Kyriaki Polychronopoulou

Room temperature synthesis and high temperature frictional study of silver vanadate nanorods

We report the room temperature (RT) synthesis of silver vanadate nanorods (consisting of mainly beta-AgV O(3)) by a simple wet chemical route and their frictional study at high temperatures (HT). The sudden mixing of ammonium vanadate with silver nitrate solution under constant magnetic stirring resulted in a pale yellow coloured precipitate. Structural/microstructural characterization of the precipitate through x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the high yield and homogeneous formation of silver vanadate nanorods. The length of the nanorods was 20-40 microm and the thickness 100-600 nm. The pH variation with respect to time was thoroughly studied to understand the formation mechanism of the silver vanadate nanorods. This synthesis process neither demands HT, surfactants nor long reaction time. The silver vanadate nanomaterial showed good lubrication behaviour at HT (700 degrees C) and the friction coefficient was between 0.2 and 0.3. HT-XRD revealed that AgV O(3) completely transformed into silver vanadium oxide (Ag(2)V(4)O(11)) and silver with an increase in temperature from RT to 700 degrees C.

Novel CeO2-based Screen-Printed Potentiometric Electrodes for pH monitoring

Nuclear waste repositories are being installed in deep excavated rock formations in some places in Europe to isolate and store radioactive waste. In France, the Callovo-Oxfordian formation (COx) is a possible candidate for nuclear waste storage. This work investigates the applicability of CeO(2)-based oxides (CeO(2), Ce(0.8)Sm(0.2)O(2) and Ce(0.8)Zr(0.2)O(2)) for monitoring the pH of the COx pore water (T=25°C). The study is limited to the pH range between 5.5 and 13.2, which includes the pH values that have been encountered or are anticipated in the COx formation during its evolution as radioactive waste repository due mainly to alkalinisation, an increase in salinity, and a decrease in redox potential. Screen-printing was done to assemble electrodes and rapidly generate data sets. The electrochemical behavior of CeO(2)-based screen-printed electrodes (CeO(2)-based SPEs) was determined by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The use of the electrodes for pH sensing was then evaluated by potentiometric measurements. The feasibility of measuring pH with CeO(2)-based SPEs was first tested in NH(4)Cl/NH(3) buffer solutions, leading to electrode calibration over the widest range of pH, from around neutral to basic pH. Experiments were then conducted in NaHCO(3)/Na(2)CO(3) buffer samples similar to conditions prevailing in the COx formation. Ce(0.8)Zr(0.2)O(2) SPEs exhibit a near-Nernstian behavior (sensitivity -(51±2)mV/pH) in the pH range of 5.5-13.2 at 25°C. Electrode response was slightly affected by the direction of the pH change. Electrode reliability was clearly demonstrated for pH monitoring. Probes based on the same components, but more durably designed, could be considered for pH measurements in radioactive waste repositories.

Synthesis and characterization of Cr–B–N coatings deposited by reactive arc evaporation

Nanocomposite Cr–B–N coatings were deposited from CrB 0.2 compound targets by reactive arc evaporation using an Ar/N 2 discharge at 500 °C and −20 V substrate bias. Elastic recoil detection (ERDA), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) were used to study the effect of the N 2 partial pressure on composition and microstructure of the coatings. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the coating morphology changes from a glassy to a columnar structure with increasing N 2 partial pressure, which coincides with the transition from an amorphous to a crystalline growth mode. The saturation of N content in the coating confirms the formation of a thermodynamically stable CrN–BN dual-phase structure at higher N 2 fractions, exhibiting a maximum in hardness of approximately 29 GPa.

Growth and characterization of ceria thin films and Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires using sol–gel techniques

γ-Al(2)O(3) is a well known catalyst support. The addition of Ce to γ-Al(2)O(3) is known to beneficially retard the phase transformation of γ-Al(2)O(3) to α-Al(2)O(3) and stabilize the γ-pore structure. In this work, Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires have been prepared by a novel method employing an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template in a 0.01 M cerium nitrate solution, assisted by urea hydrolysis. Calcination at 500 °C for 6 h resulted in the crystallization of the Ce-doped AlOOH gel to form Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires. Ce(3+) ions within the nanowires were present at a concentration of < 1 at.%. On the template surface, a nanocrystalline CeO(2) thin film was deposited with a cubic fluorite structure and a crystallite size of 6-7 nm. Characterization of the nanowires and thin films was performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The nanowire formation mechanism and urea hydrolysis kinetics are discussed in terms of the pH evolution during the reaction. The Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires are likely to find useful applications in catalysis and this novel method can be exploited further for doping alumina nanowires with other rare earth elements.

