Roughness Of Coatings Research Articles

Electrospray deposited plant-based polymer nanocomposite coatings with enhanced antibacterial activity for Ti-6Al-4V implants

The present study was designed to apply the Electrospray Deposition (ESD) coating on metallic biomaterials used in dentistry with plant-based polymer nanocomposite materials. Nano silvers (AgNPs) were produced with an average size of 34 nm and homogenous distribution. As the nanosilver modification rate in the coatings increased, the surface roughness decreased compared with that of the neat sample. The most mechanically and chemically stable coating samples were the 0.1 %, 0.3 %, and 0.5 % nanosilver-modified samples. In addition, plant extracts increased the mechanical strength of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) coatings by at least two times compared to that of neat coatings. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images revealed that the surface roughness of the nanosilver-modified coatings was lower than that of the plant extract-modified and neat samples. It was observed that bacterial growth could be reduced by up to 100 times with increasing nano‑silver ratio in all nano-silver-modified coatings. Toxicity tests confirmed that the green synthesized nano-silvers did not show toxic effects on HaCaT live cells and A549 lung cancer cells, with the use of concentrations of 62 μg/mL and below in coatings.

MOCOS-associated renal syndrome in a Brown Swiss cattle.

A recessive form of MOCOS-associated xanthinuria type II is described in Tyrolean grey cattle. A similar case was identified in a 5-month-old Brown Swiss calf with hoof overgrowth, rough coat, urine sediment, and pneumonia. To characterize the disease phenotype, to evaluate its genetic etiology, and to determine the prevalence of the deleterious allele in the Brown Swiss population. An affected calf, its parents, and 65 441 Swiss dairy cattle. The affected animal was clinically examined and necropsied. Microarray genotyping was used to determine the genotypes and to assess the frequency of the MOCOS allele in a Brown Swiss control cohort. Ultrasonography revealed hyperechoic renal pyramids with multifocal distal shadowing and echogenic sediment in the urinary bladder. Necropsy revealed suppurative bronchopneumonia and urolithiasis. Histology revealed numerous nephroliths with multifocal chronic lymphohistiocytic interstitial infiltrates, fibrosis, tubular degeneration, chronic multifocal glomerulonephritis with sclerosis, and bilateral hydronephrosis. Dysplastic changes were observed in the corium of the claw and the cornea. Genetic testing identified the homozygous presence of a known MOCOS frameshift variant in the case. Both parents were heterozygous and the prevalence of carriers in genotyped Brown Swiss cattle was 1.4% (342/24337). The findings were consistent with the diagnosis of a recessive renal syndrome similar to xanthinuria type II described in Tyrolean grey cattle. The prevalence of the deleterious MOCOS allele is low in the Brown Swiss breed. However, mating of carriers should be avoided to prevent further losses.

The hydrothermal performance and corrosion resistance of MgO@Nb2O5 composite coatings on Mg–7Y alloy in natural seawater

MgO@Nb2O5 composite coating was prepared on the surface of Mg–7Y alloy by micro-arc oxidation technique. The microstructure of the composite coatings was tested by scanning electron microscopy, energy spectrum analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning kelvin probe force microscope. The hydrothermal performance and corrosion resistance of MgO@Nb2O5 composite coatings were analyzed by electrochemistry tests and laser confocal. The results showed that microspore diameter, porosity and roughness of the composite coatings were all decreased with the increasing of Nb2O5 concentration. The micro-arc oxidation composite coatings were mainly composed of MgO and Nb2O5. Compared with the micro-arc oxidation coating without Nb2O5, the corrosion voltage of the micro-arc oxidation coating with Nb2O5 was increased and the corrosion current was reduced. The corrosion resistance of Mg–7Y alloy was effectively improved by the MgO@Nb2O5 composite coatings, and the best corrosion resistance of the micro-arc oxidation coating was achieved when the Nb2O5 concentration was 2 g/L. The hydrothermal test demonstrated that the hydrothermal resistance of the coatings was significantly improved due to the addition of Nb2O5.

