Cost-effective way of hard turning with newly developed HSN2-coated tool

EN-31 (AISI 52100, hardness 55 HRC) is one of the difficult-to-cut steel alloys and it is commonly used in shafts and bearings. Nowadays, it is becoming a challenge to the cutting tool material for economical machining of extremely tough and hard steels. In general, CBN and PCBN tools are used for machining hardened steel. However, machining cost using these tools becomes higher due to high tool cost. For this purpose, carbide tool using selective coatings is the best substitute having comparable tool life, while its cost is approximately one-tenth of CBN tool. In this work, the newly developed second-generation TiAlxN super nitride (i.e., HSN²) is selected for PVD coating on carbide tool insert and further characterized using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry for oxidation and thermal stability at high temperature. Later, HSN²-coated carbide inserts are successfully tested for their sustainability to expected tool life for turning of AISI 52100 steel. In the present study, forces, surface finish, and tool wear are used as a measure to appraise the performance of hard turning process. Experimentally, it is found that speed, feed rate, and depth of cut have considerable impact on forces, insert wear, and surface roughness of the machined surface.     

Novel method for doping nano TiO2 photocatalysts by chemical vapour deposition

Highly active photocatalytic Fe-doped nano TiO₂ was successfully synthesised by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method using FeCl₃ as Fe source. CVD was carried out by evaporating FeCl₃ at 350°C in nitrogen flow during 30–90?min. The amount of Fe incorporated into TiO₂ framework is adjusted by the amount of FeCl₃ used and the evaporation time. The obtained sample was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), UV-Vis, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photocatalytic activities of the samples were tested in photocatalytic decomposition of 2-propanol in liquid phase using visible light instead of UV light irradiation. Non-doped TiO₂ and high Fe loading TiO₂ samples showed very low photocatalytic activity, whereas the low Fe loading TiO₂ sample exhibited high photocatalytic activity under visible light. The high photocatalytic activity of this sample was rationalised by the existence of defects (Ti–OH groups) as the active sites.     

A study of the structure and surface properties of nanostructured biocompatible coatings on Ti alloys

This paper presents a study of the stability of biocompatible nanostructured TiO₂ surfaces prepared on a Ti6Al4V alloy by anodic oxidation, and it considers changes in the contact angles of ethylene glycol and distilled water. In the first stage, we measured the changes in the contact angles of the TiO₂ surfaces before and after sterilization. Then we examined the changes in the temporal contact angles of TiO₂ surfaces in different environments. The surface energy was calculated from the measured contact angles according to the Owens - Wendt model. Stability is significant for providing and innovating biocompatible coatings.The morphology of the deposited layers was observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Influence of metal plasma ion implantation on photo-sensitivity of anatase TiO2 thin films

Nano-scale TiO₂ thin films were synthesized by using sol-gel and spin-coating techniques on glass substrates for photo-catalytic applications. The Ti(IV) butoxide-based TiO₂ thin films were optimized for transforming into the high-purity crystalline anatase phase when calcined at 500 °C. To further enhance the photo-catalysis sensitivity of TiO₂ thin films for use in visible light environments, a metal plasma ion implantation process was implemented to modify the band gap electron configuration of Ti. Various transition metal atoms such as Ni, Cu, V, and Fe were ionized and accelerated at 20 keV to impinge on the surface of TiO₂ substrates at a dosage of 5 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm². ESCA analysis confirmed the binding energy shift of Ti by 0.8-1.2 eV, which accounted for the increased effective positive charge of Ti, resulting in more effective electron trapping capability and, thus, the electron-hole pair separation. In addition, the absorption spectroscopy demonstrated that optical absorption in the visible light regime occurred in specimens implanted with transition metal ions, likely due to the formation of extra impurity energy levels within the original TiO₂ band gap energy structure. Among all tested implant materials, the band gap energy of TiO₂ was effectively reduced by Cu and Fe ion implantation by 0.9-1.0 eV, which was sufficient enough to excite valence electrons over the band gap in visible light environments. The feasibility of the metal-doped TiO₂ thin films for effective applications under visible light irradiation was further confirmed by using super-hydrophilicity contact-angle measurement.     

