The Intrinsic Electrochemical Behavior of Layered Cu2WSe4 Nanoparticles

Nanoplates of Cu2WSe4 (~50 nm) were synthesized via a hot-injection method by one-pot selenation of WCl6 and Cu(acac)2. This synthetic route provided another path towards deciphering the intrinsic electrochemical properties of Cu2MSe4 (M = Mo or W), where their nanoparticles were previously synthesized via a metathesis route. Cation-dependent cathodic events and surface activation anodic events were identified by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile.

Physically Switchable Antimicrobial Surfaces and Coatings: General Concept and Recent Achievements

Bacterial environmental colonization and subsequent biofilm formation on surfaces represents a significant and alarming problem in various fields, ranging from contamination of medical devices up to safe food packaging. Therefore, the development of surfaces resistant to bacterial colonization is a challenging and actively solved task. In this field, the current promising direction is the design and creation of nanostructured smart surfaces with on-demand activated amicrobial protection. Various surface activation methods have been described recently. In this review article, we focused on the “physical” activation of nanostructured surfaces. In the first part of the review, we briefly describe the basic principles and common approaches of external stimulus application and surface activation, including the temperature-, light-, electric- or magnetic-field-based surface triggering, as well as mechanically induced surface antimicrobial protection. In the latter part, the recent achievements in the field of smart antimicrobial surfaces with physical activation are discussed, with special attention on multiresponsive or multifunctional physically activated coatings. In particular, we mainly discussed the multistimuli surface triggering, which ensures a better degree of surface properties control, as well as simultaneous utilization of several strategies for surface protection, based on a principally different mechanism of antimicrobial action. We also mentioned several recent trends, including the development of the to-detect and to-kill hybrid approach, which ensures the surface activation in a right place at a right time.

Effect of Deformation Structure of AISI 316L in Low-Temperature Vacuum Carburizing

The effect of plastic deformation applied to AISI 316L in low-temperature vacuum carburizing without surface activation was investigated. To create a difference in the deformation states of each specimen, solution and stress-relieving heat treatment were performed using plastically deformed AISI 316L, and the deformation structure and the carburized layer were observed with EBSD and OM. The change in lattice parameter was confirmed with XRD, and the natural oxide layers were analyzed through TEM and XPS. In this study, the carburized layer on the deformed AISI 316L was the thinnest and the dissolved carbon content of the layer was the lowest. The thickness and composition of the natural oxide layer on the surface were changed due to the deformed structure. The natural oxide layer on the deformed AISI 316L was the thickest, and the layer was formed with a bi-layer structure consisting of an upper Cr-rich layer and a lower Fe-rich layer. The thick and Cr-rich oxide layer was difficult to decompose due to the requirement for lower oxygen partial pressure. In conclusion, the oxide layer is the most influential factor, and its thickness and composition may determine carburizing efficiency in low-temperature vacuum carburizing without surface activation.