Catalyst system for surface treatment of steel products.

The work considered catalytic systems for chemical-thermal treatment of steel products. The characteristics and properties of systems including a copper-containing nanocomposite and various alloying elements (tungsten, nickel, chromium) have been studied. The possibility of using poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone as a polymer protector when combining copper-containing sols and some alloying metals has been shown. Investigations of the characteristics of the obtained samples were carried out using the methods of electron microscopy and electron spectroscopy. After applying the synthesis product to steel samples, thermal diffusion saturation was carried out in an ammonia medium. A metallographic study of these samples showed that processing using a catalytic system allows one to achieve higher values of microhardness and thickness of the diffusion layer than with conventional approaches to nitriding. It is noted that the increase in the efficiency of the process is associated with the introduction of copper-containing particles into the catalytic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]