Determination of photo-catalytic activity of un-doped and Mn-doped TiO2 anatase powders on acetaldehyde under UV and visible light

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalytic powder materials doped with various levels of manganese (Mn) were synthesized to be used as additives to wall painting in combating indoor and outdoor air pollution. The heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of gaseous acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) on Mn-TiO₂ surfaces under ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) irradiation was investigated, by employing the Photochemical Static Reactor coupled with Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (PSR/FTIR) technique. Experiments were performed by exposing acetaldehyde (~ 400 Pa) and synthetic air mixtures (~ 1.01 × 10⁵ Pa total pressure) on un-doped TiO₂ and doped with various levels of Mn (0.1-33% mole percentage) under UV and visible irradiation at room temperature. Photoactivation was initiated using either UV or visible light sources with known emission spectra. Initially, the photo-activity of CH₃CHO under the above light sources, and the physical adsorption of CH₃CHO on Mn-TiO₂ samples in the absence of light were determined prior to the photocatalytic experiments. The photocatalytic loss of CH₃CHO on un-doped TiO₂ and Mn-TiO₂ samples in the absence and presence of UV or visible irradiation was measured over a long time period (≈ 60 min), to evaluate their relative photocatalytic activity. The gaseous photocatalytic end products were also determined using absorption FTIR spectroscopy. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) was identified as the main photocatalysis product. It was found that 0.1% Mn-TiO₂ samples resulted in the highest photocatalytic loss of CH₃CHO under visible irradiation. This efficiency was drastically diminished at higher levels of Mn doping (1-33%). The CO₂ yields were the highest for 0.1% Mn-TiO₂ samples under UV irradiation, in agreement with the observed highest CH₃CHO decomposition rates. It was demonstrated that low-level (0.1%) doping of TiO₂ with Mn results in a significant increase of their photocatalytic activity in the visible range, compared to un-doped TiO₂. This elevated activity is lost at high doping levels (1-33%). Finally, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of CH₃CHO on 0.1% Mn-TiO₂ surfaces under visible irradiation leading to low CO₂ yields is different than that under UV irradiation resulting to high CO₂ yields.     

The optical properties of nanoporous structured titanium dioxide and the photovoltaic efficiency on DSSC

This study examined the characterization of nanoporous structured titanium dioxide and its application to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). TEM revealed nanopore sizes of 10.0 nm with a regular hexagonal form. When nanoporous structured TiO₂ was applied to DSSC, the energy conversion efficiency was enhanced considerably compared with that using nanometer sized TiO₂ prepared using a hydrothermal method. The energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC prepared from nanoporous structured TiO₂ was approximately 8.71% with the N719 dye under 100 mW cm⁻² simulated light. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the dye molecules were attached perfectly to the surface and more dye molecules were absorbed on the nanoporous structured TiO₂ than on the nano-sized TiO₂ particles prepared using a conventional hydrothermal method. Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) showed that the electrons were transferred rapidly to the surface of the nanoporous structured TiO₂ film.     

Influence of operational parameters on the TiO2 photocatalytic degradation of Methylene blue

Thin films of titanium oxide were obtained by dip-coating, using the sol–gel method. TiO₂ powder (Degussa, P25) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were added to enhance the photocatalytic properties of resulting films. Effects of experimental variables on the photocatalytic properties of the coatings were evaluated based on the degradation efficiency of the reference dye (Methylene blue). The photocatalytic activity of resulting TiO₂ coatings was improved with the loading of TiO₂ powder (Degussa, P25) and PEG in the sols. The electron-hole pair photogeneration increases with the energy of irradiation and improves photocatalytic efficiency. Increasing coating thickness leads to a rough surface with more reaction sites. Photodegradation conversion of Methylene blue (Mb) decreases with an increase in the initial concentration of Mb.     

The impact of surface integrity by hard turning versus grinding on rolling contact fatigue – Part I: Comparison of fatigue life and acoustic emission signals

Hard turning and grinding are finishing processes for the manufacture of precision components, such as bearings, gears and cams. However, the effects of distinct surface integrity by hard turning versus grinding on rolling contact life are poorly understood. Four representative surface types were prepared: as-turned, as-ground, turned and polished and ground and polished. Surface integrity was characterized by surface topography, microstructure and micro/nanohardness. Fatigue tests were performed with an acoustic emission sensor and the signal processing software. The surface topographies show that skewness of the as-ground surface is much more negative than the as-tuned one while other surface parameters are equivalent. The turned surface has a thicker strain hardened zone and a thinner thermal affected zone than those of the ground one. The ground surface has higher micro- and nanohardness on surface and in the subsurface than the turned one. The amplitude of acoustic emission signal is the most stable and sensitive signal to fatigue failure. The turned surface may have a longer life (> 84%) than the ground one with equivalent surface finish. The fatigue lives of the bearing assembly are nearly identical for the turned surface versus the polished surface and the turned polished surface versus the ground and polished surface. In addition, polishing may not necessarily improve fatigue life of the machined surface, but increase bearing assembly life as much as 40%.     