The effect of substrate bias voltage on the mechanical and electrochemical corrosion properties of multilayered CrN/CrAlN coatings produced by cathodic arc evaporation

AbstractThe multilayered CrN/CrAlN film was deposited on the SS420 substrate by cathodic arc evaporation technique. The effect of substrate bias voltage was investigated on the microstructure, surface morphology, and mechanical and electrochemical corrosion properties of the deposited film. The deposited CrN/CrAlN coatings were characterized by X‐ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope techniques. Mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and surface morphology of the coated samples were studied by nano‐indentation, polarization test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Adhesive and dense nanostructure CrN and CrAlN phases were successfully deposited on the substrate. The refinement of the coating crystallite was observed from 31.2 to 24.3 nm by increasing the substrate bias voltage, this improved the mechanical properties of the coating. The number of macroparticles, pinholes and porosities, and the surface roughness of coatings significantly decreased by increasing the substrate bias voltage. The CrN/CrAlN coating reduced the corrosion current density in contrast to the SS420 substrate. Better corrosion resistance was obtained for the coating deposited at 150 V of bias voltage due to lower defects in the film structure.

Thermal performance of fouling-resistant polymer nanocomposite coatings in heat exchangers

This paper presents an experimental study on the thermal performance of novel polymer nanocomposite coatings under the fouling environments with particular emphasis on their ability to exhibit anti-fouling and anti-wetting behaviour. Two different weight fractions at 0.3%, and 0.5% of the reduced graphene oxide/Epoxy (rGO-ER7004) and reduced graphene oxide/polyurethane (rGO-UR9002) coatings were applied to stainless steel substrates by a facile spray coating technique. To evaluate the anti-fouling performance of the coatings, the specimens were immersed in the Modified Baar's Medium for 672 h. The antifouling performance was evaluated by comparing the overall heat transfer effectiveness of the nano coated and bare specimens at different immersion intervals. Three different flow rates, viz. 4 lpm, 6 lpm and 8 lpm were used to compare the heat transfer effectiveness. The incorporation of rGO lead to a significant reduction in the wettability and surface roughness of coatings. amongst all the investigated coatings, the heat exchange with rGO/UR9002 0.5 wt.% coatings showed the highest heat transfer effectiveness. A small reduction (∼10%) in the heat transfer effectiveness after an immersion in the fouling media for 672 h was noticed. This can be attributed to the accumulation of salt particles on the coatings, observed visually. Finally, the 1-D heat transfer analysis is performed using finite element method based approach to evaluate the effect of the nano coatings and foulants on the temperature drop. It is deduced that a small foulant layer can significantly impede the heat transfer across the substrate. A strong correlation (∼0.99) between the heat transfer effectiveness and temperature drop is observed.

Effect of Spraying Power on the Tribological Properties of Alumina and Alumina-Graphite Coatings

Atmospheric plasma spraying is used to deposit alumina and alumina-graphite composite coatings. The influence of arc current (plasma temperature) on the microstructure, roughness, elemental composition, and phase composition of the coatings is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface roughness testing, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The tribological properties of the sprayed coatings are analyzed using a tribometer with a ball-on-flat configuration. The roughness of the as-sprayed coatings increases and the size of the granules decreases with the increase in plasma temperature. The results demonstrate that the friction coefficients and wear rates are slightly reduced for Al2O3 coatings sprayed at higher arc currents. The Al2O3-graphite coatings register lower friction coefficient values than the Al2O3 coatings under dry sliding conditions.

Synthesis of hexagonal boron nitride nanocoatings for corrosion prevention of iron substrates

Iron and its alloys have applications in diverse fields such as civil infrastructure, aerospace, and defense. Corrosion of these alloys in saline environments is a significant concern that causes huge environmental losses. The current study explores pulsed laser deposition technique to synthesize hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) films as protective coatings, directly on iron (Fe), to mitigate the corrosion. Microstructural, mechanical, wetting, and corrosion properties of hBN-coated Fe substrates were investigated at different deposition temperatures (25–800 °C) and varying thicknesses (35–115 nm). Raman spectra and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of hBN in as-deposited films. Crystallinity and surface roughness of hBN coatings increased as deposition temperature increased. Electrochemical studies performed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution showed that the 115 nm thick hBN coatings deposited at 600 °C resulted in lower corrosion rates and has ~6-fold higher corrosion resistance than bare Fe. Also, the corrosion rates decreased with an increase in hBN coating thickness. Overall results suggest that hBN nanocoatings reduced the corrosion activity and can potentially serve as a corrosion-resistant barrier coatings in saline environments.

