Effects of Voigt diffraction peak profiles on the pair distribution function

Powder diffraction and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis are well established techniques for investigation of atomic configurations in crystalline materials, and the two are related by a Fourier transformation. In diffraction experiments, structural information, such as crystallite size and microstrain, is contained within the peak profile function of the diffraction peaks. However, the effects of the PXRD (powder X-ray diffraction) peak profile function on the PDF are not fully understood. Here, all the effects from a Voigt diffraction peak profile are solved analytically, and verified experimentally through a high-quality X-ray total scattering measurement on Ni powder. The Lorentzian contribution to the microstrain broadening is found to result in Voigt-shaped PDF peaks. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that an improper description of the Voigt shape during model refinement leads to overestimation of the atomic displacement parameter.

Electrochemical deposition of nickel from aqueous electrolytic baths prepared by dissolution of metallic powder

A new method of preparation of aqueous electrolyte baths for electrochemical deposition of nickel targets for medical accelerators is presented. It starts with fast dissolution of metallic Ni powder in a HNO3-free solvent. Such obtained raw solution does not require additional treatment aimed to removal nitrates, such as the acid evaporation and Ni salt precipitation-dissolution. It is used directly for preparation of the nickel plating baths after dilution with water, setting up pH value and after possible addition of H3BO3. The pH of the baths ranges from alkaline to acidic. Deposition of 95% of ca. 50 mg of Ni dissolved in the bath takes ca. 3.5 h for the alkaline electrolyte while for the acidic solution it requires ca. 7 h. The Ni deposits obtained from the acidic bath are physically and chemically more stable and possess smoother and crack-free surfaces as compared to the coatings deposited from the alkaline bath. A method of estimation of concentration of H2O2 in the electrolytic bath is also proposed.

The Effect of Powder Composition on the Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Laser Cladding 60NiTi Alloy Coatings on SS 316L

Two kinds of 60NiTi powders were prepared by pure Ni mixed with Ti powders, and 55NiTi alloy powder with pure Ni powder and both the powders were fully mixed by alcohol ball milling. Two kinds of coatings (denoted as 60Ni-40Ti and 55NiTi-5Ni) were prepared on a 316L stainless steel substrate by laser cladding. The microstructure, microhardness and electrochemical behavior of the prepared coatings were investigated extensively. The results show that 55NiTi-5Ni has a typical dendritic eutectic structure, but 60Ni-40Ti tends to form a eutectic network structure. The main phases in both coatings are (Ni, Fe)Ti and (Ni, Fe)3Ti; however, the (Ni, Fe)Ti phase is dominant in 55NiTi-5Ni, but the (Ni, Fe)3Ti phase is more prevalent in 60Ni-40Ti. The microhardness was significantly improved with the 316L stainless steel substrate, and the microhardness of 55NiTi-5Ni is slightly higher than 60Ni-40Ti. The corrosion resistance of the two coatings in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution also leads to significant improvements compared with the substrate, and the corrosion resistance of 55NiTi-5Ni was also increased. These different behaviors and characteristics might be related to the different microstructures. Uniform and fine eutectic structure in 55NiTi-5Ni coating lead to better performance, which is also conducive to the formation of the dense oxide film to improve corrosion resistance.

Cold Gas-Dynamic Spray for Catalyzation of Plastically Deformed Mg-Strips with Ni Powder

Magnesium hydride (MgH2) has received significant attention due to its potential applications as solid-state hydrogen storage media for useful fuel cell applications. Even though MgH2 possesses several attractive hydrogen storage properties, it cannot be utilized in fuel cell applications due to its high thermal stability and poor hydrogen uptake/release kinetics. High-energy ball milling, and mechanically-induced cold-rolling processes are the most common techniques to introduce severe plastic deformation and lattice imperfection in the Mg/MgH2. Furthermore, using one or more catalytic agents is considered a practical solution to improve both the de-/rehydrogenation process of MgH2.These treatments are usually dedicated to enhance its hydrogen storage properties and deduce its thermal stability. However, catalyzation of Mg/MgH2 powders with a desired catalytic agent using ball milling process has shown some disadvantages due to the uncontrolled distribution of the agent particles in the MgH2 powder matrix. The present study has been undertaken to employ a cold gas-dynamic spray process for catalyzing the fresh surfaces of mechanically-induced cold-rolled Mg ribbons with Ni powder particles. The starting Mg-rods were firstly heat treated and forged 200 times before cold rolling for 300 passes. The as-treated ribbons were then catalyzed by Ni particles, using cold gas-dynamic spray process. In this catalyzation approach, the Ni particles were carried by a stream of Ar gas via a high-velocity jet at a supersonic velocity. Accordingly, the pelted Ni particles penetrated the Mg-substrate ribbons, and hence created numerous micropores into the Mg, allowed the Ni particles to form a homogeneous network of catalytic active sites in Mg substrate. As the number of coating time increased to three times, the Ni concentration increased (5.28 wt.%), and this led to significant enhancement of the Mg-hydrogen storage capacity, as well as improving the de-/rehydrogenation kinetics. This is evidenced by the high value of hydrogen storage capacity (6.1 wt.% hydrogen) and the fast gas uptake kinetics (5.1 min) under moderate pressure (10 bar) and temperature (200 °C). The fabricated nanocomposite MgH2/5.28 wt.% Ni strips have shown good dehydrogenation behavior, indicated by their capability to desorb 6.1 wt.% of hydrogen gas within 11 min at 200 °C under 200 mbar of hydrogen pressure. Moreover, this system possessed long cycle-life-time, which extended to 350 h with a minimal degradation in the storage and kinetics behavior.

