Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were deposited on transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using a thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method. The TVA method parameters used to produce DLC coating and the volt—ampere characteristic during the plasma ignition were determined with 22 A of filament current. The crystal orientations and surface morphology of the deposited DLC thin films were investigated using X-ray diffractometer and atomic force microscopy. Reflectance and refractive indices of DLC-coated PET were analyzed by interferometry. According to experimental measurement, DLC-coated thin film was polycrystalline with (1 1 1) and (1 1 0) preferred orientations. Refractive indices were approximately 2.60 in the visible range. DLC-coated PET reflection is close to the PET substrate in the infrared region. According to Fresnel equation, the DLC-coated PET reflection decreased from 19.25% to 10% at 632 nm due to local coating agglomeration. Surface hardness increased to from 2.77 to 10 GPa with DLC coating.
Transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were coated with SiO2 and ZrO2 using thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method for the first time. The melting point of PET is approximately 260°C. Transmittances, thickness, reflectance, and refractive indices of coated PET samples were measured by ultraviolet—visible spectrophotometer and interferometry to characterize their optical properties. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the coated PET surface morphologies. Our results show that the SiO2- and ZrO2-coated PET samples had lower reflection when the TVA method was used; so, they show antireflective (AR) properties. Moreover, the coating homogeneity and surface roughness are proper for multi-layer AR coatings.
An Ultrasonic Leaching Method (ULM) was developed for the analysis of manganese and lead on roadside soil samples in order to assess the pollution from motor vehicle exhaust. The variations in analyte recoveries by sonication periods were investigated and optimum recovery conditions were determined. The leachates of the soil samples, Mn and Pb, were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The recoveries of ULM were tested by comparing the results with those of the conventional extraction method (CE) for Mn and Pb. With regard to the dissolution process, higher recoveries were obtained using ULM than with CE in a relatively shorter time. The precision of the method was found to be 1.9-3.7% for Pb and 4.6-8.4% for Mn ( n = 4), as the average in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD%) depended on the analyte element concentrations and the nature of the samples. Using the ULM-FAAS method, significant results were obtained for Mn and Pb as vehicle exhaust pollutants. The pollution factors (PFs) obtained for Mn and Pb correlated mainly with vehicle exhaust emissions in different parts of Sivas and partly with some specific environmental conditions.
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