Nitride Composite Films Research Articles

Study on the performance of nano boron nitride composite phosphate film modified on carbon steel surface

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of nano polypyrrole-modified boron nitride on the performance of phosphate film. Design/methodology/approach By adding polypyrrole-modified boron nitride to the phosphate solution, a phosphate film is formed on the metal surface, improving its corrosion resistance. The effect of different concentrations of polypyrrole-modified boron nitride on the corrosion resistance of Q235 carbon steel surface was studied. The corrosion resistance of the phosphate film was evaluated using the copper sulfate drop test. The electrochemical corrosion performance of the phosphate film was assessed using the weak polarization curve method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The surface of the samples was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Findings The results show that samples containing polypyrrole-modified boron nitride have a denser and more uniform phosphate film. When the concentration of polypyrrole-modified boron nitride is 0.6 g/L, the drop time of copper sulfate on the formed phosphate film can reach 219 s, which is a 189% increase compared to the performance of the sample without the additive. The current density is 1.06 × 10−6 A/cm2 lower than that of the pure phosphate film, indicating the best corrosion resistance. Polypyrrole-modified boron nitride effectively promotes the formation of the phosphate film. Originality/value This study used the modification of phosphate solution using nanoparticles to investigate the influence of different nanoparticle concentrations on the phosphate film. The corrosion resistance of the phosphate film was enhanced, providing a method and theoretical guidance for the improvement of phosphate solution formulation.

Eco-friendly preparation of polyimide/boron nitride composite films with excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical properties

Polyimide/hexagonal boron nitride (PI/BN) composite films have attracted interest as heat dissipation materials for advanced microelectronic devices. However, conventional preparations of PI/BN composite films employ harmful and expensive high-boiling organic solvents. In this work, thermally conductive PI/BN composite films were, for the first time, prepared using a nontoxic, eco-friendly, and inexpensive aqueous solvent. BN was ultrasonically exfoliated in a mixed solvent of water and tert-butanol to obtain aqueous BN suspensions, in which a poly(amic acid) salt (PAAS) was synthesized. The PAAS/BN suspensions were then drop-casted, and thermally imidized into PI/BN composite films. The PI/BN films exhibited excellent in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities (up to 15.043 W/mK and 1.142 W/mK, respectively), which is attributed to the effective exfoliation and dispersion of BN in the aqueous solvent. Furthermore, these films exhibited high tensile strength, flexibility, and thermal stability.

Exposure of polyphenylsulfone and polyphenylsulfone-hexagonal boron nitride composite films in the LEO wake environment

Exposure of polyphenylsulfone and polyphenylsulfone-hexagonal boron nitride composite films in the LEO wake environment

Thermally Conductive Polyimide/Boron Nitride Composite Films with Improved Interfacial Compatibility Based on Modified Fillers by Polyimide Brushes

Thermally Conductive Polyimide/Boron Nitride Composite Films with Improved Interfacial Compatibility Based on Modified Fillers by Polyimide Brushes

Multifunctional organic corncob lignin and inorganic lithium nitride composite films as artificial protective layer to achieve high-performance Li metal anodes

Multifunctional organic corncob lignin and inorganic lithium nitride composite films as artificial protective layer to achieve high-performance Li metal anodes

Enhancement on the hardness and oxidation resistance property of TiN/Ag composite films for high temperature applications by addition of Si

Titanium nitride and silver (TiN/Ag) composite films exhibited the excellent self-lubricating properties in a wide temperature range due to the formation of the Ag rich tribolayer in the contact. However, Ag addition usually reduces the hardness and oxidation resistance properties of the films. In this paper, TiN/Ag/Si3N4 composite films were deposited using RF magnetron co-sputtering system to improve the mechanical and oxidation resistance properties of the TiN/Ag film. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that three-phases could be identified on the TiN/Ag/Si3N4 films: face-centered cubic (fcc) TiN, fcc-Ag and amorphous Si3N4 phases. The hardness of the TiN/Ag film increased from ∼16 GPa to ∼24 GPa for TiN/Ag/Si3N4 with 15.3 at.% of Si due to the formation of the nanocomposite structure. The addition of Si allowed a significant improvement on the oxidation resistance temperature, and effectively avoiding of Ag diffusion, and thereby contributing the stability of the hardness of the film after annealing treatment.

