statistical analysis of effective crack properties by microstructure reconstruction and phase-field modeling

AbstractUnderstanding the relation between the microstructure and the material’s effective behavior is an important aspect in inverse computational materials engineering. Especially in the context of localized, inelastic phenomena like plasticity and crack growth, the microstructure morphology plays a crucial role. Due to the stochastic nature of heterogeneous media, a statistical analysis over multiple simulations is necessary, since even with the same material, the simulated crack paths and effective crack lengths are highly dependent on the specific locations of microstructural features. A relevant factor that limits this type of investigation is the high cost of real microstructure data. This work presents a digital workflow for exploring the fracture properties of materials. Therein, the required statistical analyses are facilitated by an algorithm that reconstructs multiple realization of a material structure given a single example. The reconstructed structures are discretized with a regular non-conforming mesh with a diffuse interface and crack representation. Crack phase-field simulations are conducted in order to analyze the effective response. An in-depth introduction to the required methods is given together with a statistical evaluation of the conducted numerical experiments. It is concluded that the statistical variation of the effective material behavior overshadows morphological trends in the presented case. This confirms the relevance and utility of complementing simulation-based workflows with microstructure reconstruction and statistical analyses.

Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melting Processed Multi‐Hierarchical Lattice Structure Based on Body‐Centered Cubic Unit Cell

In this work, three types of multi‐hierarchical lattice structures (MHLSs) with different configurations were designed based on the body‐centered cubic (BCC) unit cell. The designed lattice structures were fabricated using Ti‐6Al‐4V powder as feedstock material through selective laser melting (SLM) technology. The microstructure and surface morphology of the SLM‐formed samples were observed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Theoretical calculation and quasi‐static compression experiment were carried out to investigate their mechanical properties. The result showed that the size error of slave‐cell with small strut diameters was greater than that of master‐cell with larger strut diameters. All MHLSs exhibited superior mechanical properties compared to the BCC lattice structure. Moreover, the specific elastic modulus and specific yield strength of MHLSs with the best mechanical properties were 70.1 % and 51.0 % higher than that of BCC lattice structure, respectively. Meanwhile, theoretical calculation results of the elastic modulus and yield strength were consistent with the results of quasi‐static compression testing. The fracture morphology analysis indicated that the struts of the MHLSs samples exhibit a mixed brittle‐plastic fracture mode, while the nodes exhibit a plastic fracture mode.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Revealing the mechanical behavior of Ti48-xZrxHf26Nb26 high-entropy alloy through zirconium content variations

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) composed of Ti, Zr, Hf, and Nb have emerged as promising materials for high-temperature aerospace applications due to their exceptional balance of strength and toughness, coupled with a reduced density and softening resistance. This study delves into the influence of alloy composition on the mechanical properties, a pivotal aspect in the design of RHEAs. We investigate a series of Ti48-xZrxHf26Nb26 (x = 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34) alloys, prepared through suction casting and homogenization treatments. The phases, microstructure, and fracture morphology of these alloys are analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), subsequent tensile tests provide insights into the strength and elongation characteristics of alloys. The homogenized alloys consistently exhibit one BCC phase with equiaxed grains, whereas the fracture mode shifts from intergranular to transgranular, and return to intergranular as the Zr content increases. Experimental results reveal an asymmetry mechanical behavior, alloys with higher Ti content display superior toughness (elongation 17.83 % for Ti = 34 at%) compared to those with higher Zr content (elongation 16.05 % for Zr = 34 at%). Among them, the Ti22Zr26Hf26Nb26 alloy achieves the peak tensile strength of 695.25 MPa, indicating an inverse relationship between strength and toughness. Solid-solution strengthening and chemical short-range orderings emerge as the predominant contributors to the overall strength of the TiZrHfNb alloys. To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical behavior at the atomic scale, we performed first-principles calculations to investigate the elastic properties and charge density of Ti48-xZrxHf26Nb26 alloys in the BCC structure. These calculations shed light on the underlying mechanisms governing the strength and toughness behavior. The present work offers valuable insights into the design of mechanical properties of TiZrHfNb RHEAs, serving as a paradigm for future materials development in this field.

Effects of As8 structure formation on the surface morphology and internal microstructure of GaAs thin films.

