The purpose of the present PhD research project was to evaluate the feasibility of the electrodeposition of novel thin Ni composite coatings with lubricant particles from an additive-free Watts bath and their application as diffusion barrier layers in journal bearings for medium-speed diesel engines. Overall, the main objective was to develop thin Ni composite coatings with the following characteristics: • Improved tribological performance. • Good adhesion properties. • Good ‘anti-diffusion’ performance. Ultrasound was used in the preparation of pure Ni coatings and Ni composite coatings with lubricant particles under different conditions in order to understand how ultrasonic cavitation influences electrodeposition and characteristics of said Ni-based coatings. Two main studies were conducted related to this: 1. Study of the effect of ultrasonic power on the electrodeposition of pure Ni coatings to understand the influence of cavitation phenomena near the surface of the cathode on the properties of Ni deposits 2. Study of the effect of ultrasound on the production of Ni composite coatings to understand the influence of ultrasound in the dispersion of particles, the electrodeposition of Ni composite coatings and the properties of said Ni composite coatings. The influence of ultrasound on the dispersion of particles in the Watts bath was evaluated by observing the visual appearance of the resulting dispersions and analysing the particle size distribution of diluted solutions by laser diffraction-based particle sizing methods. The effect of ultrasound on the characteristics of Ni deposits and Ni composite coatings electrodeposited from the additive-free Watts bath was evaluated by different material characterization techniques: Abstract • X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was employed to observe the orientation of the Ni crystals that formed the coatings. • Field Ion Beam – Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) was employed to analyse the surface morphology and microstructure of the coatings. • Microhardness tests were performed to observe how the modification of the grain structure and the presence of particles may affect the hardness of the coatings. • Glow Discharge – Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES) was also employed to estimate the particle content in the Ni composite coatings.

Graphene, a single layer of graphite, owing to its excellent mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, has evolved as an exceptional nanomaterial in the past decade. It holds great promise in developing various novel applications from biomedical to structural composites. However, several challenges remain in realising the great potential of this material; one being the bulk scale production of graphene. This thesis has been concerned with production of pristine few-layer graphene (FLG) using liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) of graphite in various solvent media and exploring the applications of graphene-based composite coatings as optical Raman-strain sensors. LPE of natural graphite using bath sonication was used to produce highly stable pristine FLG in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to analyse the exfoliation efficiency and lateral dimensions, while Raman spectroscopy provided an insight about the quality of the graphene flakes. Moreover, the potential for dynamic light scattering (DLS) as an efficient in situ characterisation technique for estimating the lateral dimensions of graphene flakes in dispersions was demonstrated. LPE was also employed to explore various routes to produce pristine graphene in aqueous media which can be used for toxicity studies. Aqueous dispersions were prepared by a solvent exchange method of graphene originally in organic solvents (NMP and DMF) using dialysis, achieving 0.1 v/v% organic solvent levels. Pristine aqueous graphene dispersions were also prepared by directly exfoliating graphite in biocompatible surfactant (TDOC- Sodium taurodeoxycholate) and biomolecules (Phosphatidylcholine and human serum albumin) solutions. Cell culture studies by collaborators revealed that solvent-exchanged and TDOC-exfoliated pristine FLG displayed minimal toxicity and albumin-exfoliated FLG hardly any cytotoxicity, whereas phosphatidylcholine-exfoliated FLG was cytotoxic. Raman spectroscopy is a well-established technique used to study the local deformation of carbon-based composites by following the shift rates of the Raman 2D band with strain. Raman active strain coatings were produced from epoxy composites made with the FLG produced by LPE in organic solvents and by electrochemical exfoliation method. The deformation experiments on these coatings revealed little or no strain sensitivity, due to several factors such as length of flakes, processing history, graphene loading, defects in graphene and alignment of flakes within the composites. As an alternative, composite coatings made from chemical vapour deposition (CVD) graphene were investigated. Excellent strain sensitivity was observed upon various cyclic deformational sequences and Raman mapping over 100 × 100 µm area. In comparison to the commercially available wide area strain sensors, CVD graphene composite coatings with a calculated absolute accuracy of ~ ± 0.01 % strain and absolute resolution of ~ 27 microstrains show promise for wide area Raman-based strains sensors.