Thermoelectric performance of (±) Camphor-10-sulfonic acid doped polyaniline/graphitic carbon nitride composite films

Thermoelectric performance of (±) Camphor-10-sulfonic acid doped polyaniline/graphitic carbon nitride composite films

Conductivity and dielectric properties of heterostructures based on novel graphitic carbon nitride and silver nanoparticle composite film for electronic applications

Graphitic-carbon nitride (g-C3N4) (GCN) has emerged as the most promising material for the fabrication of next generation cutting–edge electronic and optoelectronic devices, due to its excellent and promising electrical and physicochemical properties. In this work we report on strategies to enhance the electrical conductivity of GCN thin films through the formation of heterostructures using silver nanoparticles (Ag). The synergistic effect of silver nanoparticles doping on structural and transport properties of GCN thin films was studied in detail. The structural and morphological changes in GCN polymer owing to the inclusion of silver nanoparticles were examined through Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometer techniques. The conformational modifications in GCN polymer chains due to silver nanoparticles doping greatly enhanced the electrical conductivity of GCN thin films. The inclusion of silver nanoparticles in GCN polymer matrix decreases the barrier energy and enables the charge carrier hopping easily leading to improved electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity of GCN-Ag composite thin film was enhanced by two folds due to the silver nanoparticles inclusion in comparison to conductivity of the pristine GCN thin film. The presence of Ag nanoparticles in the composite film plays a substantial role in improving the dielectric attributes of the pure GCN. Therefore, the doping by using silver nanoparticles might be a suitable strategy for effectively tailoring the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of GCN thin films and can be used as flexible conducting electrode material towards fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices

Graphene: Hexagonal Boron Nitride Composite Films with Low-Resistance for Flexible Electronics

The structure and electric properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN):graphene composite with additives of the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS and ethylene glycol were examined. The graphene and h-BN flakes synthesized in plasma with nanometer sizes were used for experiments. It was found that the addition of more than 10−3 mass% of PEDOT:PSS to the graphene suspension or h-BN:graphene composite in combination with ethylene glycol leads to a strong decrease (4–5 orders of magnitude, in our case) in the resistance of the films created from these suspensions. This is caused by an increase in the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS due to the interaction with ethylene glycol and synergetic effect on the composite properties of h-BN:graphene films. The addition of PEDOT:PSS to the h-BN:graphene composite leads to the correction of the bonds between nanoparticles and a weak change in the resistance under the tensile strain caused by the sample bending. A more pronounced flexibility of the composite films with tree components is demonstrated. The self-organization effects for graphene flakes and polar h-BN flakes lead to the formation of micrometer sized plates in drops and uniform-in-size nanoparticles in inks. The ratio of the components in the composite was found for the observed strong hysteresis and a negative differential resistance. Generally, PEDOT:PSS and ethylene glycol composite films are promising for their application as electrodes or active elements for logic and signal processing.

Dopamine-Mediated Bacterial Cellulose/Hexagonal Boron Nitride Composite Films with Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Performance

Dopamine-Mediated Bacterial Cellulose/Hexagonal Boron Nitride Composite Films with Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Performance

Corrosion protection behavior of poly(N-methylpyrrole)/boron nitride composite film on aluminum-1050

In this study, the surface of aluminum-1050 (Al-1050), which has industrial importance, was covered with poly(N-methylpyrrole)/boron nitride (PNMPy/BN) composite film in a mixture electrolyte of oxalic acid (OXA) and dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) by the galvanostatic method. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetry (TG), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were used for the characterization and morphology of the film. Corrosion analyzes were performed with Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 0.1 M H2SO4. The DBSA-OXA mixing electrolyte markedly increased the homogeneity and adhesiveness of the coatings. The corrosion efficiency of PNMPy/BN composite film coated on the Al-1050 surface was 98.6%. BN nanoparticles significantly reduced the size of agglomerate structures on the surface of the polymer film, while reducing the average thickness of the polymer film from 28 μm to 20 μm. Besides, the filling process reduced the surface roughness of PNMPy from 121 to 95 nm. EIS analyzes showed that PNMPy and PNMPy/BN composite films increased the charge transfer resistance (Rct) of Al-1050 around 172 and 238 times, respectively. It was observed that coatings in the corrosive environment did not separate from the Al-1050 surface even at the end of the 6th day, and the PNMPy/BN composite film provided the best protection.

