Oxygen Diffusion Barrier Research Articles

Development of Hematite Nano Ellipsoids/Pectin Composite Films for Green Packaging Applications.

Synthetic packaging materials are known to cause serious environmental and human health problems. Among the eco-friendly biopolymers from nonfood sources that are suitable for packaging applications, pectin is a promising candidate. However, native pectin films (NPF) exhibit poor mechanical strength, high hydrophilicity, and poor gas diffusion barrier properties. These shortcomings offset the advantages of pectin as a potential packaging material. To address these limitations, in this study, hematite nano ellipsoids (HNEs) were incorporated as fillers to reinforce native pectin films. This reinforcement resulted in substantial improvements in the mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, thermal stability, barrier properties, and optical attributes of pectin films. Compared to NPF, the pectin-hematite composite film exhibited a 35% increase in tensile strength, a 30° increase in contact angle, a 6-fold increase in the oxygen diffusion barrier properties, and a 20% increase in the water vapor barrier properties. This study presents a sustainable, biocompatible, and biodegradable packaging solution by capitalizing on eco-friendly biopolymer and nanoparticle engineering.

Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks/Epoxy Composite Coatings with Superior O2/H2O Resistance for Anticorrosion Applications.

Corrosion protection technology plays a crucial role in preserving infrastructure, ensuring safety and reliability, and promoting long-term sustainability. In this study, we combined experiments and various analyses to investigate the mechanism of corrosion occurring on the epoxy-based anticorrosive coating containing the additive of two-dimensional (2D) and water-stable zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs). By using benzoic acid as the modulator for the growth of the MOF, a 2D MOF constructed from hexazirconium clusters and BTB linkers (BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene) with coordinated benzoate (BA-ZrBTB) can be synthesized. By coating the BA-ZrBTB/epoxy composite film (BA-ZrBTB/EP) on the surface of cold-rolled steel (CRS), we found the lowest coating roughness (RMS) of BA-ZrBTB/EP is 2.83 nm with the highest water contact angle as 99.8°, which represents the hydrophobic coating surface. Notably, the corrosion rate of the BA-ZrBTB/EP coating is 2.28 × 10-3 mpy, which is 4 orders of magnitude lower than that of the CRS substrate. Moreover, the energy barrier for oxygen diffusion through BA-ZrBTB/EP coating is larger than that for epoxy coating (EP), indicating improved oxygen resistance for adding 2D Zr-MOFs as the additive. These results underscore the high efficiency and potential of BA-ZrBTB as a highly promising agent for corrosion prevention in various commercial applications. Furthermore, this study represents the first instance of applying 2D Zr-MOF materials in anticorrosion applications, opening up new possibilities for advanced corrosion-resistant coatings.

The effect of chromium-based coatings on corrosion behavior of alloy Zr1Nb in 70ppm Li+ water environment

Recent research indicates that one of the leading candidates for Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) are chromium-based coatings deposited on the commercially used zirconium alloys. The chromium-based coatings seem to improve the corrosion kinetics of underlying zirconium in both primary water and steam, where zirconium fails to meet the safety requirements. It is well known that the corrosion kinetics of zirconium can be negatively influenced by high concentrations of lithium ions. To evaluate the effect of chromium-based coatings on corrosion behavior of zirconium alloys in water containing elevated concentrations of lithium, Cr and CrN/Cr multilayer coated Zr1Nb alloy was tested in high temperature water containing 70 ppm Li+. Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), we have found that the chromium coating could have a positive effect on the underlying material as it behaves as a good diffusion barrier for oxygen and Li+ions. On the other hand, CrN/Cr coating, due to not sufficient structural integrity of the multilayer, showed non-protective behavior to the Zr1Nb alloy. Our results suggest that certain chromium coatings can significantly enhance corrosion resistance in lithium containing water environments.

Influence of Hf Doping on the Oxygen Behaviors on ZrCo(110) Surface Using First-Principles Calculation

ZrCo alloy is easily poisoned by impurity gases such as O2, CO, and CO2, resulting in a deterioration in hydrogen storage performance. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation into the adsorption and dissociation characteristics of oxygen on the ZrCo(110) surface using first-principles calculations. Previous studies indicated that the anti-disproportionation properties of ZrCo alloy can be significantly improved by Hf substitution, but the effect of Hf doping on the anti-poisoning properties has not been reported. We also examined the effect of Hf doping on the adsorption, dissociation, and diffusion characteristics of oxygen. It is found that on the ZrCo(110) surface, O2 molecules are easily dissociated and then stably adsorbed at the hollow site. Oxygen atoms will fill the surface preferentially and then diffuse inward. The doping of Hf has an insignificant impact on the adsorption or dissociation behavior of oxygen in comparison to the pure ZrCo surface. However, a notable observation is that the doping of Hf resulted in a reduction in the diffusion barrier for oxygen from the surface to the subsurface by 0.61 eV. Consequently, our study suggests that doping Hf is not an advisable strategy for improving the ZrCo(110) surface’s resistance to O2 poisoning because of improved oxygen permeability.