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) materials have the advantages of high electron mobility, electron saturation drift rate, and other irreplaceable semiconducting properties. They play an important role in the electronics, solar and other fields. However, during GaAs film sedimentary growth, As atoms can undergo segregation to form As8 clusters because of the influence of external factors, which affect the surface morphology and internal structure of these films. In this study, a series of investigations on the deposition and growth of GaAs crystal films were performed. Additionally, the deposition and growth of GaAs thin films were simulated using molecular dynamics. The influence of As8 clusters on the surface morphology and internal structure of GaAs films at different incidence angles, velocities and substrate temperatures was studied by using "defect analysis technology" and "diamond structure identification" in open source software, along with surface roughness and radial distribution function. Results show that with increasing incident angle, the number of As8 clusters decreases and film density increases. Increasing incident velocity increases the irregular movement of As8 clusters in air, and their deposition on the film surface affects the morphology of the film, the surface roughness increases first and then decreases. Additionally, we investigated the effect of different substrate temperatures on the film surface. Results show that at a substrate temperature of 1173 K, the number of As8 clusters in the film decreases or the As8 clusters disappear, heterogeneous nucleation occurs in the film, and the crystallization rate increases. Although the dislocation line associated with nucleation may affect the mechanical and optical properties of the film, it considerably reduces the annealing effort after the deposition and growth.

Promotion of Acid-Water Oxidation by Lattice Distortion and Orbital Hybridization Induced by Ionic Dopant in Pyrochlore Y2Ru2O7.

For acid-water oxidation, pyrochloric ruthenates are thought to be extremely effective electrocatalysts. In this work, through partial B-site replacement with larger M2+ cations, the electronic states of Y2Ru2O7 with strong electron correlations are reasonably managed, by which the inherent performance is tremendously promoted. Based on this, the improved Y2Ru1.9Sr0.1O7 electrocatalyst exhibits an outstanding durability and presents a highly inherent mass activity of 1915.1 A gRu-1 (at 1.53 V vs RHE). The enhanced oxygen-evolving reaction (OER) activity by ionic dopant in YRO pyrochlore can be attributed to two aspects, i.e., the lattice distortion induced inhibition of the grain coarsening, which results in a large surface area for YRO-M and increases the OER active sites, and the weakening of electron correlation via broadening of the Ru 4d bandwidths due to the increase of the average radius of B-site ions, which gives rise to an enhancement of conductivity and a strengthened hybridization between Ru 4d and O 2p orbitals and improves the reaction kinetics. The synergistic effects of lattice distortion and orbital hybridization promote the enhanced OER activity. The results would provide fresh concepts for the design of improved electrocatalysts and underscore the significance of managing the intrinsic performance through the dual modification of microstructure morphology and electronic structure.

Towards higher-quality low salt surimi gels: Significance of the combinatorial effects of chickpea protein with transglutaminase on their micro-structures

The textural properties of low-salt hybrid gel made from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and chickpea protein (CPP) with or without external transglutaminase (TGase) were investigated. A decrease in gel strength (P﹤0.01), hardness (P﹤0.01), storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of the hybrid gel containing CPP appeared regardless of the addition of TGase. Furthermore, the addition of CPP combining with TGase significantly induced a significantly higher resilience (from 43.5% to 50.3%), cohesiveness (from 0.72 to 0.79), proportion of immobilized water (from 95.7% to 97.4%), number of pores (from 3181 to 4868) and apparent porosity (from 30.55% to 40.26%) than those of the group containing TGase alone, which indicated the combining effect of CPP and TGase on the textural properties. The SDS-PAGE profiles showed that the covalent complex between CPP and myofibrillar proteins was not observed. During the gelation of myofibrillar protein filaments, CPP wrapped the fibres shown by the microstructure morphology and increased the friction between fibres, leading to an increase in relaxation time. TGase promoted this effect and induced the formation of a denser microstructure. The present study provided a feasible approach for the preparation of high-quality low salt surimi products with more favorable texture and acceptability.

Physicomechanical, Wettability, Corrosion, Thermal, and Microstructural Morphology Characteristics of Carbonized and Uncarbonized Bagasse Ash Waste-Reinforced Al-0.45Mg-0.35Fe-0.25Si-Based Composites: Fabrications and Characterizations.