The influence of target film material and coating on neutron yield and sputtering yield

The long-life, high yield deuterium-deuterium (D-D) neutron tube has become one of the research hotspots. Here, deuterated polyethylene target, heavy water target and titanium target were investigated by Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM). The calculation showed that the deuterated polyethylene target, which was a potential target material, had the highest yield at an incident energy of 120 keV. Further, considering the unfavorable factors such as impurity ions and high temperature, the coating was used to protect the target material. Diamond, boron carbide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, and aluminum carbide were selected. The simulation results showed that the diamond composite deuterated polyethylene film had the best sputtering resistance, and the aluminum nitride composite heavy water target film had the lowest sputtering yield. The two coating materials shield the target, reduced the energy loss of incident ions, and provided a new method for the research of high yield and long life neutron tube.

Wear and corrosion properties of wollastonite and boron nitride doped, hydroxyapatite-based HAp-Wo-BN composite coatings prepared by pulsed laser deposition

In this study, hydroxyapatite-based hydroxyapatite-wollastonite-boron nitride (HAp-Wo-BN) composite film was formed on the surface of Ti6Al4V by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Based on a survey in scientific literature, it is presumed that this is the first time such a process is being undertaken. The wear and corrosion resistance of this film were analyzed comparatively in simulated body fluid (SBF) to simulate the human body environment. In the coating, HAp was used to form a bone-like layer, wollastonite was to enhance bone-tissue regeneration and BN was used for its bone-tissue healing and anti-bacterial properties. The results showed that the wear as well as the corrosion resistance of all samples after PLD treatment increased. Relatively the best wear resistance was achieved from boron nitride and wollastonite doped hydroxyapatite layers, where the best corrosion resistance was from the ones that consisted of only hydroxyapatite.

Design and Performance of ScAlN/AlN Trapezoidal Cantilever-Based MEMS Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

In this work, we report a method to enlarge the trapezoidal cantilever-based harvester power by using the high-performance Sc <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.2</sub> Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.8</sub> N/aluminum nitride (AlN) composite film and introducing symmetrical corners to both sides of the beam. Energy harvesters with variable beam structure and piezoelectric film are designed and evaluated by simulations and experiments. The trapezoid with corners (TWCs) cantilever is verified to improve the output power by a factor of five times when compared with the conventional trapezoidal cantilever without corners. The maximum power density of the ScAlN/AlN-based TWC cantilever harvester is about twice that of the AlN-based harvester, reaching 2.054 mW ·g <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-2</sup> ·cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-3</sup> at a frequency of 330.25 Hz. The optimization of piezoelectric film and structure can give an inspiration for further improving the performance of cantilever-based energy harvesters.

3D structural analysis of PI blend/BN composite film with FTIR spectro-microtomography

A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectro-microtomography system was used to conduct a 3-dimensional (3D) structural analysis of a Polyimide (PI) blend/boron nitride (BN) composite film, and the system was optimized by measuring materials with complex shapes, including a micrometer-sized loop and commercial PAN fiber. The results of the 3D reconstruction of the microloop and PAN fiber are in good agreement with optical and chemical images. In addition, the FTIR spectro-microtomography successfully described the phase separation behaviors of the PI blend/BN composite film in a 3D representation. Thereby, we could observe the internal structure of the blend film, which improves the thermal conduction in the out-of-plane direction.

The microstructure and tribological properties of molybdenum and silicon nitride composite films

Molybdenum nitride (MoxN) film exhibited an excellent self-lubricating performance at room and elevated temperature, while its wear resistance was not very satisfactory. In this paper, silicon was added into the MoxN matrix to enhance the wear resistance and a series of Mo-Si-N films was deposited using magnetron sputtering system. Results showed that the incorporation of silicon into the MoxN matrix in the argon and nitrogen atmosphere led to the formation of another phase of amorphous (a) Si3N4 and the films exhibited a dual-phase of face-centered cubic (fcc) solid solution of (MoSi)xN and a-Si3N4. Adding silicon <3.7 at.% dropped the wear rate (WR) at room temperature with the raising of friction coefficient (Cof.) due to the roughness reduction and hardness enhancement. Higher oxidation resistance temperature of the film at 3.7 at.% silicon resulted in a reduction of the MoO3 tribo-phase and it improved the elevated temperature wear resistance, compared with the MoxN film.

