Electrochemical water splitting presents an optimal approach for generating hydrogen ( H2), a highly promising alternative energy source. Nevertheless, the slow kinetics of the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the exorbitant cost, limited availability, and susceptibility to oxidation of noble metal-based electrocatalysts have compelled scientists to investigate cost-effective and efficient electrocatalysts. Bimetallic nanostructured materials have been demonstrated to exhibit improved catalytic performances for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report carbon aerogel (CA) decorated with different molar ratios of Fe and Ni with enhanced OER activity. Microwave irradiation was involved as a novel strategy during the synthesis process. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX spectra and EDAX mapping), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM), and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) were used for physical characterizations of as-prepared material. Electrochemical potential towards OER was examined through cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The FeNi/CA with optimized molar ratios exhibits low overpotential 377 mV at 10 mAcm− 2, smaller Tafel slope (94.5 mV dec− 1), and high turnover frequency (1.09 s− 1 at 300 mV). Other electrocatalytic parameters were also calculated and compared with previously reported OER catalysts. Additionally, chronoamperometric studies confirmed excellent electrochemical stability, as the OER activity shows minimal change even after a stability test lasting 3600 s. Moreover, the bimetallic (Fe and Ni) carbon aerogel exhibits faster catalytic kinetics and higher conductivity than the monometallic (Fe), which was observed through EIS investigation. This research opens up possibilities for utilizing bi- or multi-metallic anchored carbon aerogel with high conductivities and exceptional electrocatalytic performances in electrochemical energy conversion.

Novel Ni- and Fe-based alloys are developed to impart improved mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The designed alloys are manufactured as a powder and deposited on a steel substrate using a high-velocity oxygen-fuel process. The coating layer demonstrates good corrosion resistance, and the thus-formed passive film is beneficial because of the Cr contained in the alloy system. Furthermore, during low-temperature heat treatment, factors that deteriorate the properties and which may arise during high-temperature heat treatment, are avoided. For the heattreated coating layers, the hardness increases by up to 32% and the corrosion resistance improves. The influence of the heat treatment is investigated through various methods and is considered to enhance the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the coating layer.

Laser cladding a surface treatment process that grants superior characteristics such as toughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance to the surface, and rebuilds cracked molds; as such, it can be a strong tool to prolong service life of mold steel. Furthermore, compared with the other similar coating processes – thermal spray, etc., laser cladding provides superior bonding strength and precision coating on a local area. In this study, surface characteristics are studied after laser cladding of low carbon steel using 18%Cr-2.5%Ni-Fe powder (Rockit404), known for its high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance. A diode laser with wavelength of 900-1070 nm is adopted as laser source under argon atmosphere; electrical power for the laser cladding process is 5, 6, and 10 kW. Fundamental surface characteristics such as crossectional microstructure and hardness profile are observed and measured, and special evaluation, such as a soldering test with molten ALDC12 alloy, is conducted to investigate the corrosion resistance characteristics. As a result of the die-soldering test by immersion of low carbon alloy steel in ALDC12 molten metal, the clad layer's soldering thickness decreases.

The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-9Mn-0.2C- 3Al-0.5Si medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni is investigated in this study. Six kinds of medium manganese steels are fabricated by varying the chemical composition and intercritical annealing temperature. Hardness and tensile tests are performed to examine the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties for the intercritical annealed medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni. The microstructures of all the steels are composed mostly of lath ferrite, reverted austenite and cementite, regardless of annealing temperature. The room-temperature tensile test results show that the yield and tensile strengths decrease with increasing intercritical annealing temperature due to higher volume fraction and larger thickness of reverted austenite. On the other hand, total and uniform elongations, and strain hardening exponent increase due to higher dislocation density because transformation-induced plasticity is promoted with increasing annealing temperature by reduction in reverted austenite stability.

Conductive and dielectric SiC are fabricated using electroless plating of Ni–Fe films on SiC chopped fibers to obtain lightweight and high-strength microwave absorbers. The electroless plating of Ni–Fe films is achieved using a two-step process of surface sensitizing and metal plating. The complex permeability and permittivity are measured for the composite specimens with the metalized SiC chopped fibers dispersed in a silicone rubber matrix. The original noncoated SiC fibers exhibit considerable dielectric losses. The complex permeability spectrum does not change significantly with the Ni–Fe coating. Moreover, dielectric constant is sensitively increased with Ni–Fe coating, owing to the increase of the space charge polarization. The improvements in absorption capability (lower reflection loss and small matching thickness) are evident with Ni–Fe coating on SiC fibers. For the composite SiC fibers coated with Ni–Fe thin films, a -35 dB reflection loss is predicted at 7.6 GHz with a matching thickness of 4 mm.