Semiconductor TiO2 Coating Deposited by Microwave Plasma Method

Transparent conducting glass is a crucial layer of Dye Synthesized Solar Cell (DSSC), due to it allows sunlight penetrating to the solar cell. DSSC has a low efficiency until semiconductor Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) was employed as the anode material. TiO2 has a high photosensitivity, high structure, stability under solar irradiation and in solution, and low cost. In this study TiO2 was deposited on the conductive glass using microwave plasma method. Plasma was generated using electromagnetic wave from microwave magnetron. TiO2 powder was dissolved using pure water and ethanol at different concentration. The coating process was conducted on a 2.5 x 2.5 cm of a conductive glass, and the effect of plasma generation time was observed at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes. The thickness, roughness, and microstructure of TiO2 coating on the conductive glass was observed using 3D measuring laser OLS4100. The result shows that the fabrication of TiO2 coatings using microwave plasma is feasible. The concentration of solution and plasma generation time plays an important role to the thickness, roughness, and microstructure of TiO2 coatings. An optimum result was obtained at plasma generation time of 0.5 minute with 12.49 μm and 3.398 μm of thickness and roughness respectively using 10 g TiO2 + 50 ml ethanol and 40 ml H2O.

Precipitative Coating of Calcium Phosphate on Microporous Silica–Titania Hybrid Particles in Simulated Body Fluid

Titania and silica have been recognized as potential drug delivery system (DDS) carriers. For this application, controllable biocompatibility and the suppression of the initial burst are required, which can be provided by a calcium phosphate (CP) coating. However, it is difficult to control the morphology of a CP coating on the surface of carrier particles owing to the homogeneous nucleation of CP. In this study, we report the development of a CP-coating method that homogeneously corresponds to the shapes of silica–titania (SiTi) porous nanoparticles. We also demonstrate that controlled surface roughness of CP coatings could be achieved in SBF using SiTi nanoparticles with a well-defined spherical shape, a uniform size, and a tunable nanoporous structure. The precipitation of CP was performed on mono-dispersed porous SiTi nanoparticles with different Si/Ti molar ratios and pore sizes. The pore size distribution was found to significantly affect the CP coating in SBF immersion; the surfaces of the nanoparticles with bimodal pore sizes of 0.7 and 1.1–1.2 nm became rough after CP precipitation, while those with a unimodal pore size of 0.7 nm remained smooth, indicating that these two pore sizes serve as different nucleation sites that lead to different surface morphologies.

Responsive polymer thin films

Responsive polymer thin films

Anticorrosive waterborne polyurethane coating with Gemini surfactant‐assisted exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets

AbstractThe uniform dispersion of hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) in a waterborne polymer matrix remains a challenge in preparing waterborne uniform h‐BN/polymer composite coating. Here, cationic Gemini surfactant (GS‐16) is used as a surfactant and intercalator to exfoliate and functionalize bulk h‐BN for preparing GS‐16‐functionalized h‐BN nanosheets (G‐BNNS). For comparison, the conventional hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant with the same structural unit was utilized to prepare CTAB‐functionalized BNNS (C‐BNNS). Compared with C‐BNNS, G‐BNNS exhibits larger lateral size, lower thickness, and larger specific surface area. G‐BNNS and C‐BNNS are subsequently blended with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to prepare composite coatings. Their morphologies, surface roughness, water resistance, mechanical properties and anticorrosive performance of composite coatings are comparatively studied. The water resistance, mechanical, and thermal stability of G‐BNNS/WPU‐0.3 wt% composite films are higher than that of C‐BNNS/WPU‐0.3 wt% and WPU films. The impedance modulus of G‐BNNS/WPU‐0.3 wt% is four orders of magnitude higher than that of pristine WPU and at least one order of magnitude higher than C‐BNNS/WPU‐0.3 wt%. GS‐16 is demonstrated to be an effective surfactant and intercalator to exfoliate and functionalize h‐BN. The as‐prepared G‐BNNS is also certified to be a high‐performance anticorrosive filler for waterborne polymer‐based coatings.

