Cláudia Trindade Oliveira

New Sol-gel Formulations to Increase the Barrier Effect of a Protective Coating Against the Corrosion and Wear of Galvanized Steel

This study proposes a new pretreatment method that uses alkoxide precursors with a plasticizing agent; the purpose of this study is to improve the electrochemical and mechanical properties of a galvanized steel surface. Galvanized steel was covered with a hybrid film obtained from a sol that consisted of two alkoxide precursors, 3 - (trimethoxysilylpropyl) methacrylate (TMSM) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), with nitrate cerium in a concentration of 0.01 M and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) plasticizer. The hybrid coatings were obtained by dip-coating method with various concentrations of plasticizer (0, 20, 40 and 60 g.L-1). The hybrid films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry, contact angle measurements, a tribometer with the type-setting ball on the plate and electrochemical tests. The addition of the plasticizer into the hybrid films improves the corrosion resistance behavior compared to the sample without the plasticizer. The addition of 20 g.L-1 of plasticizer showed the best performance in the electrochemical tests. The mechanical behavior results indicated that higher PEG concentrations resulted in films with enhanced durability.

Elaboration and Characterization of Siloxane-PMMA Hybrid Films on Tinplate Substrates

The characteristics of siloxane-PMMA hybrid films permit the obtaining of coatings with thickness of few microns without cracking. Besides, the methacrylate groups (MMA) can be easily polymerizated by UV irradiation or thermal treatments. These hybrids can also be applied in anti-corrosive coatings for metals and alloys, replacing chromates which exhibit high toxicity. In this context, the aim of this work is to study the behavior of tinplate coated with a siloxane-PMMA hybrid film by dip-coating process and cured by thermal cure process. The systems were characterized by electrochemical, morphological and physicochemical analysis. Preliminary results showed that the systems studied presented a regular and adherent siloxane-PMMA hybrid film, which increased the corrosion resistance of tinplate substrates.

Elaboration of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Films on Porous Substrates

The development of solid oxide fuel cell has shown that the thin film concept for the electrode supported designs, based on the yttria-stabilized zirconia, is more promising than the research of new electrolyte materials. In this work, the spray pyrolysis process was investigated in order to obtain dense thin films of YSZ on porous ceramic substrates. High porosity LSM, a typical material of SOFC cathodes, was used as substrate. The precursor solution was obtained by zirconium and yttrium salts dissolved in a mixture of ethanol and propylene glycol, with volume ratio 1:1. The substrate was heated and maintained at a constant temperature (280°C, 340°C or 560°C). The as-obtained films were heat treated in a temperature of 700°C, aiming to obtain yttria-stabilized-zirconia films from the amorphous film. The morphology and microstructure of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

Effects of Mould Temperature in Squeeze Casting of Zamak 5

Squeeze casting process of Zamac 5 for obtain faucets enables higher productivity associated with better dimensional characteristics. In this process, the die cooling system can influence the solidification of the alloy and its properties. This study evaluates the influence of die temperature on solidification under pressure from Zamac 5. Pieces were removed from the die at several temperatures. Samples were evaluated by neutral salt spray corrosion, optical microscopy and microhardness. The results show that the corrosion is related to the porosity defects, which was most intense in part regions which solidified lastly. These regions also showed different results of microhardness. However, the behavior of the samples was similar in the range of die temperatures studied.

OBTAINING NIOBIUM OXIDES IN ACETIC ACID WITH ADDITION OF HF

During anodizing, the chemical attack of hydrofluoric acid (HF) electrolytes on niobium can promote the formation of oxides with porous structures. However, this chemical attack can also cause an intense dissolution of the oxide during its formation. This effect can be minimized by varying the HF concentration of the anodizing electrolyte, thereby controlling the growth of the porous oxide. Studies have alternative electrolytes that do not use HF to obtain porous oxides. Thus, organic electrolytes, such as acetic acid, may be a viable alternative. In this context, the objective of this study is to obtain and evaluate the anodization of niobium in acetic acid at different current densities (10, 20 and 50 mA/cm2) and to study the influence of the addition of HF to the electrolyte. The results showed that the anodized anodic in acetic acid, under conditions of 100 V and 10 mA/cm2, presented porous oxide with less defects. Therefore, this result indicates that it is possible to produce porous niobium oxides by anodizing in HF-free electrolyte.