Influence of silicon content on high temperature tribology performance of TiAlCrSiN coatings

A series of TiAlCrSiXN coatings with various silicon contents were fabricated on Si(100) and 304 stainless steel substrates using a radiofrequency magnetron sputtering system, aiming to examine the effects of various Si content on wear behaviors at room temperature and 700 °C. The addition of silicon notably increased the coatings' hardness from 21 GPa to 29 GPa, attributed to significant compressive residual stress (−3.4 GPa) that inhibited dislocation movement. Room temperature wear tests revealed that wear rates varied between 0.6 and 3.7 (10−6mm3N−1 m−1) with increasing silicon content. The lowest wear rate is observed at a silicon content of 3.1 at.%, which is associated with an ideal residual stress of −1.2 GPa. This stress level played a crucial role in preventing crack propagation and delamination, thus enhancing wear protection. At 700 °C, the coatings' wear resistance was mainly governed by their oxidation resistance, with the most resistant coatings exhibiting wear rates from 1.6 to 4.4 (10−6mm3N−1 m−1). The silicon addition promoted the formation of an amorphous Si3N4 phase, serving as an oxygen diffusion barrier, thus enhancing resistance to oxidation at elevated temperatures. The findings suggest that TiAlCrSiN coatings offer a promising solution for advanced tribological applications, demonstrating improved performance at temperatures up to 700 °C.

Insight into the effect of Ti substitutions on the static oxidation behavior of (Hf,Ti)C at 2500 ​°C

Hf-based carbides are highly desirable candidate materials for oxidizing environments above 2000 ​°C. However, the static oxidation behavior at their potential service temperatures remains unclear. To fill this gap, the static oxidation behavior of (Hf, Ti)C and the effect of Ti substitutions were investigated in air at 2500 ​°C under an oxygen partial pressure of 4.2 ​kPa. After oxidation for 2000 ​s, the thickness of the oxide layer on the surface of (Hf, Ti)C bulk ceramic is reduced by 62.29 ​% compared with that on the HfC monocarbide surface. The dramatic improvement in oxidation resistance is attributed to the unique oxide layer structure consisting of various crystalline oxycarbides, HfO2, and carbon. The Ti-rich oxycarbide ((Ti, Hf)CxOy) dispersed within HfO2 formed the major structure of the oxide layer. A coherent boundary with lattice distortion existed at the HfO2/(Ti, Hf)CxOy interface along the (111) crystal plane direction, which served as an effective oxygen diffusion barrier. The Hf-rich oxycarbide ((Hf, Ti)CxOy) together with (Ti, Hf)CxOy, HfO2, and precipitated carbon constituted a dense transition layer, ensuring favorable bonding between the oxide layer and the matrix. The Ti content affects the oxidation resistance of (Hf, Ti)C by determining the oxide layer's phase distribution and integrity.

Novel Cr/Si-Slurry Diffusion Coatings for High Temperatures

Surface enrichment in Al, Si, and Cr can greatly improve high temperature oxidation resistance of many alloys. Al, Si, and Cr coatings are commonly applied via simple slurries or more complex pack cementation processes. Due to the high melting point of Cr, the deposition of Cr-based diffusion coatings by the slurry technique has proved challenging, and to date, Cr has mostly been applied by pack cementation. Here, a novel Cr-Si coating process via the slurry technique is described which has been developed and then demonstrated on two Ni-based superalloys, Rene 80 and Inconel 740H. The addition of Si to the slurry lowers the melting point via a Cr-Si eutectic and enables the formation of a liquid phase during heat treatment. Through this Cr-Si slurry coating process diffusion layers enriched by Cr and Si of about 150 µm were achieved. Oxidation behavior was studied through isothermal exposures at 900 °C for 1000 h in lab air. Uncoated Rene 80 and IN740H both showed formation of a Ti-containing Cr2O3 scale below a thin TiO2 top layer. Underneath the external scale a zone of internally oxidized Al grew over the exposure time and reduced the load-bearing cross-section progressively. In comparison, the Cr/Si-coated samples did not show internal Al oxidation, but a slow-growing Si-rich oxide film underneath the external Cr2O3 scale. This subscale represents an additional oxygen diffusion barrier. Thus, the weight gain during exposure for the coated samples was significantly lower than for the uncoated materials.