An effort was being made to incorporate waste bagasse ash (WBA) both in carbonized and uncarbonized form into the formulation of Al6063 matrix-based metal matrix composites (MMC's) by partially substituting ceramic particles for them. In the process of developing composites, comparative research on carbonized WBA and uncarbonized bagasse powder was carried out in the role of reinforcement. Microstructure investigations revealed that carbonized WBA particles were properly distributed throughout the aluminum-base metal matrix alloy. They also had the appropriate level of wettability. The reinforcement of carbonized WBA particles in AA6063-based matrix material had a maximum tensile strength of 110 MPa and a maximal hardness of 39 BHN when 3.75 wt % of the particles were used. The deterioration in tensile strength (6.25 wt % of WBA) and the appearance of porosity and blowholes can be enumerated by tensile fractography-based scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The reinforcement of carbonized WBA particles in AA6063-based matrix material was found to have a maximal percent elongation of 14.42% and the highest fracture toughness of 15 Joules when 1.25 wt % of the particles were employed. For AA6063/3.75 wt % carbonized WBA-based MMC's, the minimum percent porosity was determined to be 5.83, and the minimum thermal expansion was found to be 45 mm3. As the percentage of reinforcement in bagasse-reinforced composites increases, the density of the material, the amount of corrosion loss, and the cost all decrease gradually. The AA6063 matrix, with a composition of 3.75 wt % carbonized WBA-based MMC's, had satisfactory specific strength and corrosion loss. The AA6063 alloy composite's microstructure analysis revealed that carbonized WBA enhanced the material's mechanical characteristics, contributing to its excellent mechanical capabilities. The results of the corrosion test showed that carbonized WBA-reinforced composites exhibited reduced weight loss due to corrosion, whereas uncarbonized bagasse powder was an inappropriate reinforcement. The SEM analysis of AA6063 alloy/3.75 wt % carbonized WBA ash reinforcement-based MMC's exposed to a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution has exhibited the development of corrosion pits as a result of localized attack by the corrosive environment. The thermal expansion test showed that the composite with uncarbonized bagasse powder as reinforcement have a high shrinkage rate in comparison with the composite with 3.75 wt %. The composite's mechanical characteristics and thermal stability were enhanced by the presence of hard phases like SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, and MgO, as revealed by X-ray diffraction analysis. This made it suitable for use in a variety of applications.

Influence of annealing temperature on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of Ti-5.5Al-2.0Zr-1.5Sn-0.5Mo-1.5Nb alloy

In this work, the effect of annealing temperature of Ti552 titanium alloy is systematically investigated based on mechanical property tests, electrochemical tests and static immersion tests. The results show that after the annealing treatment, the microstructure morphology of the α-phase transforms from striated to equiaxed, and the intergranular β-phase gradually increases. As the annealing temperature increases, the grain size gradually increases and the volume fraction of α-phase gradually decreases. The tensile strength and Vickers hardness are the maximum and the elongation is the minimum in the hot-rolled condition. With increasing annealing temperature, the strength and Vickers hardness of Ti552 alloy gradually decrease, while the elongation gradually increases. In 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, Ti552 alloy has similar corrosion behavior at different annealing temperatures, although its corrosion resistance varies. In potentiodynamic polarization and EIS testing, the annealed Ti552 alloy shows a low corrosion current density (10-6 A/cm2) and a high polarization impedance (106 Ω·cm2), indicating the formation of a dense and stable oxide film. Under annealing at 800 °C, the corrosion resistance is at its highest and the corrosion rate is the lowest, according to electrochemical and static immersion studies. The comprehensive analysis suggests that the corrosion behavior of Ti552 alloy in NaCl solution may be a result of the combined effect of the volume fraction of the β-phase and the grain size of the α-phase.

