Unraveling the Formation Mechanism of a Hybrid Zr-Based Chemical Conversion Coating with Organic and Copper Compounds for Corrosion Inhibition.

Environmentally friendly chromate-free, zirconium (Zr)-based conversion coating is a promising green technology for corrosion protection. Additives in the surface treatment provide critical functionalities and performance improvements; however, mechanistic understanding as to how the additives influence the coatings remains unclear. In this study, a new organic-inorganic hybrid Zr-based conversion coating combines copper (Cu) compounds and polyamidoamine (PAMAM), taking advantage of the complementary nature of organic and inorganic additives.

Critical factors affecting the 3D microstructural formation in hybrid conductive adhesive materials studied by X-ray nano-tomography.

Conductive adhesives are found favorable in a wide range of applications including a lead-free solder in micro-chips, flexible and printable electronics and enhancing the performance of energy storage devices. Composite materials comprised of metallic fillers and a polymer matrix are of great interest to be implemented as hybrid conductive adhesives. Here we investigated a cost-effective conductive adhesive material consisting of silver-coated copper as micro-fillers using synchrotron-based three-dimensional (3D) X-ray nano-tomography.