High-temperature oxidation-wear properties of Ru-doped cermet

The oxidation-wear properties of WC-Co cermet at high temperatures were remarkably enhanced by Ru addition for increasing life expectancy of cermet tools in high-speed cutting processes. The oxidation-resistant mechanisms of Co with substitutional Ru were disclosed by calculating the energy barrier for oxygen adsorption and diffusion in Co with and without Ru doping. Particularly, the oxidation of WC was effectively inhibited due to the suppression of reactions between cobalt oxides and WO3. Thus less cracking occurred in the Ru-containing cermet as its tribolayer contained fewer oxides with low shear resistance, which in turn protected the subsurface materials from further oxidation.

Effect of particle size on ignition and oxidation of single aluminum: molecular dynamics study

Alumina nanoparticle is one of the attractive nanoparticles synthesized by the plasma method. The oxidation step in this method is challenging to explain experimentally. This work was to perform a molecular dynamics simulation to determine the oxidation mechanism of aluminum nanoparticles with different sizes and oxidation levels in the oxide layer. This work was to perform a molecular dynamics simulation to determine the oxidation mechanism of aluminum nanoparticles with different sizes and oxidation levels in the oxide layer. The simulation method employed the ReaxFF potential. The material used is aluminum nanoparticles in three different sizes (8, 12, and 16 nm) with an oxide layer thickness of 0.5 nm. Aluminum nanoparticles were given a relaxation treatment of 300 K for 1 ps and then heated to a temperature of 3250 K with a heating rate of 5×1013 K/s and cooled to 300 K. The ensemble used is a canonical ensemble with the Nose/Hoover thermostat method. The result shows that the higher the temperature applied to the system, the more oxygen molecules adsorption occurs on the surface of the oxide layer and the diffusion of oxygen to the particle core. The higher temperature applied also causes gaps, or void spaces, between the core and the shell. The reaction barrier for diffusion of oxygen also decreased significantly due to void space, and the surface of the aluminum core dissociates to the surface (alumina shell). Particles with a smaller size have a shorter ignition delay time. In addition, the smaller the particle size, the more oxygen molecules' reacted with aluminum particles in the particle core

Microstructure and Ablation Behavior of C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C Composites Prepared by Reactive Melt Infiltration Method.

C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites were prepared by the reactive melt infiltration method. The microstructure of the porous C/C skeleton and the C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites, as well as the structural evolution and ablation behavior of the C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites, were systematically investigated. The results show that the C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites were mainly composed of carbon fiber, carbon matrix, SiC ceramic, (ZrxHf1-x)C and (ZrxHf1-x)Si2 solid solutions. The refinement of the pore structure is beneficial to promote the formation of (ZrxHf1-x)C ceramic. The C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites exhibited outstanding ablation resistance under an air-plasma environment at around 2000 °C. After ablation for 60 s, CMC-1 appeared to possess the minimum mass and linear ablation rates of only 2.696 mg/s and -0.814 µm/s, respectively, which are lower than those of CMC-2 and CMC-3. During the ablation process, a Bi-liquid phase and a liquid-solid two-phase structure were formed on the ablation surface which could act as an oxygen diffusion barrier to retard further ablation, which is responsible for the excellent ablation resistance of the C/C-SiC-(ZrxHf1-x)C composites.

Anti-oxidation of emissing agents in TaSi2–MoSi2-borosilicate glass high emissivity coating

Glass high emissivity coatings with TaSi 2 as emissing agents faced with the oxidation of emissing agents during coating preparation and sintering. In this work, four kinds of coatings with the same raw materials composition and different preparation processes (using silica sol or water as the solvent for coating slurry, and applying fast heating sintering or normal sintering, respectively) were prepared. The microstructures, phase compositions, coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE), surface roughness and emissivity of the four coatings were compared, and the oxidation processes of TaSi 2 during sintering were investigated. Results showed that using silica sol as solvent or applying fast-heating sintering could effectively reduce the oxidation of TaSi 2 , and the total emissivities at the wavelength range of 1–22 μm were increased by 9.9% and 15.0%, respectively. The anti-oxidation mechanisms involved forming silica gel coverages on the TaSi 2 particles as oxygen diffusion barriers before coating densification and reducing the oxidation time during heating from the initial TaSi 2 oxidation temperature (900 °C) to glassy phase formation temperature (1300 °C), respectively. The oxidation of TaSi 2 was basically avoided when the two anti-oxidation measures were used simultaneously, and the as-prepared coating (Sol-FHS) exhibited the densest structure, the closest CTE to the substrate and the lowest surface roughness. However, Sol-FHS did not present the highest emissivity due to its low surface roughness.