Electromagnetic absorption properties of FexCoNi magnetic nano particles

The microstructure morphology, static magnetic properties, and electromagnetic absorption characteristics of nano FexCoNi alloy particles prepared by chemical liquid deposition with five different Fe content levels are investigated in this paper. The results show that spherical FexCoNi alloy particles with an average particle size of about 100–200 nm and a face-centered cubic crystal structure were obtained. All five samples exhibited soft magnetic behavior, with the saturation magnetization intensity showing an increasing-then-decreasing trend with increasing Fe content, peaking at 141.8 emu/g for Fe content x = 1.0. The dielectric constants (real and imaginary parts) of the prepared alloy particles exhibit significant differences with respect to the variation of Fe content, while the changes in the real and imaginary parts of the magnetic permeability show less pronounced effects with increasing Fe content. As the electromagnetic wave frequency increases, the real parts of the dielectric constants for all composites show minimal fluctuations, and the real parts of the magnetic permeability exhibit a decreasing trend. Moreover, the imaginary parts of the dielectric constants and magnetic permeability show an increasing followed by a decreasing trend as the frequency rises. The material with Fe content x = 1 demonstrated optimal dielectric loss performance and relatively excellent magnetic loss performance, with a sample thickness of 1.9 mm exhibiting the highest reflection loss (RLmax) of −24.2 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.48 GHz.

Morphologically reconfigurable magnetic micropillar arrays using acoustic streaming for particle capture and droplet manipulation

The accurate and efficient manipulation of particles and droplets is crucial for the fields of disease diagnosis, target drug delivery, and sample purification, specific microstructure-based particle and droplet manipulation have been widely utilized in bioassays. However, current techniques are mainly based on the fixed microstructures, which is extremely difficult to achieve dynamic modulation by adjusting microstructure morphology and excitation conditions. Herein, we present a novel particle capture and droplet manipulation methodology by using morphologically reconfigurable magnetic micropillar arrays incorporate with acoustic streaming effects, which enables reconfigurable particle capturing, cargo transportation, and droplet manipulation. The mechanism is to assemble NdFeB magnetic powders by magnetic gradient fields to form morphologically variable magnetic micropillar arrays with porous surfaces, and the localized acoustic streaming effects generated by surface acoustic waves (SAWs) enable micropillar arrays to capture nearby particles onto the surfaces or to drive perturbations in droplets in the vicinity. To demonstrate the capabilities of this technology, we have achieved the high-volume acoustofluidic particle capture and loading (0.214 MCF), targeted complex maze navigation, efficient droplets manipulation (≤ 3.96 mm/s), and acoustofluidic mixing acceleration (≤ 2.5 s). Therefore, this technique enables reconfigurable and versatile manipulation of particles and droplets in biomedical applications.

Comparative study on dynamic mechanical properties of additive manufacturing high strength steel and wrought high strength steel under high strain rate

Additive manufacturing high-strength steel has a unique manufacturing process and has broad application prospects in military equipment, aerospace, and other fields, but it is often threatened by dynamic loads such as explosion and high-speed impact during use, which has attracted wide attention. In this paper, the dynamic impact of additive manufacturing high-strength steel LMD-BK and wrought high-strength steel BK was carried out at strain rates of 1000 s−1–5000 s−1 by the Split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test, respectively, and the differences in the dynamic mechanical properties of the two were investigated under the impact of different strain rates. Using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) micro-observation techniques, the microstructure morphologies of LMD-BK and BK before and after dynamic impact were characterized, and the microstructure evolution mechanism of the two was investigated. The results show that both LMD-BK and BK are strain rate sensitive, and the dynamic compressive strength increases and then decreases with the increase of strain rate, with a maximum at 2000 s−1 and a minimum at 1000 s−1. The maximum and minimum values of dynamic compressive strength for LMD-BK are 1978 MPa and 1757 MPa, respectively; for BK, the maximum and minimum values of dynamic compressive strength are 1389 MPa and 1329 MPa, respectively. The final strain of the material increases as the strain rate increases. At the same strain rate, the final strain of BK is always larger than that of LMD-BK. With the increase in strain rate, the impact work absorbed by the material increases, and at the same strain rate, LMD-BK can absorb more impact work than BK. Microscopic observations show that after dynamic impact, LMD-BK undergoes fragmentation of the columnar structure and compression of the cellular structure to form a deformation localization zone. These results are of great significance for the study of dynamic mechanical properties and microstructure evolution mechanism of high-strength steel made by additive manufacturing under extreme environments such as explosion and high-speed impact.