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Revestimentos funcionais compósitos são um atrativo tecnológico crescente, pois possibilitam a combinação de materiais metálicos, poliméricos ou cerâmicos, resultando em propriedades superiores as dos materiais individuais, sendo por este motivo, largamente aplicados na engenharia de materiais. Na presente dissertação, foram produzidos revestimentos compósitos por eletrodeposição através da codeposição de uma matriz metálica de cobre e de partículas de óxidos de alumínio incorporadas (g - Al2O3 ou AlO(OH)), sobre substratos de aço carbono, a partir de diferentes banhos eletrolíticos. Três etapas foram efetuadas, na primeira realizou-se o estudo da influência do modo de agitação e da presença ou não de ligantes (citrato de sódio 1,00 mol/L) nos teores de cobre e alumina nos revestimentos produzidos. Em seguida foi avaliada a ação de complexantes (citrato de sódio 1,00 mol/L e pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L) usando polarização potenciodinâmica e voltametria cíclica, em conjunto com microbalança eletroquímica de cristal de quartzo (EQCM) e a posterior produção de revestimentos compósitos a partir de banhos contendo CuSO4 0,02 mol/L + pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L + 20 g/L de alumina, variando a densidade de corrente aplicada (I), a velocidade de agitação do eletrodo rotatório (A) e o do tempo de agitação prévia (t). Por fim, na terceira etapa, fez-se a substituição de alumina por Boehmita e a produção dos revestimentos a partir de banhos contendo CuSO4 0,02 mol/L + pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L + 20 g/L de Boehmita, empregando um planejamento composto central, em que os parâmetros citados também foram variados. Os resultados mostraram que a presença de um ligante e a agitação prévia e continuada do eletrólito durante o experimento foram fundamentais para a produção dos revestimentos compósitos. Ensaios de EQCM mostraram que o citrato se adsorveu na superfície do eletrodo de ouro, diferentemente do pirofosfato. Os teores de Boehmita e cobre nos revestimentos produzidos, assim como a morfologia, resistência de polarização e densidade de corrente de corrosão dos revestimentos foram influenciados pelos parâmetros avaliados. / Functional coatings composites are an increasing technologic attractive, as they allow the combination of metallic, polymeric or ceramic materials resulting in properties superior than those of the individual materials. They are, therefore, widely used in engineering materials. In this dissertation, composite coatings were produced by electrodeposition through co-deposition of a copper metal matrix and particulate aluminum oxides embedded (g - Al2O3 or AlO (OH)) on carbon steel substrates from different electrolytic baths. Three steps were taken: first the influence of the stirring mode and the presence or absence of ligands (sodium citrate 1.00 mol/L) in the amount of copper and alumina in the produced coatings were studied. After it, was evaluated the action of complexing agents (Sodium citrate 1.00 mol/L and potassium pyrophosphate 0.90 mol/L) using potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic voltammetry together with electrochemical microbalance quartz crystal (EQCM), and further producing composite coatings from baths containing CuSO4 0.02 mol/L potassium pyrophosphate + 0.90 mol/L + 20 g/L of alumina, varying the applied current density (I), the stirring speed of the rotating electrode (A) and the stirring time prior to electrodeposition (t). Finally in the last step was performed the substitution of alumina by bohemite and production of coatings from baths containing CuSO4 0.02 mol/L potassium pyrophosphate + 0.90 mol/L + 20 g/L bohemite, employing a central composite design, in which these parameters were also varied. The results showed that the presence of a ligand and the electrolyte stirring prior and during the experiment were critical to the production of composite coatings. EQCM tests showed that the citrate is adsorbed on the surface of the gold electrode, unlike pyrophosphate. The results showed that the contents of boehmite and copper in the coatings produced, as well as the morphology, polarization resistance and corrosion current density of the coatings were influenced by the evaluated parameters

Revestimentos de zinco são utilizados, há muito tempo, como revestimentos protetores e decorativos para peças metálicas. A escolha do zinco se deve ao baixo custo do mesmo. No entanto, aplicações industriais têm exigido revestimentos à base de zinco com melhor desempenho com relação à resistência à corrosão e à resistência ao desgaste. Nesse sentido, ligas de zinco, bem como, revestimentos compósitos de zinco têm sido desenvolvidos, visando, por exemplo, a substituição de revestimentos de cádmio na indústria aeronáutica. Os revestimentos compósitos de zinco podem ser geralmente obtidos em banhos de zinco contendo partículas de argilo-minerais. Com base nisso, neste trabalho foi estudado o efeito da incorporação de partículas cerâmicas à matriz metálica de zinco. Partículas de talco e de bentonita foram utilizadas considerando o baixo custo e o caráter lubrificante das mesmas. Os revestimentos obtidos foram caracterizados por espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, ensaios de polarização potenciostática, ensaios acelerados de corrosão, ensaio de desgaste do tipo pino-disco, interferometria ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados mostraram que o comportamento eletroquímico do revestimento de zinco não é prejudicado pela incorporação de partículas. Além disso, a presença de partículas promove a redução da rugosidade