Tissue-specific regulation of lipid polyester synthesis genes controlling oxygen permeation into Lotus japonicus nodules

Legumes establish endosymbiotic associations with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, which they host inside root nodules. Here, specific physiological and morphological adaptations, such as the production of oxygen-binding leghemoglobin proteins and the formation of an oxygen diffusion barrier in the nodule periphery, are essential to protect the oxygen-labile bacterial nitrogenase enzyme. The molecular basis of the latter process remains elusive as the identification of required genes is limited by the epistatic effect of nodule organogenesis over nodule infection and rhizobia accommodation. We overcame this by exploring the phenotypic diversity of Lotus japonicus accessions that uncouple nodule organogenesis from nodule infection when inoculated with a subcompatible Rhizobium strain. Using comparative transcriptomics, we identified genes with functions associated with oxygen homeostasis and deposition of lipid polyesters on cell walls to be specifically up-regulated in infected compared to noninfected nodules. As hydrophobic modification of cell walls is pivotal for creating diffusion barriers like the root endodermis, we focused on two Fatty acyl-CoA Reductase genes that were specifically activated in the root and/or in the nodule endodermis. Mutant lines in a Fatty acyl-CoA Reductase gene expressed exclusively in the nodule endodermis had decreased deposition of polyesters on this cell layer and increased nodule permeability compared to wild-type plants. Oxygen concentrations were significantly increased in the inner cortex of mutant nodules, which correlated with reduced nitrogenase activity, and impaired shoot growth. These results provide the first genetic evidence for the formation of the nodule oxygen diffusion barrier, a key adaptation enabling nitrogen fixation in legume nodules.

Effect of Si-addition on structure and thermal stability of Ti-Al-N coatings

The superior mechanical properties and thermal stability of Ti-Al-Si-N coatings have attracted extensive research interests in academia as well as industry. In this study, Ti 0.52 Al 0.48 N, Ti 0.53 Al 0.38 Si 0.09 N, Ti 0.43 Al 0.48 Si 0.09 N, and Ti 0.48 Al 0.38 Si 0.14 N coatings are developed by arc-evaporation. This compositional variation allows to study the impact of Al and Si on structure, thermal stability, and oxidation behavior. Incorporation of Si into Ti-Al-N leads to a nanocomposite structure with an amorphous-like SiN x boundary-phase – encapsulating small crystalline Ti-Al-N grains – and promotes wurtzite-type AlN formation. This causes a significant change in the mechanical and thermal properties of the originally single-phase face-centered cubic structured Ti 0.52 Al 0.48 N. The Si-containing coatings experience an initial increase in hardness from 29.1 ± 1.0 GPa for Ti 0.52 Al 0.48 N to 33.1 ± 1.2 GPa for Ti 0.53 Al 0.38 Si 0.09 N, and then a decrease to 26.4 ± 0.8 GPa for Ti 0.43 Al 0.48 Si 0.09 N and 28.1 ± 0.8 GPa for Ti 0.48 Al 0.38 Si 0.14 N. Alloying with Si improves the thermal stability of Ti-Al-N by retarding the decomposition towards its thermodynamically stable constituents TiN and AlN. Moreover, the oxidation resistance of Ti-Al-N can be largely improved by the Si-addition due to the retarded anatase-to-rutile TiO 2 transformation as well as the formation of a protective oxide scale at the nitride-to-oxide interface. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy studies reveal that the oxide scales of the Si-containing coatings exhibit a lamellar structure comprising Al-rich, TiSi-rich, and/or Ti-rich oxide layers. Higher Si and, especially, higher Al content is favorable to the formation of an Al-rich layer, which can act as a diffusion barrier for oxygen. Especially, all Si-containing coatings present an abnormal oxidation behavior, where the consumed nitride layer thickness is not continuously increasing with oxidation temperature. • Both thermal stability and oxidation resistance are enhanced after Si-alloying. • The effect of Si on the oxidation behavior of Ti-Al-Si-N is multifold. • The Si/Ti ratio of 0.21 retards the anatase-to-rutile transformation most. • Si-alloying leads to an abnornal oxidation behavior of Ti-Al-N coatings.