In this paper, a new Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 high entropy alloy (HEA) is identified as a strong candidate for the single face-centered cubic (FCC) structure screened using the upgraded TCFE2000 thermodynamic CALPHAD database. The Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA is fabricated using the mechanical (MA) procedure and pressure-less sintering method. The Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA, which consists of elements with a large difference in melting point and atomic size, is successfully fabricated using powder metallurgy techniques. The MA behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA are systematically studied to understand the MA behavior and develop advanced techniques for fabricating HEA products. After MA, a single FCC phase is found. After sintering at 900℃, the microstructure has an FCC single phase with an average grain size of 18 μm. Finally, the Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA has a compressive yield strength of 302 MPa.

In this study, we report the microstructure and the high-temperature oxidation behavior of Fe-Ni alloys by spark plasma sintering. Structural characterization is performed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The oxidation behavior of Fe-Ni alloys is studied by means of a high-temperature oxidation test at 1000oC in air. The effect of Ni content of Fe-Ni alloys on the microstructure and on the oxidation characteristics is investigated in detail. In the case of Fe-2Ni and Fe-5Ni alloys, the microstructure is a ferrite (α) phase with body centered cubic (BCC) structure, and the microstructure of Fe-10Ni and Fe-20Ni alloys is considered to be a massive martensite (α’) phase with the same BCC structure as that of the ferrite phase. As the Ni content increases, the micro-Vickers hardness of the alloys also increases. It can also be seen that the oxidation resistance is improved by decreasing the thickness of the oxide film.

In this study, Fe-Ni bimetallic catalyst supported on kaolin is prepared by a wet impregnation method. The effects of mass of kaolin support, pre-calcination time, pre-calcination temperature and stirring speed on catalyst yields are examined. Then, the optimal supported Fe-Ni catalyst is utilised to produce multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD) method. The catalysts and MWCNTs prepared using the optimal conditions are characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM), electron diffraction spectrometer (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD/EDS patterns of the prepared catalyst confirm the formation of a purely crystalline ternary oxide (NiFe2O4). The statistical analysis of the variance demonstrates that the combined effects of the reaction temperature and acetylene flow rate predominantly influenced the MWCNT yield. The N2 adsorption (BET) and TGA analyses reveal high surface areas and thermally stable MWCNTs. The HRTEM/HRSEM micrographs confirm the formation of tangled MWCNTs with a particle size of less than 62 nm. The XRD patterns of the MWCNTs reveal the formation of a typical graphitized carbon. This study establishes the production of MWCNTs from a bi-metallic catalyst supported on kaolin.

The influence of NiCrAlY bond coating on the adhesion properties of an Fe thermal coating sprayed on an Al substrate was investigated. By applying a bond coat, an adhesion strength of 21MPa was obtained, which was higher than the 15.5MPa strength of the coating without the bond coat. Formation of cracks at the interface of the bond coat and the Al substrate was suppressed by applying the bond coat. Microstructural analysis of the coating interface using EBSD and TEM indicated that the dominant bonding mechanism was mechanical interlocking. Mechanical interlocking without crack defects in the coating interface may improve the adhesion strength of the coating. In conclusion, the use of an NiCrAlY bond coat is an effective method of improving the adhesion properties of thermal sprayed Fe coatings on Al substrates.

In this study, Fe-Cu-Ni-Mo-C low alloy steel powder is consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. The internal structure and the surface fracture behavior are studied using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy techniques. The bulk samples are polished and etched in order to observe the internal structure. The sample sintered at 900oC with holding time of 10 minutes achieves nearly full density of 98.9% while the density of the as-received conventionally sintered product is 90.3%. The fracture microstructures indicate that the sample prepared at 900oC by the SPS process is hard to break out because of the presence of both grain boundaries and internal particle fractures. Moreover, the lamellar pearlite structure is also observed in this sample. The samples sintered at 1000 and 1100oC exhibit a large number of tiny particles and pores due to the melting of Cu and aggregation of the alloy elements during the SPS process. The highest hardness value of 296.52 HV is observed for the sample sintered at 900oC with holding time of 10 minutes.