纳米TiO2/SiO2负载棉织物的制备及其光催化降解染料的研究

将纳米TiO_2水溶胶和纳米SiO_2水溶胶复配制备环境净化整理剂,并通过轧烘焙工艺对棉织物进行后整理得到纳米TiO_2/SiO_2负载棉织物,然后将其用于不同结构有机染料的光催化降解反应中,重点考察纳米SiO_2的添加量对其在不同pH值反应体系中的光催化降解性能以及重复利用性的影响。结果表明,纳米TiO_2/SiO_2负载棉织物对不同结构的有机染料具有显著的光催化降解性能,能够促进染料分子的共轭体系和芳香环结构的降解反应。纳米SiO_2的添加不仅有利于纳米TiO_2/SiO_2负载棉织物在碱性介质中光催化降解性能的提高,而且也能够改善其重复利用性。     

Synthesis of highly-active single-crystalline TiO2 nanorods and its application in environmental photocatalysis

Highly-active anatase TiO₂ nanorods have been successfully synthesized via a simple two-step method, hydrothermal treatment of anatase/rutile titanium dioxide nanoparticle powder in a composite-hydroxide eutectic system of 1:1 M KOH/NaOH, followed by acid post-treatment. The morphology and crystalline structure of the obtained nanorods were characterized using XRD, TEM, SEM/EDX and BET surface area analyzer. The obtained TiO₂ nanorods have a good crystallinity and a size distribution (about 4-16 nm); with the dimensions of 200-300 nm length and of 30-50 nm diameter. Compared with its precursor anatase/rutile TiO₂ nanoparticles and the titanate nanotubes, the pure anatase TiO₂ nanorods have a large specific surface area with a mesoporous structure. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared nanorods was tested in the degradation of the commercial Cibacrown Red (FN-R) textile dye, under UV irradiation. Single-crystalline anatase TiO₂ nanorods are more efficient for the dye removal.     

Influence of cobalt ion implantation on optical properties of titanium dioxide thin films

Nano-crystalline TiO₂ thin films were synthesized by using sol-gel and spin-coating techniques on glass substrates for photo-catalytic applications. Prior to deposition, a TiO₂ colloidal suspension was synthesized by microwave-induced thermal hydrolysis of the titanium tetrachloride aqueous solution. In this study, the deposited TiO₂ coating with a grain size of 13 ± 2 nm was uniform without aggregation. Co ion implantation into the as-calcined TiO₂ thin films was conducted with fluences of 1 × 10¹⁵-1 × 10¹⁶ doses/cm² at 40 keV. In addition to the emission of TiO₂, the photoluminescence study showed the presence of another Co-related optical center at 405 nm in the Co-implanted TiO₂ thin films. Due to the strong capability of forming impurity compounds between the energetic cobalt ions and TiO₂, the photoluminescence emission and UV-Vis absorption efficiencies were improved.     

Visible light absorption ability and photocatalytic oxidation activity of various interstitial N-doped TiO2 prepared from different nitrogen dopants

Nitrogen-doped TiO₂ was developed to enable photocatalytic reactions using the visible range of the solar spectrum. This work reports on the synthesis, characterisation and kinetic study of interstitial N-doped TiO₂ prepared by the sol–gel method using three different types of nitrogen dopants: diethanolamine, triethylamine and urea. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy were used to analyse the titania. Different interstitial N-doped TiO₂ properties, such as absorption ability in the UV–visible light region, redshift in adsorption edge, good crystallisation and composition ratio of titania structures (anatase and rutile) could be obtained from different nitrogen dopants. Amongst investigated nitrogen precursors, diethanolamine provided the highest visible light absorption ability of interstitial N-doped TiO₂ with the smallest energy bandgap and the smallest anatase crystal size, resulting in the highest efficiency in 2-chlorophenol degradation. The photocatalytic activity of all N-doped TiO₂ can be arranged in the following order: TiO₂/diethanolamine > TiO₂/triethylamine > TiO₂/urea > un-doped TiO₂. The initial rate of 2-chlorophenol degradation using the interstitial N-doped TiO₂ with diethanolamine was 0.59 mg/L-min and the kinetic constant was 2.34 × 10⁻² min⁻¹ with a half-life of 98 min. In all cases, hydroquinone was detected as a major intermediate in the degradation of 2-chlorophenol.     

