Properties and corrosion behaviour of reactive magnetron sputtered TiAlN coatings on AISI 316L SS in simulated bodily fluid

Because of their superior properties, titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN) films are increasingly applied as protective layers on cutting and forming tools and turbine compressor blades and as biocompatible barriers. TiAlN films were deposited on AISI 316L stainless steel substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering using a target consisting of equal segments of titanium and aluminium. X-ray diffraction characterisation showed that the coating structure was face centred cubic. AFM and SEM studies indicated that the coatings are regular with dense shpherical granular structure. The coatings were also characterised using photoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman microscopy to elucidate the optical and acoustic phonon modes of the cubic lattices. Characteristic peaks were observed at 250, 620 and 1180 cm21 in laser Raman studies. Polarisation and impedance spectroscopy studies on TiAlN and TiN coated specimens were conducted in Fusuyama simulated body fluid. The charge transfer resistance Rct increased in the order: uncoated 316L substrate; 2 mm TiN film; 3 mm TiN film; 2 mm TiAlN film. Thus, the TiAlN coating has the highest corrosion resistance, and was also found to have the most noble corrosion potential and lowest corrosion rate in the polarisation tests

Impact of commonly used agrochemicals on different fungal and bacterial bio-agents

Not AvailableFour fungal bio-agents viz., Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Pochonia chlamydosporia and four bacterial bio-agents viz., Bacillus subtilis, B. pumilus, B. amyloliquefaciens and Pseudomonas fluorescens were tested for their in vitro compatibility with five fungicides (carbendazim, captan, mancozeb, copper oxychloride and fenamidone + mancozeb) and three pesticides (carbofuran, metam sodium and acephate) at recommended doses of the pesticides and fungicides. The results revealed that carbendazim and metam sodium were highly toxic to all fungal bio-agents and copperoxychloride, mancozeb, fenamidone + mancozeb and metam sodium were highly toxic to all bacterial bio agents. T. harzianum exhibited more tolerance to captan than T. viride, P. chlamydosporia and P. lilacinus. All fungal bio-agents exhibited tolerance to carbofuran and acephate except P. chlamydosporia. Carbendazim was comparatively safer to B. subtilis, P. fluorescens and B. pumilus, but more toxic to B. amyloliquefaciens. P. fluorescens was relatively tolerant and Bacillus spp. was more sensitive to carbofuran and acephate. This study suggests that it is safe to integrate fungal bio-agents with copper oxychloride, carbofuran and acephate and bacterial bio-agents (except B. amyloliquefaciens) with carbendazimin integrated pest management (IPM) programmes.ICAR-IIH