Tailoring the Hybrid Magnetron Sputtering Process (HiPIMS and dcMS) to Manufacture Ceramic Multilayers: Powering Conditions, Target Materials, and Base Layers.

The mechanical and wear behavior of CrN/CrAlN multilayers were improved by tailoring the experimental conditions of a hybrid magnetron sputtering process based on a high-power impulse (HiPIMS) and two direct current magnetron sputtering (dcMS) power supplies. To this end, the influence of the base layer and of the combination of Cr and CrAl targets, which were switched to the dcMS and HiPIMS power supplies in different configurations, were investigated with respect to the growth of ceramic CrN/CrAlN multilayers onto commercial gas-nitrided diesel piston rings. The microstructure, grain morphology, and mechanical properties were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and instrumented nanoindentation.

Role of Nitrogen and Yttrium Contents in Manufacturing (Cr, Y)N Film Nanostructures.

The high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technique was applied to deposit multilayer-like (Cr, Y)N coatings on AISI 304L stainless steel, using pendular substrate oscillation and a Cr-Y target and varying the nitrogen flow rate from 10 to 50 sccm. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, instrumented nano-hardness, and wear tests. The columnar grain structure became highly segmented and nanosized due to pendular substrate oscillation and the addition of yttrium.

New Clayey Deposit and Their Potential as Raw Material for Red or Structured Ceramics: Technological Characterization.

Mineralogical and technological characterization of ceramic raw materials from a new deposit located at Caxias city, Maranhão State-Brazil, was accomplished to determine their potential as raw materials for the ceramics industry in northeastern Brazil. The ceramic raw materials were collected from three different locations on the site and characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and thermogravimetry (TG). The XRF analysis of the fraction < 2 μm revealed that most samples had SiO (35-51 wt%), AlO (19-29 wt%), FeO (2-21 wt%), MgO (0.

Development of Scheelite Tailings-Based Ceramic Formulations with the Potential to Manufacture Porcelain Tiles, Semi-Stoneware and Stoneware.

New ceramic formulations based on scheelite tailing were developed, and their potential in the ceramic industry was evaluated. Green bodies with different contents of scheelite tailing (0-8 wt%) were sintered (1150 °C, 1200 °C, and 1250 °C) and characterized in terms of the main mineralogical phases, microstructure, and physico-mechanical properties. The mullite was the main phase identified in all sintered temperatures.