Thermal analysis of hydrotalcite synthesised from aluminate solutions

The aluminate hydrotalcites are proposed to have either of the following formulas: Mg4Al2(OH)12(CO3 2-)·xH2O or Mg4Al2(OH)12(CO3 2-, SO4 2-)·xH2O. A pure hydrotalcite phase forms when magnesium chloride and aluminate solns. are mixed at a 1:1 volumetric ratio at pH 14. The synthesis of the aluminate hydrotalcites using seawater results in the formation of an impurity phase bayerite. Two decompn. steps have been identified for the aluminate hydrotalcites: (1) removal of interlayer water (230 °C) and (2) simultaneous dehydroxylation and decarbonation (330 °C).

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of hydrotalcite formed from aluminate solutions

Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterise nine hydrotalcites prepared from aluminate and magnesium solutions (magnesium chloride and seawater). The aluminate hydrotalcites are proposed to have the following formula Mg6Al2(OH)16(CO32-).xH2O, Mg6Al2(OH)16(CO32-,SO42-).xH2O, and Mg6Al2(OH)16(SO42-).xH2O. The synthesis of these hydrotalcites using seawater results in the intercalation of sulfate anions into the hydrotalcite interlayer. The spectra have been used to assess the molecular assembly of the cations and anions in the hydrotalcite structures. The spectra have been conveniently subdivided into spectral features based upon the carbonate anion, the hydroxyl units and water units. This investigation has shown the ideal conditions to form hydrotalcite from aluminate solutions is at pH 14 using magnesium chloride. Changes in synthesis conditions resulted in the formation of impurity products aragonite, thenardite, and gypsum.

Characteristics of anodic coatings oxidized to different voltage on AZ91D Mg alloy by micro-arc oxidization technique

With increasing applied voltage, three types of anodic coatings, passive film, micro-spark ceramic coating and spark ceramic coating were made by micro-arc oxidization (MAO) technique on AZ91D magnesium alloy in alkali-silicate solution. The structure, composition characteristics and the electrochemical properties of coatings were also studied with SEM, XRD and EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) technique, respectively. It is found that the electrochemical properties are closely related to the structure and composition characteristics of the anodic coatings. At the same time, the characteristics of the three types of anodic coatings differ significantly, among them, the micro-spark ceramic coating, prepared in the voltage range of 170similar to220V exhibits compact, homogeneous structure and highest corrosion-resistance.

Influence of anodising current on the corrosion resistance of anodised AZ91D magnesium alloy

The thickness, chemical composition and microstructure of anodised coatings formed on magnesium alloy AZ91D at various anodising current densities were measured. It was found that all these parameters could be affected by anodising current density, and hence the coatings formed at different anodising current densities had different corrosion resistances. This suggests that the corrosion performance of an anodised coating could be improved if a properly designed current waveform is used for anodising. In addition, based on the experimental results, some physical, chemical and electrochemical reactions involved in the anodising process were proposed to explain the anodising behaviour in this paper. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corrosion resistance of anodised single-phase Mg alloys

This work studied the effect of the impurity iron and the alloying elements aluminium and zinc in single-phase substrate magnesium alloys on the corrosion resistance of the alloys after anodisation. It was found that increasing zinc content (0-2%) led to increased corrosion resistance of an anodised single-phase Mg-Zn alloy. The addition of Al lowered the corrosion resistance of an anodised commercial purity Mg-Al single-phase alloy, whereas the same addition was found to be beneficial to the corrosion resistance of an anodised high purity Mg-Al single-phase alloy. Heat-treatment made the substrate Mg-Al and Mg-Zn alloys more uniform and hence improved the corrosion resistance of the alloys after anodisation. The detrimental effect of iron impurity on corrosion performance of the unanodised substrate single-phase magnesium alloys was inherited by the anodised alloys. The corrosion resistance of the anodised Mg alloys was found to be closely correlated with the corrosion performance of the unanodised as-cast Mg alloys. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anodizing treatments for magnesium alloys and their effecton corrosion resistance in various environments

This paper reviews various aspects of anodizing of magnesium alloys, such as the basics, processes, properties and applications. It systematically summarises the existing fundamental studies and technical developments of anodizing of magnesium alloys, and concludes that new anodizing processes based on electrolytic plasma anodizing that convert the surface of a magnesium alloy into a hard ceramic coating in an electrolytic bath using high energy electric discharges can offer improved wear and corrosion resistance. These new anodized coatings are often claimed to perform better than the traditional ones obtained through older anodizing processes, such as DOW17 or HAE. The new anodizing techniques are chromate free and hence environment friendly. It is expected that more cost-effective, environment-friendly and non-toxic anodizing techniques will be developed and applied to magnesium alloy components in the future.