Parameters of crystal and electronic structure and magnetic properties of mechanically alloyed Ni3C cubic carbide

The cubic Ni3.3C carbide has been fabricated by mechanical alloying of elemental Ni powder and the multiwalled carbon nanotubes in a high energy planetary ball mill. Crystal structure of carbide obtained belongs to the defective structure of ZnS sphalerite type according to x-ray diffraction data. Parameters of the electronic structure of Ni3.3C were calculated by linearized muffin-tin orbitals method within the plane-wave approximation using as an input the defined parameters of crystal structure. Magnetic properties, such as temperature and field dependences of the magnetic susceptibility of Ni3.3C have been studied. Based on experimental data obtained by studying the crystal structure and magnetic properties of Ni3.3C, as well as on the basis of calculations of electronic structure parameters, a preferred displacement of the carbon atoms in tetrahedral voids of Ni crystal lattice has revealed.

WEAR ANALYSIS OF ALUMINUM–NICKEL INTERMETALLIC SURFACE COMPOSITE FABRICATED BY FRICTION STIR PROCESSING

In low-strength metals, the main purpose of enhancing surface properties is to increase the abrasion resistance. One of the new methods for improving the microstructure of the surface layer of metals is the surface composite. In this research, the friction stir processing (FSP) was used to develop an aluminum–nickel intermetallic surface composite. Aluminum 2024 alloy and Ni powder were used as the matrix and reinforcement agent, respectively. Comparison of composite and non-composite FSP samples indicates that adding reinforcements improves the wear resistance of a monolithic metal in all condition. Also, the wear resistance of fabricated composites using activated Al–Ni powder is higher than the others due to the presence of Al3Ni2 and Al3Ni intermetallic compounds. At low traverse speed of the FSP, powder agglomeration occurs, and the powders are not uniformly distributed, as a result, the friction coefficient rises. SEM micrographs of scratched particles of activated composite confirm the delamination mechanism in the wear stable stage.

Effect of WC-Ni Powder Composition and Preparation on Cold Spray Performance

Toxic metal reduction is at the forefront of many design considerations today; additive manufacturing has the ability to combine materials in ways other traditional processes cannot and has the potential to offer unique solutions to reduce hazardous materials needed in manufacturing. Tungsten carbide (WC) has been used as a substitute in wear applications where toxic processes are traditionally utilized, but it can be difficult to deposit high-quality, hard and durable coatings. Additionally, there is a need to apply WC coatings on surfaces not feasible with the current processes. Cold spray, a solid-state directed powder deposition process, is effective at depositing carbides, though powders must be thoughtfully designed to achieve desired mechanical properties. In this study, WC was investigated as a hard chrome alternative for wear applications. Various blend ratios and preparation methods were evaluated as feedstock powder and then sprayed. Feedstock characteristics were compared to cold spray performance. Cold spray consolidations were evaluated for coating porosity and hardness. It was found that when powder make-up and composition were optimized, a high-hardness and low-porosity material was made that will contribute to the reduction in dependency of Cr in wear-facing components.

Optimization of Elemental Weight % in Microwave-Processed Joints of SS304/SS316 Using Taguchi Philosophy

In this work, microwave-processed similar and dissimilar joints of SS304-SS304, SS304-SS316 and SS316-SS316 were fabricated using microwave hybrid heating technique. Workpieces were projected with electromagnetic energy radiations of a household microwave source with fixed frequency of 2.45[Formula: see text]GHz at 800[Formula: see text]W; about 99.8% pure Ni powder of different sizes 70[Formula: see text]nm, 20[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m and 50[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m was used as interface material between the welded joints. The experiments were carried out as per Taguchi philosophy of optimization-based L9 orthogonal array. Workpiece materials (SS304-SS304, SS304-SS316, SS316-SS316), interface material (70[Formula: see text]nm, 20[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, 50[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m) and process time (360, 390, 420[Formula: see text]s) were selected as three input process parameters. Physical characterization of the joints was performed through energy dispersive spectroscopy to find out the central elements by weight % present in the joining region of the joints, and the results were taken as output parameters. Optimization of elemental weight % in microwave-processed joints of SS304/SS316 was the prime output of this present work with investigation to the existence of Ni, Fe, Cr and C elements in the produced joints under the influence of different input parameters through microwave joining method.