do revestimento e atribui um caráter lubrificante ao revestimento ainda que reduções importantes do coeficiente de atrito não sejam observadas. / Zinc coatings have been used for long time as a protection coatings and decorative to metals parts. Zinc was chosen due to a low cost. However, industry applications have been requiring Zinc coatings, which have a better efficience at corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Zinc alloys and composites coatings of Zinc have been developed to replace cadmium coatings in aircraft industry, for example. Zinc composite coatings can be obtained in electrolytes that contain zinc plus ceramic particles. Because of that, the present work aim studying the ceramic particles, talc or bentonite, on their incorporation into metal matrix. Talc and bentonite particles were used due to their low cost and lubricant feature. The coatings obtained were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiostatic polarization, salt spray, pin and disc wear, optical interferometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the features of the electrochemical zinc coating are not affected by the particles presence. Moreover, the particles presence promote the coating roughness decrease and gives to the coating a lubricant character although a decrease the friction coefficient had not been observed.

Revestimentos de zinco são utilizados, há muito tempo, como revestimentos protetores e decorativos para peças metálicas. A escolha do zinco se deve ao baixo custo do mesmo. No entanto, aplicações industriais têm exigido revestimentos à base de zinco com melhor desempenho com relação à resistência à corrosão e à resistência ao desgaste. Nesse sentido, ligas de zinco, bem como, revestimentos compósitos de zinco têm sido desenvolvidos, visando, por exemplo, a substituição de revestimentos de cádmio na indústria aeronáutica. Os revestimentos compósitos de zinco podem ser geralmente obtidos em banhos de zinco contendo partículas de argilo-minerais. Com base nisso, neste trabalho foi estudado o efeito da incorporação de partículas cerâmicas à matriz metálica de zinco. Partículas de talco e de bentonita foram utilizadas considerando o baixo custo e o caráter lubrificante das mesmas. Os revestimentos obtidos foram caracterizados por espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, ensaios de polarização potenciostática, ensaios acelerados de corrosão, ensaio de desgaste do tipo pino-disco, interferometria ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados mostraram que o comportamento eletroquímico do revestimento de zinco não é prejudicado pela incorporação de partículas. Além disso, a presença de partículas promove a redução da rugosidade do revestimento e atribui um caráter lubrificante ao revestimento ainda que reduções importantes do coeficiente de atrito não sejam observadas. / Zinc coatings have been used for long time as a protection coatings and decorative to metals parts. Zinc was chosen due to a low cost. However, industry applications have been requiring Zinc coatings, which have a better efficience at corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Zinc alloys and composites coatings of Zinc have been developed to replace cadmium coatings in aircraft industry, for example. Zinc composite coatings can be obtained in electrolytes that contain zinc plus ceramic particles. Because of that, the present work aim studying the ceramic particles, talc or bentonite, on their incorporation into metal matrix. Talc and bentonite particles were used due to their low cost and lubricant feature. The coatings obtained were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiostatic polarization, salt spray, pin and disc wear, optical interferometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the features of the electrochemical zinc coating are not affected by the particles presence. Moreover, the particles presence promote the coating roughness decrease and gives to the coating a lubricant character although a decrease the friction coefficient had not been observed.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Revestimentos funcionais compósitos são um atrativo tecnológico crescente, pois possibilitam a combinação de materiais metálicos, poliméricos ou cerâmicos, resultando em propriedades superiores as dos materiais individuais, sendo por este motivo, largamente aplicados na engenharia de materiais. Na presente dissertação, foram produzidos revestimentos compósitos por eletrodeposição através da codeposição de uma matriz metálica de cobre e de partículas de óxidos de alumínio incorporadas (g - Al2O3 ou AlO(OH)), sobre substratos de aço carbono, a partir de diferentes banhos eletrolíticos. Três etapas foram efetuadas, na primeira realizou-se o estudo da influência do modo de agitação e da presença ou não de ligantes (citrato de sódio 1,00 mol/L) nos teores de cobre e alumina nos revestimentos produzidos. Em seguida foi avaliada a ação de complexantes (citrato de sódio 1,00 mol/L e pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L) usando polarização potenciodinâmica e voltametria cíclica, em conjunto com microbalança eletroquímica de cristal de quartzo (EQCM) e a posterior produção de revestimentos compósitos a partir de banhos contendo CuSO4 0,02 mol/L + pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L + 20 g/L de alumina, variando a densidade de corrente aplicada (I), a velocidade de agitação do eletrodo rotatório (A) e o do tempo de agitação prévia (t). Por fim, na terceira etapa, fez-se a substituição