Synthesis, Wear and Corrosion of Novel Electrospark and Electrospark–Electrochemical Hybrid Coatings Based on Carbon Steels

The electrospark deposition (ESD) technique is a low-heat-input process that has great potential for coating applications and the restoration of damaged high-value parts. Carbon steels are commonly used as a substrate material for ESD coatings. However, we demonstrated that carbon steels could be used successfully as the electrode tool for the ESD process. Furthermore, ESD coatings commonly have a high as–deposited roughness. In view of this, in order to reduce the roughness of the ESD coatings, electrodeposition as a tool to alter surface morphology was investigated. Hence, the micro-leveling power of several electrolytes for Ni, Fe-W, Fe, and Cr electrodeposition were evaluated. The maximum leveling effect was detected for Ni electroplated from the Watts electrolyte. Thus, the novel hybrid coatings based on an ESD layer and a subsequent layer of electrodeposited Ni were obtained. ESD layers were obtained by using the following electrode tools as anodes: several types of carbon steels (St20, St30, and St45), alloys T15K6 (WC + TiC + Co), CuNiZn; and NiCr. The morphology and structure of the obtained hybrid coatings with an electrodeposited Ni top-layer was analyzed and compared to ESD coatings from the point of view of their wear and corrosion behavior. The wear rate of the novel ESD coatings based on carbon steels was comparable with coatings obtained using the NiCr electrode tool. Moreover, for all the studied cases, the corrosion resistance of the hybrid coatings was higher than for their ESD counterparts and close to electrolytic chromium.

Bioactive conductive polymeric nanocomposite coating for titanium implants

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings on titanium (Ti) substrates have attracted much attention owing to the combination of good mechanical properties of Ti and superior biocompactibility. In this study, an electrochemical deposition of hydroxyapatite was carried out by incorporating collagen peptide and polypyrrole. The developed coatings were subjected for in vitro mineralization for bioactivity in 1.5 Kukubo’s simulated body fluid and the performance was compared with that of the HAp coating developed by electrochemical deposition process. XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDS and AFM were used to investigate the crystallinity, chemical composition, microstructural morphology and surface roughness of the nanocomposite coatings. Electrochemical characterization and surface potential change of the coatings were carried out by EIS, CV studies. Enhanced biogrowth and adhesion was facilitated on HAp/Collagen/Polypyrrole nanocomposite coatings on Ti substrate. In summary, a simple electrochemical treatment can be used to fabricate highly adhesive bioactive coatings on implants that can interact effectively in body environment.

Synthesis and development of novel spherical mesoporous SiO2/HA particles and incorporating them in electrodeposited hydroxyapatite coatings for biomedical applications

In this work, mesoporous SiO2/HA particles were synthesized and were electrodeposited on NiTi along with hydroxyapatite. Characterization of the mesoporous particles showed spheres with a diameter of around 200 nm, including many plate-like particles which produced slit-shape pores. The composite coatings were formed by using various concentrations of particles inside the electrodeposition bath of HA. The objectives of the added mesoporous particles are to increase the mechanical and biological performances of the coatings. Morphological observations demonstrated that as the amount of particles increased, the number of HA nuclei on layers increased, and coatings became denser, having particle agglomerates in some regions. XRD patterns indicated that the mesoporous particles do not affect the crystalline texture of the HA and just increase the crystallization degree of the coating. The obtained AFM results showed the reverse effect of particles on the coatings roughness. The bonding strength of coatings took great advantage of particles and raised from 16.3 MPa for pure HA coating to 31.93 MPa for the coating formed in the solution containing 1000 mg/L of particles. However, further inclusion of particles was harmful in this case. Apatite formation was greatly improved thanks to mesoporous particles. They provided many active sites for nucleation and crystallization of apatite with smaller and regular sizes. Last but not least, cytotoxicity results obtained by culturing fibroblasts showed that the addition of an optimum number of mesoporous SiO2/HA particles was beneficial. The addition of a proper amount of mesoporous SiO2/HA particles with excellent mechanical and biological properties to the electrodeposited HA coating is a promising approach to improve the final clinical performance of the coatings.