Clarifying the mitigation effect of proton irradiation on the intergranular oxidation of 316L stainless steel in high temperature water

The role of proton irradiation in the intergranular oxidation of 316L stainless steel after long-term immersion in simulated PWR primary water was clarified by comparing the microstructural and microchemical features of oxide between the irradiated grain boundary (GB) and its un-irradiated counterpart. As such, the interference from difference in GB structure can be ruled out. Surprisingly, the results reveal that the intergranular oxide penetration in the irradiated region is shallower than that in the un-irradiated region. It is found that Si segregated at the irradiated GB diffuses outwards preferentially and gets oxidized due to its high diffusivity and affinity to oxygen. The Si-enriched oxide in the intergranular oxide tip of irradiated GB can act as a temporary diffusion barrier for oxygen, although it tends to dissolve near the sample surface. Meanwhile, the efficiency of elements (especially Cr) transport along irradiated GB to the oxidation front is promoted mainly due to the vacancies created by preferential diffusion of Si, resulting in higher Cr content at the intergranular oxide tip. The combination of Si and Cr enrichments in the intergranular oxide tip can enhance the resistance to oxidation and eventually leads to a lower oxidation rate for the irradiated GB. For the first time, our study determines that irradiation can enhance the intergranular oxidation resistance of stainless steel after long-term immersion in simulated PWR primary water when the sample is not stressed.

First-principles investigation of interaction between surface oxygen and other alloy atoms in α-Ti (0001) for designing high-temperature titanium alloy

The high-temperature titanium alloy faces the dilemma that the oxidation resistance decreases sharply with the increase of temperature. The first-principle calculation has been proved to reveal the antioxidant mechanism from the atomic perspective. Therefore, the changes in Ti-O interaction and oxygen diffusion barrier in α-Ti (0001) crystal plane doped with the alloying elements X have been systematically studied by first-principles calculations. The alloying elements that may improve the oxidation resistance of high-temperature titanium alloy were screened. On this basis, the effect of multi-alloying of Al and screening element Xt on oxygen adsorption and diffusion was further studied. The results show that the adsorption energy depends on the contribution of X-O/Ti-O covalent interaction. Compared with other alloying elements, Nb and Ta can weaken the adsorption of O and hinder the diffusion of surface O to sublayer, which is expected to improve the oxidation resistance of high-temperature titanium alloys. When Al-Ta co-doped, the hindering effects on oxygen adsorption and oxygen diffusion can be superimposed. When both elements are located on the surface, the adsorption and diffusion of oxygen are the most difficult. This work contributes to the rational design of high-temperature titanium alloys.

On thermal stability and oxidation behavior of metastable W–Zr thin-film alloys

The thermal stability and oxidation behavior of metastable W–Zr thin-film alloys with up to 83 at.% Zr were thoroughly investigated with a focus on the effect of gradual substitution of Zr for W. The films were prepared by dc magnetron co-sputtering of W and Zr targets in argon on unheated and unbiased substrates. The experiments showed that a supersaturated α-W(Zr) solid solution structure of as-deposited W-rich films with up to 19 at.% Zr is highly thermally stable up to 1200 °C in argon and the thermal stability of the W–Zr thin-film metallic glasses (33–83 at.% Zr) decreases with increasing Zr content. Nevertheless, the thermal stability of the W–Zr thin-film metallic glass with 33 at.% Zr reaches 1420 °C, which is very high value for binary metallic glass. The annealing of W-rich films (0–24 at.% Zr) in air leads to the formation of a protective surface oxide layer, which serves as a more effective oxygen diffusion barrier due to an increasing packing factor and amorphization with Zr addition. On the other hand, no protective surface oxide layer is grown during the annealing in air in the case of the W–Zr thin-film metallic glasses and the oxidation leads to the formation of compact, homogeneously oxidized substoichiometric W–Zr–O films with an amorphous structure and enhanced mechanical properties before reaching the final mass gain.