Well-balanced high permittivity and low dielectric loss obtained in PVDF/graphite/BN ternary composites by depressing interfacial leakage conduction

High permittivity can be easily obtained in the polymer/inorganic conductive ceramic composites for energy storage. However, in these composites, the elevated high conductivity and dielectric loss are accompanied with high permittivity. To balance the requirements of high permittivity and low loss, in this work, we employed physical blending and solution casting to fabricate the ternary polymer/graphite/boron nitride composite films with the improved comprehensive electrical properties. The inexpensive graphite was used as the conductive filler for elevating the dielectric response based on an interface polarization. Hexagonal boron nitride (BN) was utilized as the insulating nanofiller for reducing the leakage conduction. The semi-crystalline fluoropolymer was adopted as the matrix. Compared with the binary polymer/graphite composites, their ternary counterparts were measured to have a reduced conductivity and dielectric loss along with a favourable high permittivity. The best ternary composite filled with 5.0 wt% BN and 1.5 wt% graphite had a permittivity of ~64, loss of ~0.097 and conductivity of ~5.7 × 10−7 S m−1 at 100 Hz. This work may provide a rational approach for preparing high-performance composite dielectrics through an excellent synergy of conductive and insulating fillers.

Covalent coupling regulated thermal conductivity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/boron nitride composite film based on silane molecular structure

Creating covalent bonds between inorganic fillers and polymer matrix is an effective method to enhance the thermal conductivity (TC) of composite materials, while the detailed mechanism is still not clear. By introducing different silane coupling agents (SCAs) bonding poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and functionalized boron nitride (fBN), intrinsic relationship between molecular structure of silane crosslinkers and TC of PVA-fBN composite has been systematically investigated. The results show that the SCAs molecules with short side chain, i.e. vinyl triethoxysilane (VTES) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), increase the TC of composite polymer, with maximum value of 1.636 W/m·K, which is 337.3% of that of PVA/fBN. In contrast, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane (GPTMS) with long side chain decreases the TC to 54.4% of that of PVA-fBN. The number of hydrolyzable SiOR of SCAs molecules affects the TC of PVA-fBN composite through controlling the self-condensation degree of SCAs. Integrated with atomistic simulations, these findings provide new insights for the design of polymer-based thermal management materials.

Comparative study of thermal and radical-enhanced methods for growing boron nitride films from diborane and ammonia

This work studies the deposition of boron/boron nitride (B/BN) composite films at low substrate temperature (275–375 °C) by alternating pulses of diborane (B2H6) and ammonia (NH3) with argon purging in between to avoid gas-phase reactions of the precursors. This process is similar to atomic layer deposition in which the dominance of surface reactions simplifies the growth mechanism. However, non-self-limiting decomposition of B2H6 and incomplete nitridation lead to the incorporation of pure boron (pure-B), causing deviation from the desired 1:1 B:N stoichiometry. Using the pure-B fraction as a measure of incomplete nitridation, this article describes consecutive experiments to control this effect and ultimately understand it in the context of a surface reaction model. First, it is demonstrated that, in a purely thermal mode, the growth of the layers and their composition strongly depend on the total gas pressure. The pure-B content (not to be confused with the total boron content) could thus be varied in the range of ∼6–70 vol. %. Next, enhancement of nitridation by the dissociation of NH3 into reactive radicals using a hot-wire was found to be insufficient to produce stoichiometric BN. Finally, plasma-assisted deposition at 310 °C resulted in nearly stoichiometric polycrystalline BN with an interplane distance matching that of hexagonal BN; the material was stable in air for at least six months. The pressure dependence in the purely thermal mode is consistent with a growth model of BN from B2H6 and NH3 via the so-called surface-adduct mechanism. The effects of the radical-enhanced methods on nitridation are explained using this model.

The influence of carbon content on the microstructure, mechanical and frictional property of chromium carbon nitride composite films

In this paper, a series of chromium carbon nitride (CrCN) composite films with various carbon content were deposited by changing the power of carbon target using RF-reactive magnetron sputtering system in the argon and nitrogen mixture gases. The microstructure, mechanical and frictional properties of CrCN films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoindentation and friction tester. According to the experimental results, the deposited binary CrN film exhibited a single face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, whereas the addition of carbon into the CrN matrix induced the formation of other phases of carbon and CNx. Both the solid solution strengthening and the increase of compressive residual stress improved the hardness from ~17 GPa at 0 at.% carbon to ~19 GPa at 6.3 at.% carbon. With the increase of C content, the friction curve of the CrCN film stabilized gradually and the average friction coefficient decreased gradually from 0.62 at 0 at.% carbon to 0.40 at 23.7 at.% carbon. The formation of lubricating amorphous carbon and CNx phase in the films mainly attributed to the improvement of friction property.