Research on the Microstructure of Laser Remelted As-sprayed TiB2-TiC0.3N0.7 based Composite Coating

Ceramic coatings with excellent properties of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, stability in acid and alkaline environments, and good bond strength with a metallic substrate, are widely used in different industries. Air plasma spraying has high energy and efficiency for depositing ceramic materials with a high melting point. Due to intrinsic porosity and mechanical bond strength between coating and substrate, laser remelting technology can be applied to the coating surface for improving coating properties. As-sprayed TiB2-TiC0.3N0.7-based composite coating was surface remelted by laser. The surface roughness of as-sprayed and laser-remelted coatings was measured. The phase composition and the microstructure as well as the Vickers microhardness of coatings were studied by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Vickers indentation instrument. It is found that the phase composition does not change after laser remelting. However, the surface roughness of laser-remelted coating is smoother than that of as-sprayed coating. And the microhardness on the cross-section is increased after laser remelting. There is a micro-crack in the laser-remelted coating due to the fast heating and cooling of the laser. The microhardness of the laser-remelted coating is increased with bimodal Weibull distribution.

Oxide ceramic coatings with amorphous/nano-crystalline dual-structures prepared by micro-arc oxidation on Ti–Nb–Zr medium entropy alloy surfaces for biomedical applications

Due to the presence of multi-principal elements, the multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) are supposed to undergo competing oxidation reactions during micro-arc oxidation (MAO). In this work, Ti–Nb–Zr medium entropy alloy (MEA, MAO-Free) was MAO-treated at various applied voltage. For Ti–Nb–Zr MEA treated at 250 V (MAO-250 V), the coating microstructure was characterized by amorphous oxides of Ti, Nb and Zr from the substrate and amorphous compounds of CaO, Ca(OH)2, SiO2 and CaSiO3 from the electrolyte, which distributed homogeneously in coating matrix. Different from the microstructure of MAO-250 V group, tetragonal-ZrO2 nano-crystals dispersed in amorphous coating matrix were noticed for that treated at 300 V (MAO-300 V). For specimen treated at 350 V (MAO-350 V), the coating matrix exhibited higher crystallinity by composing of major tetragonal-ZrO2 and minor rutile-TiO2, with the presence of nano-sized amorphous regions. The pore size, porosity, surface roughness and hydrophilicity of coatings increased with the increase of applied voltage. An order of MAO-300 V > MAO-250 V > MAO-Free > MAO-350 V group was identified for the wear resistance. Moreover, the MAOed coatings exhibited comparable corrosion resistance and cyto-compatibility to MAO-Free group. Together, the results indicate that the MAO-300 V group with favorable wear resistance, corrosion resistance and cyto-compatibility is promising for biomedical applications.

Enhanced corrosion resistance and biofunctionality of Zn–Al layered double hydroxide coating on micro-arc oxidized ZK60 Mg alloy via ion exchange

In this work, zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxides (Zn–Al LDHs) were prepared on the surface of micro-arc oxidized ZK60 magnesium (Mg) alloy by a hydrotreatment in a Zn(NO3)2 solution. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), laser scanning confocal microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were applied to analyze the coating characteristics. Ion exchange experiments were performed on the optimized LDHscoatings with 0.1 M methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) solution for 4 h at 60 °C. Methionine and cysteine were successfully inserted into the interlayer structure of LDHs. The LDHs-Met and LDHs-Cys coatings are distributed in a petal shape by hexagonal nanosheets, and their distributions on the surface of the MAO are dense and uniform. The porosity, surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and corrosion resistance of LDHs-Met and LDHs-Cys coatings are increased compared to MAO and MAO/LDHs coatings. The amino acids in the LDHs could play an influential corrosion inhibition role, improving the corrosion resistance of the MAO effectively. The ion exchange layer has a more substantial protective effect on the substrate and better biocompatibility than MAO and MAO/LDHs coatings.