In this study, the effect of the friction stir welding (FSW) was compared with that of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) on the microstructure and microhardness of Cu-Ni alloy weldment. The weldment of 10 mm thickness was fabricated by FSW and GTAW, respectively. Both weldments were compared with each other by optical microstructure, microhardness test and grain size measurement. Results of this study suggest that the microhardness decreased from the base metal (BM) to the heat affected zone (HAZ) and increased at fusion zone (FZ) of GTAW and stir zone (SZ) of FSW. the minimum Hv value of both weldment was obtained at HAZ, respectively, which represents the softening zone, whereas Hv value of FSW weldment was little higher than that of GTAW weldment. These phenomena can be explained by the grain size difference between HAZs of each weldment. Grain size was increased at the HAZ during FSW and GTAW. Because FSW is a solid-state joining process obtaining the lower heat-input generated by rotating shoulder than heat generated in the arc of GTAW.

Zn(BH4)2 was prepared by milling ZnCl2 and NaBH4 in a planetary ball mill in an Ar atmosphere, and XRD analysis, SEM observation, FT-IR analysis, DTA, and TGA were performed for synthesized Z (BH4)2 samples. 90 wt% MgH2+ 1.67 wt% Zn(BH4)2(+NaCl)+5 wt% Ni+1.67 wt% Ti+1.67 wt% Fe (named 90MgH2+1.67Zn(BH4) (+NaCl)+5Ni+1.67Ti+1.67Fe) samples were also prepared by milling in a planetary ball mill in an H2 atmosphere. The gas absorption and release properties of the Zn(BH4)2(+NaCl) and 90MgH2+1.67Zn(BH4)2(+NaCl)+5Ni+1.67Ti+1.67Fe samples were investigated. An FT-IR analysis showed that Zn(BH4)2 formed in the Zn(BH4)2(+NaCl) samples prepared by milling ZnCl2 and NaBH4. At the first cycle at 320 oC, 90MgH2+1.67Zn(BH4)2(+NaCl)+5Ni+1.67Ti+1.67Fe absorbed 2.95 wt% H for 2.5 min and 4.93 wt% H for 60 min under 12 bar H2, and released 1.46 wt% H for 10 min and 4.57 wt% H for 60 min under 1.0 bar H2.

The aim of this paper is to consider the effect of annealing on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of electroplated Invar Fe-Ni alloy. The CTE of the as-electroplated alloy is lower than those of alloys annealed at 400˚C and 800˚C. XRD peaks become sharper as the as-electroplated alloy is annealed, which means the grain growth. The average grain sizes of as-electroplated and as-annealed alloys at 400˚C and 800˚C are 10 nm, 70 nm, and 2μm, respectively, as determined by TEM and EBSD analyses. The CTE variation for the various grain sizes after annealing may come from the magnetostriction effect, which generates strain due to changes in the magnetization state of the alloys. The thermal expansion coefficient is considered to be affected by nano grain size in electroplated Fe-Ni Invar alloys. As grain size decreases, ferromagnetic forces might change to paramagnetic forces. The effect of lattice vibration damping of nano grain boundaries could lead to the decrease of CTE.

The effect of alpha phase on the fatigue properties of Fe-29%Ni-17%Co low thermal expansion alloy was investigated. Two kinds of alloys (Base alloy and Alpha alloy) were prepared by controlling the minimal alloy composition. Microstructure observation, tensile, high-cycle fatigue, and low-cycle fatigue results were measured in this study. The Base alloy microstructure showed typical austenite γ phase. Alpha alloy represented the dispersed phase in the austenite γ matrix. As a result of tensile testing, Alpha alloy was found to have higher strengths (Y.S. & T.S.) and lower elongation compared to those of the Base alloy. High cycle fatigue results showed that Alpha alloy had a higher fatigue limit (360MPa) than that (330MPa) of the Base alloy. The Alpha alloy exhibited the superior high cycle fatigue property in all of the fatigue stress conditions. SEM fractography results showed that the alpha phase could act to effectively retard both fatigue crack initiation and crack propagation. In the case of low-cycle fatigue, the Base alloy had longer fatigue life in the high plastic strain amplitude region and the Alpha alloy showed better fatigue property only in the low plastic strain amplitude region. The fatigue deformation behavior of the Fe-29%Ni-17%Co alloy was also discussed as related with its microstructure.

