Atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a coating tool for reinforcing fibers.

Layers of alumina were deposited on to bundled carbon fibers in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process via sequential exposure to vapors of aluminium chloride and water, respectively. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of the coated fibers revealed that each individual fiber within a bundle was coated evenly and separately, fibers are not bridged by the coating. SEM and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images indicate that the coating was uniform and conformal with good adhesion to the fiber surface. Average deposition rate, measured from SEM images, was 0.06 nm per cycle at 500 °C. SEM also revealed that at deposition temperatures of 500 °C few of the fibers were damaged. At temperatures of 300 °C, no damaged fibers were observed, the average deposition rate decreased down to 0.033 nm per cycle. Oxidation resistance of the alumina-coated fibers was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The alumina coating improved oxidation resistance of the carbon fiber significantly. Oxidation onset temperature was 600 °C for fibers coated with a 45 nm thick alumina. Uncoated fibers, on the other hand, started to oxidize at temperatures as low as 250 °C.

The novel use of waste animal bone from New Zealand agricultural sources as a feedstock for forming plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings on biomedical implant materials.

This study presents the feasibility of using animal bone-derived hydroxyapatite (HAP) as feedstock powders for plasma spraying. Bovine, cervine and ovine bone from abattoirs was boiled in a pressure cooker to remove blood, fat and adhering meat tissue. The bone was then placed in a muffler furnace, pyrolyzed at approximately 1000 degrees C to remove collagen and resid-ual organics, cooled and subsequently ground to a powder then digested in nitric acid. Sodium hydroxide was added to the digest to reprecipitate the HAP. Ageing of the precipitate followed by filtration, extensive washing and drying produced the white powder used as the feedstock. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the powder to be poorly crystalline HAP with low-level carbonate. Out of several batches of the sieved powders, one batch was plasma sprayed to produce adherent HAP coatings; therefore, demonstrating that animal bone-derived HAP powders can be seri-ously considered as a feedstock powder, subject to the powder being processed for the correct rheological characteristics for easy flowing within the plasma spray flow lines. The phase composition of the successful plasma sprayed HAP coatings on both stainless steel and titanium were found by XRD to be mainly HAP with minor contributions from á -tricalcium phosphate, tetra-calcium phosphate and CaO; therefore, demonstrating that feedstock decomposition on its passage through the plasma spray torch was insignificant under the conditions employed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of the coatings indicated that their morphology featured the classical heterogeneous and splat-like appearance expected of plasma sprayed coatings. Young's modulus and Vicker's microhardness tests conducted on the coatings revealed values in the range, respectively, 22-87 GPa and 166-287 (HV200 ) indicating high strength plasma spray HAP coatings had been produced from the feedstock powder.