Soft diamond-like carbon coatings with superior biocompatibility for medical applications

Biomedical applications of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are continuously increasing due to their superior mechanical properties, low friction coefficient, antiwear characteristics, and biocompatibility. The mechanical and tribological characteristics of DLC coatings have been comprehensively investigated on various substrate systems as a function of their deposition parameter dependant features for various biomaterial applications. However, the relationship between biocompatibility and resulting hardness of DLC coatings as a function of their bias voltage driven intrinsic features like sp2 and sp3 bonds remains largely unexplored. In this work, a series of DLC coatings are prepared as a function of varying bias voltage from 0 to −120 V, and characterised for their atomic structure, physical, and mechanical properties, and biocompatibility. The contact angle and surface roughness of the DLC coatings reduce while hardness increases from 7.8 to 20.3 GPa with increasing bias voltage from 0 to −120 V. A relatively soft DLC coating is shown to retain excellent biocompatibility which is approximately 38% higher than the harder DLC coatings following exposure of their leached extracts to L929 mouse fibroblast cells. This work demonstrates the complex interdependence of biocompatibility and hardness of DLC coatings and the outcomes will support correct material selection with an appropriate balance of these key properties for specific biomedical applications such as load-carrying and non-load carrying devices.

Investigation of ZnCoP coating electrodeposited on Q235B steel and its corrosion resistance in simulated acid rain solution

In order to further improve the corrosion resistance of Q235B steel used for sports equipment, the Zn coating, ZnCo coating, and ZnCoP coating are electrodeposited respectively on the Q235B steel. The relationship between corrosion resistance, surface morphology, structure, and surface roughness of different coatings is studied. All the electrodeposited coatings are crystalline with typical diffraction peaks. Three diffraction peaks of Co(111),Co(200), and Co(220) can be observed on the XRD pattern of ZnCoP that indicate that the addition of sodium hypophosphite in the plating solution is conducive to the electrodeposition of cobalt. The Zn coating shows strip-like surface morphology with the roughest surface (1.431 µm) while the ZnCo coating and ZnCoP coating are both composed of granular structures with compact surfaces. Compared with all the coatings, the corrosion current density of Zn coating is about 345.78 μA/cm2 which is the largest indicating poor corrosion resistance. The corrosion current density of ZnCo coating and ZnCoP coating is 47.83 μA/cm2 and 15.63 μA/cm2 respectively which are both lower than that of Q235B. The ZnCoP coating has the best corrosion resistance due to phosphorus and cobalt doped in the coating that refine the grain size and improve the surface compactness.

Some haematological and biochemical parameters assessments in sheep infection by Haemonchus contortus

The study was conducted on (100) sheep naturally infested with Haemonchus contortus, (1-3 years old), in Tikrit city, from ist January 2014 to 31th May 2014. Affected sheep exhibited clinical signs included, emaciation, weakness, pale mucous membranes, rough, easily detached and lusterless coat. Ten ml of blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of all the sheep's using disposable syringes, then take 2.5 ml from blood sample was used to determine CBC the Red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) , Haemoglobin estimation (Hb), Packed cells Volume (PCV). The study showed reduction in RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit and neutrophils (4.7±0.68), (6±0.74), (18±0.19), and (20±0.73) respectively. And reveled leukocytosis; Lymphocyte, eosinophil's and monocyte (11.6± 0.41), (65± 0.51), (10± 0.64) and (5± 0.29) respectively in infected sheep. and the remind samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minute and serum was separated and stored at -20 °c until used for measure the biochemical change by use spectrophotometer. The results showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the rates of total protein concentration, albumin , iron, and zinc (5.02± 0.59 g/dl), (1.7 ± 0.45g/dl), (89.3 ± 12.41 µg/dl), (42.37± 16.22 µg/dl) respectively in the serum of infected sheep according the compared with normal sheep.