Microstructure evolution and elevated temperature wear performance of in-situ laser-synthesized Ti-25Al-17Nb coating on Ti-6Al-4V

A ternary Ti-25Al-17 Nb coating (89.5 vol. % O phase and 4.3 vol. % α2 phase) was fabricated from the pre-alloyed powder by in-situ laser synthesis. The powder was laser scanned to form α2 phase at high temperature and subsequently precipitated primary Ti2AlNb phase (O phase) in an acicular structure; while the secondary fine acicular O phase was squeezed due to the expansion of α2 phase with induced some edge dislocations and mixed dislocations. The dense and hard Al2O3 film gradually replaced the loose and porous TiO2 oxide film as an oxygen diffusion barrier, thereby reducing the possibility of brittle oxide formation and significantly increasing the wear resistance and oxidation resistance, results in an excellent wear resistance at 800 ℃.

Recapitulating Tumor Hypoxia in a Cleanroom-Free, Liquid-Pinning-Based Microfluidic Tumor Model.

In tumors, the metabolic demand of cancer cells often outpaces oxygen supply, resulting in a gradient of tumor hypoxia accompanied with heterogeneous resistance to cancer therapeutics. Models recapitulating tumor hypoxia are therefore essential for developing more effective cancer therapeutics. Existing in vitro models often fail to capture the spatial heterogeneity of tumor hypoxia or involve high-cost, complex fabrication/handling techniques. Here, we designed a highly tunable microfluidic device that induces hypoxia through natural cell metabolism and oxygen diffusion barriers. We adopted a cleanroom-free, micromilling-replica-molding strategy and a microfluidic liquid-pinning approach to streamline the fabrication and tumor model establishment. We also implemented a thin-film oxygen diffusion barrier design, which was optimized through COMSOL simulation, to support both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) hypoxic models. We demonstrated that liquid-pinning enables an easy, injection-based micropatterning of cancer cells of a wide range of parameters, showing the high tunability of our design. Human breast cancer and prostate cancer cells were seeded and stained after 24 h of 2-D and 3-D culture to validate the natural induction of hypoxia. We further demonstrated the feasibility of the parallel microfluidic channel design to evaluate dual therapeutic conditions in the same device. Overall, our new microfluidic tumor model serves as a user-friendly, cost-effective, and highly scalable platform that provides spatiotemporal analysis of the hypoxic tumor microenvironments suitable for high-content biological studies and therapeutic discoveries.

Long-term oxidation behaviors of Si-Cr-W multiphase coating on SiC coated C/C composites at 1773 K and 1973 K

To obtain long-term oxidation protection for C/C composites at high temperatures, a dense Si-Cr-W multiphase ceramic coating was prepared on the surface of SiC coated C/C composites by a combined method of slurry brushing, heat treatment and liquid silicon infiltration, which drastically enhanced the oxidation resistance of SiC coated C/C composites at 1773 K and 1973 K in air. The microstructure evolution, phase composition and oxidation behavior of the multiphase coating were analyzed before and after oxidation. Results display that the Si-Cr-W coating with a thickness of ~ 115 µm possessed a dense and uniform multiphase mosaic structure (WSi2, CrSi2, Cr5Si3, SiC and Si). The mass loss of the coated sample was only 1.08 mg/cm2 after oxidation for 325 h at 1773 K in air owing to the formation of the compact compound glass layer (SiO2, Cr2O3 and WO3) acted as an oxygen diffusion barrier. The coating can effectively protect C/C substrate from oxidation for 76 h at 1973 K in air, demonstrating its outstanding high-temperature oxidation protective ability.

Achieving Superior High-Temperature Strength and Oxidation Resistance of TiAl Nanocomposite through In Situ Semicoherent MAX Phase Precipitation.

Increasing the service temperature of TiAl intermetallics is the main challenge for the development of next-generation aircraft. Dispersion-strengthening, an effective means to further improve the high-temperature performance of metals, fails to implement in TiAl intermetallics due to difficulties in interface optimization. Here, we successively fabricate a TiAl naocomposite with fully lamellar microstructures and homogeneously dispersed Ti2AlC nanoprecipitates via spark plasma sintering. The composite consisted of semicoherent interfaces among γ-TiAl/Ti2AlC precipitates/α2-Ti3Al, in addition to continuous polysynthetic nanotwins. Strong pinning effects as well as strain-induced nanoscale TiCr2 precipitation uplift the operation temperature of TiAl nanocomposites by more than 50 °C. Furthermore, we experimentally proved that semicoherent interfaces among in situ Ti2AlC precipitates and its surrounding matrix serve as oxygen diffusion barrier during isothermal oxidization and significantly drop down the mass gain of TiAl nanocomposites during operation, making the present nanocomposite a highly potential candidate for use as light-weight structural materials in automotive and aerospace industries.