The corrosion performance of anodised magnesium alloys

The corrosion performance of anodised magnesium and its alloys, such as commercial purity magnesium (CP-Mg) and high-purity magnesium (HP-Mg) ingots, magnesium alloy ingots of MEZ, ZE41, AM60 and AZ91D and diecast AM60 (AM60-DC) and AZ91D (AZ91D-DC) plates, was evaluated by salt spray and salt immersion testing. The corrosion resistance was in the sequential order: AZ91D approximate to AM60 approximate to MEZ >= AZ91D-DC >= AM60-DC > HP-Mg > ZE41 > CP-Mg. It was concluded the corrosion resistance of an anodised magnesium alloy was determined by the corrosion performance of the substrate alloy due to the porous coating formed on the substrate alloy acting as a simple corrosion barrier. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Etching Behavior of GaN/GaAs(001) Epilayers Grown by MOVPE

Wet etching characteristics of cubic GAN (c-GaN) thin films grown on GaAs(001) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) are investigated. The samples are etched in HCl, H_3PO_4, KOH aqueous solutions, and molten KOH at temperatures in the range of 90～300 ℃. It is found that different solution produces different etch figure on the surfaces of a sample. KOH-based solutions produce rectangular pits rather than square pits. The etch pits elongate in [1(1-bar)0] direction, indicating asymmetric etching behavior in the two orthogonal <110> directions. An explanation based on relative reactivity of the various crystallographic planes is employed to interpret qualitatively the asymmetric etching behavior. In addition, it is found that KOH aqueous solution would be more suitable than molten KOH and the two acids for the evaluation of stacking faults in c-GaN epilayers.

Removal of methyl orange from aqueous solutions through adsorption by calcium aluminate hydrates

Methyl orange (MO) is a kind of anionic dye and widely used in industry. In this study, tricalcium aluminate hydrates (Ca-Al-LDHs) are used as an adsorbent to remove methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solutions. The resulting products were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (MIR), thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The XRD results indicated that the MO molecules were successfully intercalated into the tricalcium aluminate hydrates, with the basal spacing of Ca-Al-LDH expanding to 2.48 nm. The MIR spectrum for CaAl-MO-LDH shows obvious bands assigned to the N@N, N@H stretching vibrations and S@O, SO_ 3 group respectively, which are considered as marks to assess MO_ ion intercalation into the interlayers of LDH. The overall morphology of CaAl-MOLDH displayed a ‘‘honey-comb’’ like structure, with the adjacent layers expanded.

Effective removal of zinc (II) from aqueous solutions by tricalcium aluminate (C3A)

Recently, studies have identified high zinc levels in various environmental resources, and excessive intake of zinc has long been considered to be harmful to human health. The aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of tricalcium aluminate (C3A) as a removal agent of zinc from aqueous solution. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to characterize such removal behavior. The effects of various factors such as pH influence, temperature and contact time were investigated. The adsorption capacity of C3A for Zn2+ was computed to be up to 13.73 mmol g−1, and the highest zinc removal capacity was obtained when the initial pH of Zn(NO3)2 solution was between 6.0 and 7.0, with temperature around 308 K. The XRD analysis showed that the resultant products were ZnAl-LDHs. Combined with the analysis of solution component, it was proved the existence of both precipitation and cation exchange in the removal process. From the experimental results, it was clear that C3A could be potentially used as a cost-effective material for the removal of zinc in aqueous environment.

Formation and characterization of porous InP layers in KOH Solutions

Porous InP layers were formed electrochemically on (100) oriented n-InP substrates in various concentrations of aqueous KOH under dark conditions. In KOH concentrations from 2 mol dm-3 to 5 mol dm-3, a porous layer is obtained underneath a dense near-surface layer. The pores within the porous layer appear to propagate from holes through the near-surface layer. Transmission electron microscopy studies of the porous layers formed under both potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions show that both the thickness of the porous layer and the mean pore diameter decrease with increasing KOH concentration. The degree of porosity, estimated to be 65%, was found to remain relatively constant for all the porous layers studied.

Comparison of oscillatory behavior on InP electrodes in KOH solutions

The observation of current oscillations under potential sweep conditions when an n-InP electrode is anodized in a KOH electrolyte is reported and compared to the oscillatory behavior noted during anodization in an (NH4)2S electrolyte. In both cases oscillations are observed above 1.7 V (SCE). The charge per cycle was found to increase linearly with potential for the InP/KOH system but was observed to be independent of potential for the InP/(NH4)2S system. The period of the oscillations in the InP/KOH was found to increase with applied potential. In this case the oscillations are asymmetrical and the rising and falling segments have a different dependence on potential. Although the exact mechanism is not yet know for either system, transmission electron microscopy studies show that in both cases, the electrode is covered by a thick porous film in the oscillatory region.

Electrochemical pore formation on InP in alkaline solutions

The surface properties of InP electrodes were examined following anodization in (NH4)2S and KOH electrolytes. In both solutions, the observation of current peaks in the cyclic voltammetric curves was attributed to selective etching of the substrate and a film formation process. AFM images of samples anodized in the sulfide solution, revealed surface pitting and TEM micrographs revealed the porous nature of the film formed on top of the pitted substrate. After anodization in the KOH electrolyte, TEM images revealed that a porous layer extending 500 nm into the substrate had been formed. Analysis of the composition of the anodic products indicates the presence of In2S3 in films grown in (NH4)2S and an In2O3 phase within the porous network formed in KOH.

Growth and characterization of anodic Films on InP in KOH and (NH4)2S

The current-voltage characteristics of InP were investigated in (NH4)2S and KOH electrolytes. In both solutions, the observation of current peaks in the cyclic voltammetric curves was attributed to the growth of passivating films. The relationship between the peak currents and the scan rates suggests that the film formation process is diffusion controlled in both cases. The film thickness required to inhibit current flow was found to be much lower on samples anodized in the sulphide solution. Focused ion beam (FIB) secondary electron images of the surface films show that film cracking of the type reported previously for films grown in (NH4)2S is also observed for films grown in KOH. X-ray and electron diffraction measurements indicate the presence of In2O3 and InPO4 in films grown in KOH and In2S3 in films grown in (NH4)2S.