Investigating Microstructure–Property Relationships of Nonwovens by Model-Based Virtual Material Testing

Quantifying the relationship between geometric descriptors of microstructure and effective properties like permeability is essential for understanding and improving the behavior of porous materials. In this paper, we employ a previously developed stochastic model to investigate microstructure–property relationships of nonwovens. First, we show the capability of the model to generate a wide variety of realistic nonwovens by varying the model parameters. By computing various geometric descriptors, we investigate the relationship between model parameters and microstructure morphology and, in this way, assess the range of structures which may be described by our model. In a second step, we perform virtual materials testing based on the simulation of a wide range of nonwovens. For these 3D structures, we compute geometric descriptors and perform numerical simulations to obtain values for permeability as an effective material property. We then examine and quantify the relationship between microstructure morphology and permeability by fitting parametric regression formulas to the obtained data set, including but not limited to formulas from the literature. We show that for structures which are captured by our model, predictive power may be improved by allowing for slightly more complex formulas.

Microstructural analysis of flash-healed Vickers-indented microcracks near positive/negative electrodes on the (001) surface of cubic zirconia single crystals under direct current electric fields

Flash healing is a technique that uses power spikes to rapidly repair microcracks on ceramic surfaces. In this study, the microstructures of flash-healed Vickers-indented microcracks near the positive/negative electrodes under a DC electric field were examined by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The microstructural morphology near the positive electrode was almost identical to that of the microcracks located between both electrodes, as previously reported. However, a decrease in the degree of healing was observed near the negative electrode. This was attributed to the insufficient recovery of dislocations generated at the indentation state, which should have occurred in the initial stage of healing. The delay in dislocation recovery prevented contact between the inner surfaces of the microcracks and is possibly related to the increase in oxygen vacancies near the negative electrode.

SnO2 nanoparticles-decorated In2O3 and their enhanced acetone gas sensing properties

There are many articles on gas sensor research[1–4]，Measuring the acetone content of exhaled breath can reflect changes in blood sugar in the body. Therefore, it is of great value to develop gas sensitive materials for detecting acetone gas effectively. In this paper, by adding SnO2 to In2O3. composite In2O3/SnO2 microspheres were prepared. Using XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, PL and UV technology, the microstructure morphology and optical properties of In2O3/SnO2 were measured. The experimental results showed that the composite retained the advantages of In2O3 and SnO2 optimized the properties of the composite effectively, and reduced the photoluminescence intensity. The gas sensitive properties of In2O3/SnO2 composite samples were tested. The test results showed that compared with pure In2O3 samples, the optimal working temperature of In2O3/SnO2 was reduced by 30 °C to 250 °C. The response value to acetone gas is increased to about 35. In addition, In2O3/SnO2 sensors also achieve good selectivity excellent moisture resistance. long-term stability. These results show that the heterojunction of SnO2 and In2O3 can be used as an excellent sensor for detecting acetone gas.

Effects of h-BN content and heat treatment temperature on the tribological behavior and toughness of laser-clad Mo2FeB2/WC/h-BN coatings

In this study, h-BN-modified Mo2FeB2/WC composite coatings were fabricated via laser cladding. The Mo2FeB2/WC/10 wt.% h-BN composite coatings were heat-treated at 400, 600, and 800 °C. The microstructure, microhardness, tribological properties, residual stress, fracture toughness and fracture morphology of the coatings were investigated. The results showed that h-BN addition combined with heat treatment promoted the distribution of elements and finer microstructure. The Mo2FeB2/WC/10 wt.% h-BN coating heat-treated at 600 °C showed the highest microhardness (1416.8 HV0.5) among the prepared coatings. The pristine and 600 °C heat-treated Mo2FeB2/WC/10 wt.% h-BN coating showed excellent wear rates (1.97 and 1.84×10-5 mm3/Nm, respectively). The composite coatings modified with h-BN exhibited an abrasive wear mechanism after heat treatment. As the h-BN content and heat treatment temperature increased, there was a notable decrease in residual stress. Specifically, the coating subjected to heat treatment at 800°C demonstrated the lowest residual tensile stress recorded at 168 MPa. Conversely, when heat-treated at 600°C, the coating exhibited an optimal fracture toughness of 14.96 MPa·m1/2, with fracture behavior consistent with typical brittle fracture characteristics.

Crystallization behavior, chemical microstructure and surface morphology of a little HCl assisted lithium disilicate powders prepared by sol–gel method

Crystallization behavior, chemical microstructure and surface morphology of a little HCl assisted lithium disilicate powders prepared by sol–gel method