de alumina por Boehmita e a produção dos revestimentos a partir de banhos contendo CuSO4 0,02 mol/L + pirofosfato de potássio 0,90 mol/L + 20 g/L de Boehmita, empregando um planejamento composto central, em que os parâmetros citados também foram variados. Os resultados mostraram que a presença de um ligante e a agitação prévia e continuada do eletrólito durante o experimento foram fundamentais para a produção dos revestimentos compósitos. Ensaios de EQCM mostraram que o citrato se adsorveu na superfície do eletrodo de ouro, diferentemente do pirofosfato. Os teores de Boehmita e cobre nos revestimentos produzidos, assim como a morfologia, resistência de polarização e densidade de corrente de corrosão dos revestimentos foram influenciados pelos parâmetros avaliados. / Functional coatings composites are an increasing technologic attractive, as they allow the combination of metallic, polymeric or ceramic materials resulting in properties superior than those of the individual materials. They are, therefore, widely used in engineering materials. In this dissertation, composite coatings were produced by electrodeposition through co-deposition of a copper metal matrix and particulate aluminum oxides embedded (g - Al2O3 or AlO (OH)) on carbon steel substrates from different electrolytic baths. Three steps were taken: first the influence of the stirring mode and the presence or absence of ligands (sodium citrate 1.00 mol/L) in the amount of copper and alumina in the produced coatings were studied. After it, was evaluated the action of complexing agents (Sodium citrate 1.00 mol/L and potassium pyrophosphate 0.90 mol/L) using potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic voltammetry together with electrochemical microbalance quartz crystal (EQCM), and further producing composite coatings from baths containing CuSO4 0.02 mol/L potassium pyrophosphate + 0.90 mol/L + 20 g/L of alumina, varying the applied current density (I), the stirring speed of the rotating electrode (A) and the stirring time prior to electrodeposition (t). Finally in the last step was performed the substitution of alumina by bohemite and production of coatings from baths containing CuSO4 0.02 mol/L potassium pyrophosphate + 0.90 mol/L + 20 g/L bohemite, employing a central composite design, in which these parameters were also varied. The results showed that the presence of a ligand and the electrolyte stirring prior and during the experiment were critical to the production of composite coatings. EQCM tests showed that the citrate is adsorbed on the surface of the gold electrode, unlike pyrophosphate. The results showed that the contents of boehmite and copper in the coatings produced, as well as the morphology, polarization resistance and corrosion current density of the coatings were influenced by the evaluated parameters

Revestimentos de zinco são utilizados, há muito tempo, como revestimentos protetores e decorativos para peças metálicas. A escolha do zinco se deve ao baixo custo do mesmo. No entanto, aplicações industriais têm exigido revestimentos à base de zinco com melhor desempenho com relação à resistência à corrosão e à resistência ao desgaste. Nesse sentido, ligas de zinco, bem como, revestimentos compósitos de zinco têm sido desenvolvidos, visando, por exemplo, a substituição de revestimentos de cádmio na indústria aeronáutica. Os revestimentos compósitos de zinco podem ser geralmente obtidos em banhos de zinco contendo partículas de argilo-minerais. Com base nisso, neste trabalho foi estudado o efeito da incorporação de partículas cerâmicas à matriz metálica de zinco. Partículas de talco e de bentonita foram utilizadas considerando o baixo custo e o caráter lubrificante das mesmas. Os revestimentos obtidos foram caracterizados por espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, ensaios de polarização potenciostática, ensaios acelerados de corrosão, ensaio de desgaste do tipo pino-disco, interferometria ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados mostraram que o comportamento eletroquímico do revestimento de zinco não é prejudicado pela incorporação de partículas. Além disso, a presença de partículas promove a redução da rugosidade do revestimento e atribui um caráter lubrificante ao revestimento ainda que reduções importantes do coeficiente de atrito não sejam observadas. / Zinc coatings have been used for long time as a protection coatings and decorative to metals parts. Zinc was chosen due to a low cost. However, industry applications have been requiring Zinc coatings, which have a better efficience at corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Zinc alloys and composites coatings of Zinc have been developed to replace cadmium coatings in aircraft industry, for example. Zinc composite coatings can be obtained in electrolytes that contain zinc plus ceramic particles. Because of that, the present work aim studying the ceramic particles, talc or bentonite, on their incorporation into metal matrix. Talc and bentonite particles were used due to their low cost and lubricant feature. The coatings obtained were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiostatic polarization, salt spray, pin and disc wear, optical interferometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the features of the electrochemical zinc coating are not affected by the particles presence. Moreover, the particles presence promote the coating roughness decrease and gives to the coating a lubricant character although a decrease the friction coefficient had not been observed.