Influence of the pH and Stirring Speed of the Electrodeposition Bath in the Performance of Zinc and Zinc-Nanocomposite Coatings

With the increase of environmental restrictions, chromium and cadmium-based coatings have been replaced by zinc layers. These coatings can be obtained through electrodeposition, whose industrially established pH range is from 5.0 to 5.8, and stirring speed is uncontrolled, which has led to part rejections. In addition, the corrosion resistance of zinc coatings is inferior to cadmium and chromium coatings, which has boosted the research of zinc composite coatings. The proposed work presents the performance of zinc-bentonite composite coatings in regards to corrosion relating to pH variation and stirring speed. The samples were degreased for 5 minutes in a commercial degreasing solution at a temperature of 55 °C, with magnetic stirring and, posteriorly, submitted to a pickling process with a duration of 1 to 2 minutes in a commercial bath, followed by a washing process with deionized water. The electrolyte used for electrodeposition was a zinc bath with a chemical composition of 85 g/l ZnCl2, 210 g/l KCl and 25 g/l H3BO3. For the zinc-bentonite electrodepositions 20 g/l of bentonite nanoparticles was added to the bath. Zinc and zinc-bentonite coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, open circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization. This work shows that a 5.2 pH is the most recommended for the zinc electrodeposition process. Potentiodynamic polarization tests indicated that pure zinc coatings developed in the stirring speed of 380 rpm and zinc-bentonite produced in the stirring speed of 710 rpm showed the best results.

Effects of the Casting Temperature in the Leakage of Zamak 5

Recent studies evidenced that the Zamak 5 corrosion is associated to solidification defects arising from the injection process that occur mainly in areas where the solidification rate is faster. Given this factor, the aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of Zamak 5 casting temperature. For this study, Zamak 5 was casted at different temperatures (430 °C, 450 °C, 500 °C, 550 °C) with respective solidification curves. Zamak 5 was analyzed for chemical composition and microstructure. Moreover, complementary tests of microhardness and electrochemical analyses of open circuit potential and polarization were performed. From these analyses it was observed that the highest casting temperature of Zamak 5 originates larger grains and higher microhardness value, due to the lower solidification rate. In none of the leaking temperatures porosity defects were observed on the samples, which is coherent with previous researches, being originated from the injection process.

Heat Treatment as an Alternative to Brass Warping

This paper proposes the reduction of warping after the machining of alloys of brass with lead. For this purpose the brass alloys were submitted to heat treatment and analyzed before and after the machining process. Elongation and dimensional variation, microstructure and chemical microanalysis of the samples were assessed. It was found that warping may be related to the chemical composition of the alloy, added to the rolling process used to obtain the material to be machined. The results showed that heat treatment before the machining process eliminates the warping seen in the workpieces.

Corrosion Resistance of Hybrid Films Applied on TiN Plate: Precursor Solution Acidified with Hydrochloric Acid

The aim of this work is to coat tin plate with a hybrid film obtained from a sol consisting of alkoxide precursors: 3 - (trimethoxysilylpropyl) methacrylate (TMSM), poly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA with and without tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) addition. The pH = 3 was adjusted with hydrochloric acid. The films were obtained by dip-coating process, cured for 3 hours at 160 ° C, and characterized for their electrochemical behavior. The hydrophobicity of the film was determined by the contact angle measurements and its morphology was evaluated by SEM. Results showed that the hybrid films studied presented good performance concerning their corrosion resistance in tin plate. Besides the addition of TEOS, it has contributed to the increase of the film thickness, however at the same time promoting the crack formation, which compromises the corrosion resistance of the coated tin plate.

Influência do processo de cura das películas híbridas no desempenho de revestimentos obtidos por pintura epoxídica

Pre-treatment with hybrid films obtained by the sol-gel from specific alkoxide precursors has been an environmentally friendly alternative, proposed for the corrosion protection of metallic substrates, including galvanized steel. In hybrid films, inorganic compounds contribute to the increase of corrosion resistance and adhesion to the metallic substrate, while organic compounds increase the density, flexibility and functional compatibility with organic systems, such as painting. The addition of corrosion inhibitors or other compounds, to the hybrid films can modify the properties of the barrier layer, improving corrosion resistance. In this study, galvanized steel was pre-treated with a hybrid film obtained from a sol consisting of alkoxide precursors: 3 - (trimetoxisililpropil) methacrylate (TMSPMA) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with the cerium nitrate addition (0.01M). The hybrid films were submitted to different curing processes: air-drying, thermal curing and ultraviolet curing. The obtained systems were characterized according to adhesion, morphology and electrochemical behavior. Besides, the degree of hydrophobicity of the systems was measured by contact angle measurements. For the accelerated corrosion tests in salt spray, the galvanized steel, pre-treated with a hybrid film, was coated with epoxidic painting. The results showed that the system using galvanized steel/hybtrid film/paint, with hybrid films cured by air -drying and ultraviolet radiation, presented the best results for corrosion resistance.