The role of the TiO2 nanotube array morphologies in the dye-sensitized solar cells

Arrays of TiO₂ nanotubes were fabricated by the anodization of Ti foils and then used in assembling dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The role of the morphologies of the TiO₂ nanotubes in the photovoltaic performances of the DSSCs was studied in terms of the surface topography and the tube length. The necessity of removing the nanoporous films from the surface of the nanotube arrays for good DSSC performance has been demonstrated. Also, it has been shown that appropriately increasing the tube length was an effective measure for enhancing both the short-circuit current density and the conversion efficiency of the DSSCs.     

Selection of scattering enhancement particles for improving color homogeneity and luminous flux of phosphor-converted LEDs

Abstract

At the present time, color homogeneity and luminous flux are the two essentials utilized to appraise high-quality phosphor-converted LEDs (pcLEDs). In this paper, we present the search for the optimal selection among scattering enhancement particles (SEPs) to apply to improve these essentials for pcLEDs having correlated color temperature of 8500 K. The interested contenders include CaCO₃, CaF₂, SiO₂, and TiO₂. Each of them is added to yellow phosphor compounding (Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺). Firstly, the LightTools program is employed to do the optical simulations. Secondly, the obtained results are verified and analyzed based on Mie scattering theory. The scattering computation of SEPs includes the scattering coefficients, the anisotropic scattering, the reduced scattering and the scattering amplitudes at 455 and 595 nm. It is observed that TiO₂ particles provide the highest color homogeneity among the SEPs but the luminous flux reduces significantly as its concentration increases. By using CaCO₃ particles, the highest luminous flux of 792 lm is obtained. CaCO₃ particles can also reduce the deviation of color correlated temperature to 620 K at 30% concentration. Therefore, CaCO₃ particles should be selected to enhance both color homogeneity and luminous flux.     

STM observation of zinc(II) bridled chiroporphyrin molecules on titanium dioxide surface

Zinc bridled chiroporphyrin (ZnBCP-8) molecules on a rutile titanium dioxide (TiO₂)(110)-(1 × 1) surface were successfully observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The molecules were selectively adsorbed on the surface apparently due to a molecule-substrate interaction. The origin of the interaction is thought to be Coulomb force between molecule and oxygen vacancy on the TiO₂ surface. STM imaging revealed a selective molecular orientation on the TiO₂(110)-(1 × 1) structure. These results support the possibility of manipulating molecules on the surface and constructing well designed molecular structures by controlling the molecular-substrate and intermolecular interactions.     

纳米TiO2微粒对2214铝合金微弧氧化膜微观结构及耐磨性能的影响

在含有不同浓度纳米TiO_2微粒的硅酸盐体系电解液中对2214铝合金进行微弧氧化处理,以在2214铝合金表面制备包含TiO_2的复合陶瓷膜。分别使用SEM、EDS、激光共聚焦显微镜、XRD、维氏硬度计、划痕仪和球盘式摩擦磨损试验机对复合陶瓷膜的微观结构、表面粗糙度、相成分、硬度、粘结强度、耐磨性能进行分析。结果表明:复合陶瓷膜主要由γ-Al_2O_3、α-Al_2O_3、莫来石、锐钛矿型TiO_2和金红石型TiO_2组成,且随着电解液中TiO_2微粒浓度的增加,复合陶瓷膜表面的微孔数量显著减少,微孔尺寸显著减小。与不含TiO_2成分的微弧氧化陶瓷膜相比,复合陶瓷膜通过更低的摩擦系数和更小的磨损率展示了更好的耐磨性能。     

Structural investigations on TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized by laser pyrolysis

