Abstract.A protective SiO2 coating was prepared by sol-gel method on stainless steel plates, using precursor solutions having 2 different concentrations: low (0.5M) and high (2M) concentration. The dip coatingdrying cycles have been repeated three times, after that the coatings were thermally treated at 300 o C or 500 o C in air. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AFM and X-ray diffraction analyses have been applied. The corrosion resistances of SiO2 coated steels were examined in NaCl medium for 346 hours. Many microcracks and craters in the samples, prepared from solution of high concentration appear after corrosion attack. The coatings obtained from solution of low concentrations reveals almost unchanged surface structure without visible cracks and pits. The evaluated corrosion rate of this coating is lower than those of uncoated steel.
TiO2 nanopowders modified by Nd and Sm were prepared using the sol-gel technique. It was found by XRD analysis that the samples containing Sm are amorphous up to 300 °C, while those with Nd preserve a mixed organic-inorganic amorphous structure at higher temperatures (400 °C). The TiO2 (rutile) was not detected up to 700 °C in the presence of both modified oxides. TiO2 (anatase) crystals found at about 400 °C in the Sm-modified sample exhibited an average crystallite size of about 25–30 nm, while doping with Nd resulted in particles of a lower size—5–10 nm. It was established by DTA that organic decomposition is accompanied by significant weight loss occurring in the temperature range 240–350 °C. Photocatalytic tests showed that the samples heated at 500 °C possess photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation toward Malachite green organic dye. Selected compositions exhibited good antimicrobial activity against E. coli K12 and B. subtilis.
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