In this paper we report on the electrodeposition of thin aluminium layers on P90 lithium-aluminium alloy at room temperature from a chloroaluminate ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium heptachloroaluminate [BMIm]Al 2 Cl 7 ). We found that the treatment of the P90 sample's surface is a key point to obtain good quality coatings. On freshly mechanically polished surfaces, thin (about 24 µm), homogeneous and dense aluminium layers were obtained at 10 µm h − 1 deposition rate. Finally, the corrosion resistance of the uncoated and Al-coated samples was investigated by means of electrochemical techniques such as open-circuit voltage curves, impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution. We found that the protective aluminium layer significantly reduces the corrosion rates of the P90 Li-Al alloy.
Nanocomposites involve the inclusion of one material into the layers of another material at a nanoscale level. Inspired by nature, nanocomposites material systems offer functionalities over their bulk forms which in some cases have evolved over millions of years. Here, thin film coatings have been fabricated by PVD sputtering, comprising a soft PTFE phase which is combined with a hard metallic NiTi phase. A series of coatings with PTFE ranging from 10 to 75 vol% have been prepared, and their surface energies and microstructures investigated. The surface energy of the nanocomposite films changes with the PTFE content, falling in the range between PTFE and NiTi with water contact angles between 80°and 102°f or a thin film with 25 and 75 vol% of PTFE, respectively. Here, both TEM and EDX reveal PTFE forming along NiTi column boundaries. Coatings with PTFE content greater than 50 vol% failed due to a build-up of intrinsic stress. The degree of hybridization between NiTi and PTFE was found to be dependent on the PTFE layer thickness. SEM analysis of this coating reveals PTFE at the surface embedded within the NiTi matrix.
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