Dans ce travail, l’élaboration des revêtements électrolytiques Ni-Co par régimes continu et pulsé, sur acier ordinaire à partir d’un électrolyte support à faible teneur en nickel,a permis d’améliorer les propriétés physico-chimiques et anti corrosives. Cela a également entraîné la diminution de la toxicité du bain d’électrodéposition. Un plan Doehlert a été exploité afin d’optimiser les différents paramètres d’électrodéposition. D’une part, l’ajout des additifs (hydroquinone, gélatine et des nano-particules TiO2) dans l’électrolyte a un effet remarquable sur les propriétés physiques et chimiques des électro-dépôts (morphologie,teneur en cobalt dans le revêtement et micro-dureté…). Les alliages composites et nano composites formés sont plus compacts, moins poreux et présentent une meilleure adhérence et une granulométrie plus fine que le revêtement de base Ni-Co sans ajout d’additifs. D’autre part, ces dépôts conduisent à une amélioration de la protection contre la corrosion et une bonne stabilité dans le milieu agressif 3% NaCl. / In this work, the elaboration of Ni-Co coatings by pulse and continuous electroplating oncarbon steel substrate from a supporting electrolyte with low nickel content can produce betterphysicochemical and anticorrosive properties as well as reduce the toxicity of the plating bath.A Doehlert plan was exploited to optimize the various plating parameters. On the one hand,the addition of additives (hydroquinone, gelatin and TiO2 nanoparticles) in the electrolyte hasa remarkable effect on the physical and chemical properties of the deposits (morphology,content of cobalt in the coating and micro hardness…). Composites and nanocompositesalloys are more compact, less porous with finer texture and good adhesion than the base Ni-Co coating without addition of additives. On the other hand, these deposits have a betterprotection against corrosion and a good stability in aggressive media 3% NaCl.

No description available.

<p> Pure zinc and zinc/yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite coatings for combined wear and corrosion protection of ferrous substrates were prepared by electrodeposition using acidic zinc sulphate solutions containing YSZ and gelatin. The morphology of the electrodeposit was studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). X-ray diffraction was employed to determine the texture of the zinc deposits. In the electrodeposition of pure zinc coatings, the influence of electrodeposition parameters, including current density, deposition time and solution pH was studied. It was found that the deposition rate was controlled by the current density and that an increase in deposition time resulted in the formation of deposit microstructures with coarse, columnar grains. The deposits prepared from solutions with lower pH were composed of uniform, fine grains and exhibited a basal plane preferred orientation.</p> <p> The effects of gelatin on zinc electrodeposition were investigated. It was found that the addition of gelatin profoundly modified the microstructure and crystallographic orientation of the zinc deposit. As the gelatin concentration increased, the mean grain size of zinc deposit was reduced and the basal plane preferred orientation was inhibited. The modification of the microstructure and orientation by gelatin increased microhardness of the zinc coating. However, the corrosion protection property which was assessed by potentiodynamic polarization test was not significantly changed.</p> <p> In the study on composite coatings, the incorporation of ceramic particles in the zinc deposit was characterized as a function of the deposition solution composition. The effect of ceramic particles on the hardness of the composite coatings was assessed by microhardness. The corrosion potential of the composite coating was determined by potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results showed that decrease in solution pH and addition of gelatin promoted the co-deposition of ceramic particles with zinc. The mechanical and corrosion properties of conventional zinc coatings were improved by the incorporation of ceramic particles.</p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)