The effect of interstitial elements on the ductile-brittle transition behavior of austenitic Fe-18Cr-10Mn-2Ni alloys with different nitrogen and carbon contents was investigated in this study. All the alloys exhibited ductile-brittle transition behavior because of unusual low-temperature brittle fracture, even though they have a faced-centered cubic structure. With the same interstitial content, the combined addition of nitrogen and carbon, compared to the sole addition of nitrogen, improved the low-temperature toughness and thus decreased the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) because this combined addition effectively enhances the metallic component of the interatomic bonds and is accompanied by good plasticity and toughness due to the increased free electron concentration. The increase in carbon content or of the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, however, could increase the DBTT since either of these causes the occurrence of intergranular fracture that lead to the deterioration of the toughness at low temperatures. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis results for the observation of carbon and nitrogen distributions confirms that the carbon and nitrogen atoms were significantly segregated to the austenite grain boundaries and then caused grain boundary embrittlement. In order to successfully develop austenitic Fe-Cr-Mn alloys for low-temperature application, therefore, more systematic study is required to determine the optimum content and ratio of carbon and nitrogen in terms of free electron concentration and grain boundary embrittlement.

The influence of Cu and Ni on the ductile-brittle transition behavior of metastable austenitic Fe-18Cr-10Mn-N alloys with N contents below 0.5 wt.% was investigated in terms of austenite stability and microstructure. All the metastable austenitic Fe-18Cr-10Mn-N alloys exhibited a ductile-brittle transition behavior by unusual low-temperature brittle fracture, irrespective of Cu and/or Ni addition, and deformation-induced martensitic transformation occasionally occurred during Charpy impact testing at lower temperatures due to reduced austenite stability resulting from insufficient N content. The formation of deformation-induced martensite substantially increased the ductile-brittle transition temperature(DBTT) by deteriorating low-temperature toughness because the martensite was more brittle than the parent austenite phase beyond the energy absorbed during transformation, and its volume fraction was too small. On the other hand, the Cu addition to the metastable austenitic Fe-18Cr-10Mn-N alloy increased DBTT because the presence of δ-ferrite had a negative effect on low-temperature toughness. However, the combined addition of Cu and Ni to the metastable austenitic Fe-18Cr-10Mn-N alloy decreased DBTT, compared to the sole addtion of Ni or Cu. This could be explained by the fact that the combined addition of Cu and Ni largely enhanced austenite stability, and suppressed the formation of deformation-induced martensite and δ-ferrite in conjunction with the beneficial effect of Cu which may increase stacking fault energy, so that it allows cross-slip to occur and thus reduces the planarity of the deformation mechanism.

A study of oxidation kinetic of Fe-36Ni alloy has been investigated using thermogravimetric apparatus (TGA) in an attempt to define the basic mechanism over a range of temperature of 400 to and finally to fabricate its powder. The oxidation rate was increased with increasing temperature and oxidation behavior of the alloy followed a parabolic rate law at elevated temperature. Temperature dependence of the reaction rate was determined with Arrhenius-type equation and activation energy was calculated to be 106.49 kJ/mol. Based on the kinetic data and micro-structure examination, oxidation mechanism was revealed that iron ions and electrons might migrate outward along grain boundaries and oxygen anion diffused inward through a spinel structure, .

This paper describes the manufacturing process of tilting pad gas bearing with a diameter of 5 mm and a length of 0.5-1 mm for power MEMS (Micro Electomechanical Systems) applications. The bearing compacts with nanopowder feedstock were prepared by Ni-metal mold with 2-mold system using LIGA process. The effect of the manufacturing conditions on sintering properties of nanopowder gas bearing was investigated. In this work, Fe-45 wt%Ni nanopowder with an average diameter of 30-50 nm size was used as starting material. After mixing the nanopowder and the wax-based binders, the amount of powder was controlled to obtain the certain mixing ratio. The nanopowder bearing compacts were sintered with 1-2 hr holding time under hydrogen atmospheres and under temperatures of to . Finally, the critical batch of mixed powder system was found to be 70% particle fraction in total volume. The maximum density of the sintered bearing specimen was about 94% of theoretical density.

Yttrium oxide is one of the most thermo-dynamically stable materials, so that it is generally used as a dispersoid in many kinds of dispersion strengthed alloys. In this study, a nickel-base superalloy is strengthened by dispersion of yttrium oxide particles. Elemental powders with the composition of Ni-22Cr-18Fe-9Mo were mechanically alloyed(M.A.) with 0.6 wt% . The MA powders were then HIP(hot isotactic press)ed and hot rolled. Most oxide particles in Ni-22Cr-18Fe-9Mo base ODS alloy were found to be Y-Ti-O type. The oxide particles were uniformly dispersed in the matrix and also on the grain boundaries. Tensile test results show that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of ODS alloy specimens were 1.2~1.7 times higher than those of the conventional X(R), which has the same chemical compositions with ODS alloy specimens except the oxide particles.