Undoped and Fe-doped TiO₂ nanopowders with Fe/Ti (atomic ratio) precursor concentration ranging from 7% up to 25% have been prepared by the IR laser pyrolysis technique. A sensitized mixture of TiCl₄ and Fe (CO)₅ was used as titanium and iron precursor, respectively. Reference undoped titania samples with a major concentration of anatase phase (about 90%) were obtained by the same technique by using very high flows of the oxidizing agent (air). The effects of the iron-dopant concentration on the essential structural properties of the resultant powders such as the phase formation, the crystallinity, the average particle size and distributions were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The decrease of the TiO₂-anatase crystalline phase, the simultaneous increase of the amorphous phase and the decrease in size of particle mean diameter appear as main effects induced by the Fe-dopant concentration.     

TiO2空心球制备及在染料敏化太阳能电池和锂离子电池中应用的研究进展

空心球结构的半导体氧化物具有密度低、比表面积大、机械和热稳定性好等优点。空心球结构对TiO_2纳米材料的电化学性能有着显著的优化作用,TiO_2空心球作为一种重要的半导体氧化物具有良好的物理和化学性质,在多种领域均表现出潜在的应用价值,制备大小和壳层数均可控的半导体TiO_2空心球已引起了研究者的广泛关注。主要综述了在硬模板、软模板和无模板条件下TiO_2空心球的制备方法;同时还介绍了其在染料敏化太阳能电池和锂离子电池方面的最新研究进展;最后,对TiO_2空心球的可控合成前景进行了展望。     

TiO2-SiO2复合材料的结构调变对其催化应用的影响

TiO₂-SiO₂复合材料(TSCM)的催化应用性能受到其所含TiO₂物种的晶相和SiO₂骨架的孔道结构的显著影响。本文归纳总结了TSCM中TiO₂物种晶相、SiO₂骨架的孔道结构、形貌等特性的调变规律及其对TSCM催化性能的影响,并展望了TSCM材料的结构特性演变趋势以及在制备方法上的取舍。TSCM直接作为催化剂时,其活性位普遍被认为是TiO₂-SiO₂界面上的Ti—O—Si键位和酸性位点。而作为载体材料时,TSCM中的TiO₂物种可以与负载的金属活性中心表现出显著的载体-金属相互作用(SMSI),TiO₂物种的晶相可以对形成的金属活性中心的性能产生显著影响。在TSCM材料的合成研究中,合成含有单一锐钛矿相(Anatase)TiO₂物种的Anatase-SiO₂或单一金红石晶相(Rutile)的Rutile-SiO₂类型TSCM材料,以及同时含有这两个晶相TiO₂,但晶相比例可调的A/R-SiO₂类型TSCM材料仍充满挑战。TSCM的SiO₂骨架特性调控也同样具有挑战,如何在得到特定晶相和粒子尺寸的TiO₂物种的同时获得特定孔道特性和形貌特征的SiO₂骨架,仍是研究的难点和热点。两步法无需同时控制TiO₂和SiO₂物种的制备参数,重现性好,多用于特殊形貌的TSCM的制备,但通常其中TiO₂物种的分散度不佳。而一步法制备过程简短,更容易得到多孔-大比表面积材料,有利于实现TiO₂粒子的尺寸控制及其在SiO₂骨架中的均匀分布,从而得到更丰富的Ti—O—Si界面活性物种,但需要在同一合成体系中同时控制相互影响的TiO₂和SiO₂物种的制备参数,调控难度极大,与两步法相比,重现性较差。     

Gas sensing mechanism of TiO2-based thin films

Two classes of thin film gas sensors have been studied: TiO₂ doped with Cr or Nb and TiO₂-SnO₂ mixed systems. Thin films have been prepared by the reactive sputtering from mosaic targets. It is demonstrated that titanium dioxide doped with Nb and Cr should be considered as a bulk sensor. Its performance is governed by the diffusion of point defects, i.e. very slow diffusion of Ti vacancies for TiO₂: 9.5 at% of Nb and fast diffusion of oxygen vacancies in the case of TiO₂: 2.5 at% Cr sensor. The corresponding response times are 55 min for TiO₂: 9.5 at% of Nb and 20 s for TiO₂: 2.5 at% Cr. In turn, sensors based on TiO₂-SnO₂, particularly those of the SnO₂-rich composition, belong to the group of surface sensors.