Tribological Study Comparing PAG and POE Lubricants Used in Air-Conditioning Compressors under the Presence of CO2

Polyalkylene glycol (PAG) and polyolester (POE) synthetic lubricants are good candidates for air-conditioning systems that work with alternative refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Both synthetic lubricants are widely used in air-conditioning compressors and have been optimized for use with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. However, it is still not clear which lubricant is more suitable for use in compressors operating with CO2 as a refrigerant. This study compares the performance of PAG and POE lubricants of the same viscosity (ISO VG 68) used in air-conditioning compressors. The materials used were Al390-T6 disks and hardened steel SAE 52100 pins. The tests were performed using a high pressure tribometer (pin-on-disk configuration) in the presence of CO2. The results showed that scuffing and wear resistance of Al390-T6 tested with PAG were superior compared to the samples tested with the POE lubricant. Chemical analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that PAG tends to promote the formation of carbonate layers on the surface, leading to improvement in the tribological performance of the interface.

Analytical model for geometrical characteristics control of laser sintered surfaces

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive rapid manufacturing technique where a high-power laser is used to fuse micro- and nano-particles into a specified three-dimensional geometry. The goal of this work was to develop an analytical model for the SLS manufacturing process in order to control the geometrical characteristics of the sintered areas when iron/copper (Fe/Cu) powder alloy is used on a flat substrate. Powder particles are subject to melting by the laser energy and form a liquid globule that solidifies as the laser beam spot moves along the substrate. The model is developed by considering lumped mass and energy balances and fluid dynamic equilibrium of the sintered material. It is assumed that the process is two-dimensional and axisymmetric. It is further assumed that the energy delivered by the laser is used to sinter the material rising its temperature up the melting point, while the energy lost due to conduction in the metal substrate is very small. The sintered area geometry is parameterised and the parameters are obtained by solving a system of nonlinear algebraic equations.

Influence of Graphene Reduction and Polymer Cross-Linking on Improving the Interfacial Properties of Multilayer Thin Films

Graphene is a versatile composite reinforcement candidate due to its strong mechanical, tunable electrical and optical properties, and chemical stability. However, one drawback is the weak interfacial bonding, which results in weak adhesion to substrates. This could be overcome by adding polymer layers to have stronger adherence to the substrate and between graphene sheets. These multilayer thin films were found to have lower resistance to lateral scratch forces when compared to other reinforcements such as polymer/clay nanocomposites. Two additional processing steps are suggested to improve the scratch resistance of these films: graphene reduction and polymer cross-linking. Graphene/polymer nanocomposites consisting of polyvinylamine (PVAm) and graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated using the layer-by-layer assembly (LbL) technique. The reduced elastic modulus and hardness of PVAm/GO films were measured using nanoindentation. Reducing GO enhances mechanical properties by 60-70% while polymer cross-linking maintains this enhancement. Both graphene reduction and polymer cross-linking show significant improvement to scratch resistance. Particularly, polymer cross-linking leads to films with higher elastic recovery, 50% lower adhesive and plowing friction coefficient, 140 and 50% higher adhesive and shear strength values, respectively, and lower material pileup and scratch width/depth.

Tribological Behavior of CrN and Al-Cr-N Coatings

The tribological behavior of CrN and Al-Cr-N coatings prepared by twin electron-beam evaporation at 450°C was investigated. The composition, structure, mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with nanoindentation mechanical property measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and laboratory controlled ball-on-disc sliding experiments. It was found that all of the Al-Cr-N coatings exhibit higher hardness compared to CrN coatings. Also, the compositions of Al-Cr-N coatings with the lower Al content and lower Al/Cr ratios showed better tribological performance than the rest of the coatings.Copyright

Novel Catalytic Systems for Hydrogen Production via the Water-Gas Shift Reaction

The present work reports on the development of new catalysts for the production of hydrogen via the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. In particular, the effect of Ce/La atom ratio on the catalytic performance of 0.5 wt% Pt supported on () mixed metal oxides for the WGS reaction was investigated. It was found that the addition of 20 at.% La3

Effect of Cu Content on the Tribological Performance of Cr-N Coatings at High Temperatures (840°C)

Cr-N and Cu-Cr-N coatings with Cu content between 3–65 at.%, Cu/Cr ratios in the 0.04–4.5 range and 21–27 at.% N, synthesized by twin e-beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) at 450°C, were investigated. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in combination with nanoindentation mechanical property measurements and laboratory controlled ball-on-disc sliding experiments, it is shown that Cu-Cr-N coatings with low Cu content (3 at.%) possess sufficient wear resistance for high temperature demanding tribological applications.Copyright