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This study investigates the thermophysical and combustion characteristics of ethanol-based nanofuels incorporating aluminum (Al) and nickel-coated aluminum (Ni-Al). The nanofuels are prepared with varying concentrations of Al and Ni-Al nanoparticles. The results reveal that, despite the non-uniform deposition of nickel on Al particles, a sintering reaction occurs between the two materials. Nanofuels containing Al exhibit unburned Al residues after combustion, while nanofuels containing Ni-Al show intense AlO radical emission during combustion termination, indicating enhanced combustion. However, nanofuels containing Ni-Al demonstrate a lower burning rate compared to Al nanofuels, attributed to the lower thermal conductivity of nickel. Overall, the findings suggest that nanofuels containing Ni-Al possess higher energy potential but extended combustion duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissimilarities in metal laser welding lead to brittleness in welded joints due to differences in the thermophysical and chemical properties between dissimilar base materials. To overcome such brittleness, the addition of a preset coating onto the base materials as an interlayer is a method for attaining reliable welded joints. Nd:YAG laser butt welding of DP590 dual-phase steel and 304 stainless, both with a thickness of 1 mm, was performed with a preset nickel coating as an interlayer using an electroplating process. The relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the welded joints was researched, the microstructure and composition of the weldment were analyzed, and the microhardness, tensile strength and corrosion resistance were tested. The results showed that the preset nickel coating increased the content of Ni element in the welded joints, which is beneficial to the formation of lath martensite. The average hardness of the welded joints increased by 12%, and the tensile strength was higher than 370 MPa. The corrosion rate of the welded joints can be slowed down, and the corrosion resistance can be improved by increasing the nickel coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FBG sensors are used in many scientific and industrial fields for assessing the structural integrity of mechanical components and in very high (above 600 °C) or very low (cryogenic) temperature applications. The main concerns with the use of such sensors in applications involving extreme temperatures are related partly to the instability of the reflected spectrum, which tends to dissolve into the noise floor, and partly to the degradation of the mechanical properties of the optical fiber, which tends to worsen the inherent brittleness. All of this raises the need for a robust nickel protective coating to ensure the grating's integrity in high-temperature environments. In addition, the inherent brittleness of fiber-optic gratings leaves one to wonder whether it is possible to recover a broken, seemingly unusable sensor. In this way, a single-peak commercial FBG was intentionally broken in the middle of the grating length and re-spliced, inducing a strongly asymmetric chirped-like spectrum; then, a nickel coating was electrodeposited on its surface. The most important outcome achieved by this work is the regeneration of a highly distorted reflected spectrum through three thermal cycles performed from room temperature up to 500, 750, and 800 °C, respectively. After reaching a temperature of at least 700 °C, the spectrum, which has been drastically altered by splicing, becomes stable and restores its single peak shape. A further stabilization cycle carried out at 800 °C for 80 min led to an estimation of the stabilizing time of the new single-peak reflected spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nickel coating and heat treatment on the interfacial bonds of aluminum–iron (Al/Fe) alloys hybrid structures were investigated using microstructural analysis. The application of a nickel coating successfully suppressed the formation of defects such as gaps and oxide scale, improving the physical bonding of the interface. Optimizing the heat treatment conditions generated superior chemical bonding at the interface and facilitated the formation of a nickel-bearing phase in the Al matrix. Also, the types of nickel-bearing phase were influenced by solution treatment and proximity to the interface. By analyzing the isopleth phase diagram of the aluminum system for the ranges of nickel present in the Al, it was confirmed that the Ni:Cu ratio affected the precipitation characteristics of the system. However, when heated under conditions that were optimized for chemical bonding, the Al matrix decreased by approximately 40% (from 100 HV to 60 HV), due to grain growth. The effect of artificial aging increased the hardness of the Al matrix away from the interface by 35% (from 63 HV to 90 HV). On the other hand, this did not occur in the Al matrix near the interface. These results indicate that the nickel that diffused into the Al matrix interfered with the precipitation hardening effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common occurrence of the phenomenon of cavitation in many industries and the multitude of factors affecting the resistance to cavitation erosion of used materials contribute to the search for methods and appropriate parameters of coating application that are able to minimize the effects of erosion. To determine the validity of the developed application parameters and the method used, cavitation studies and microscopic observations of the development of erosion during the cavitation test were carried out. There was a clear lack of incubation time and a linear increase in losses after 60 min of the test. Moreover, the damage observed during the test overlapped, widening the area of erosion and thus leading to damage to the integrity of the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the impact of copper substrate grain size on the structure of the succeeding electrodeposited nickel film and its consequent corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl medium were evaluated before and after functionalization with stearic acid. Nickel layers were electrodeposited on two different copper sheets with average grain size of 12 and 25 µm, followed by deposition of stearic acid film through self-assembly. X-ray diffraction analysis of the electrodeposited nickel films revealed that the deposition of nickel film on the Cu substrate with small (12 µm) and large (25 µm) grains is predominantly governed by growth in the (220) and (111) planes, respectively. Both electrodeposited films initially exhibited a hydrophilic nature, with water-contact angles of 56° and <10°, respectively. After functionalization with stearic acid, superhydrophobic films with contact angles of ~150° were obtained on both samples. In a 3.5% NaCl medium, the corrosion resistance of the nickel layer electrodeposited on the copper substrate with 25 µm grains was three times greater than that deposited on the copper substrate with 12 µm grains. After functionalization, the corrosion resistance of both films was greatly improved in both short and long immersion times in 3.5% NaCl medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the size and structure of nickel powder grains on the corrosion resistance of nickel coatings on an Al7075 substrate in an acidic chloride solution was investigated. The Ni coating was produced by the cold spraying (CS) method. The surface and microstructure of specimens were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The corrosion test of the materials was carried out by using the electrochemical method. It has been found that the size of Ni powders has a significant effect on the corrosion resistance of nickel coatings. The porosity of nickel coatings on the Al7075 alloy increases with the increasing size of nickel powders. The corrosion rate of nickel coatings in the chloride environment decreases as the diameter of the nickel powders decreases. On the other hand, the highest corrosion resistance of nickel coatings was obtained using the Ni powders of the irregular spherical or dendritic structure. Moreover, the large particles of nickel powder cause strong residual stress (compared to small grains) in the depth of the nickel coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the thermal and electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composites produced from nickel- and copper-coated carbon fibers compared to uncoated fibers are presented. The carbon fibers were processed by our prepreg line and cured to laminates. In the fiber direction, the thermal conductivity doubled from ~3 W/mK for the uncoated fiber, to ~6 W/mK for the nickel, and increased six times to ~20 W/mK for the copper-coated fiber for a fiber volume content of ~50 vol %. Transverse to the fiber, the thermal conductivity increased from 0.6 W/mK (uncoated fiber) to 0.9 W/mK (nickel) and 2.9 W/mK (copper) at the same fiber content. In addition, the electrical conductivity could be enhanced to up to ~1500 S/m with the use of the nickel-coated fiber. We showed that the flexural strength and modulus were in the range of the uncoated fibers, which offers the possibility to use them for lightning strike protection, for heatsinks in electronics or other structural heat transfer elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]