Analyses of the reasons for the decreased service time of CrN-coated die for aluminy hot extrusion – a case study

Presented study shows that considerable reserves still exist for increasing the service times (lifetimes) of CrN – coated dies for Al hot extrusion. The main reasons for the decreased service times are revealed and explained regarding the selected CrN - coated die for hot extrusion, i.e. why the service time of the coated-die is not in accordance with the wear resistance of the CrN - coating. The shaping of the bearing surface and presence of the scratches, size and amount of nonmetalic inclusions in the die steel, nodular defects in the CrN - coating, as well as thicknesses uniformity of CrN - coatings along the bearing surface, are relevant influential parameters

Characterization of an enzymatic packed-bed microreactor: Experiments and modeling

A micro packed-bed reactor (µPBR) based on two-parallel-plates configuration with immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in the form of porous particles (Novozym® 435) was theoretically and experimentally characterized. A residence time distribution (RTD) within µPBRs comprising various random distributions of particles placed in one layer was computationally predicted by a mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann (LB) method. Numerical simulations were compared with measurements of RTD, obtained by stimulus-response experiment with a pulse input using glucose as a tracer, monitored by an electrochemical glucose oxidase microbiosensor integrated with the reactor. The model was validated by a good agreement between the experimental data and predictions of LB model at different conditions. The developed µPBR was scaled-up in length and width comprising either a single or two layers of Novozym® 435 particles and compared regarding the selected enzyme-catalyzed transesterification. A linear increase in the productivity with the increase in all dimensions of the µPBR between two-plates demonstrated very efficient and simple approach for the capacity rise. Further characterization of µPBRs of various sizes using the piezoresistive pressure sensor revealed very low pressure drops as compared to their conventional counterparts and thereby great applicability for production systems based on numbering-up approach

Defect growth in multilayer chromium nitride/niobium nitride coatings produced by combined high power impulse magnetron sputtering and unbalance magnetron sputtering technique

In recent years, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) has caught the attention of users due to its ability to produce dense coatings. However, microscopic studies have shown that HIPIMS deposited coatings can suffer from some surface imperfections even though the overall number of defects can be significantly lower compared to, for example, arc deposited coatings of similar thicknesses. Defects can degrade the coating performance thus any kind of defect is undesirable. To better understand the nature of these imperfections and the science of their formation, a series of Chromium Nitride/Niobium Nitride (CrN/NbN) coatings were deposited using HIPIMS technique combined with unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBM) by varying deposition times (t = 15 to 120 minutes). All other deposition parameters were kept constant in order to deposit these coatings with a consistent deposition rate and stoichiometry. In addition, coatings were deposited using pure UBM technique to compare the defects generated by these two different physical vapour deposition approaches. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy images revealed that HIPIMS/UBM and pure UBM CrN/NbN coatings have similar types of defects which could be categorised as: nodular, open void, cone-like and pinhole. Interestingly, there was no evidence of droplet formation in HIPIMS/UBM deposited coatings. The defect density calculation indicated that the defect density of HIPIMS/UBM coatings increased (from 0.48 to 3.18%) with the coating thickness. A coating produced in a relatively clean chamber had a lower defect density. Potentiodynamic polarisation experiments showed that the fluctuation in corrosion currents in HIPIMS/UBM coatings reduced with the coating thickness. This indicated that though visible on the surface, most of these defects did not penetrate thorough the whole thickness of the coating

Microfluidic flow injection immunoassay system for algal toxins determination: a case of study

A novel flow injection microfluidic immunoassay system for continuous monitoring of saxitoxin, a lethal biotoxin, in seawater samples is presented in this article. The system consists of a preimmobilized G protein immunoaffinity column connected in line with a lab-on-chip setup. The detection of saxitoxin in seawater was carried out in two steps: an offline incubation step (competition reaction) performed between the analyte of interest (saxitoxin or Ag, as standard or seawater sample) and a tracer (an enzyme-conjugated antigen or Ag*) toward a specific polyclonal antibody. Then, the mixture was injected through a "loop" of a few mu L using a six-way injection valve into a bioreactor, in line with the valve. The bioreactor consisted of a small glass column, manually filled with resin upon which G protein has been immobilized. When the mixture flowed through the bioreactor, all the antibody-antigen complex, formed during the competition step, is retained by the G protein. The tracer molecules that do not interact with the capture antibody and protein G are eluted out of the column, collected, and mixed with an enzymatic substrate directly within the microfluidic chip, via the use of two peristaltic pumps. When Ag* was present, a color change (absorbance variation, Delta Abs) of the solution is detected at a fixed wavelength (655 nm) by an optical chip docking system and registered by a computer. The amount of saxitoxin, present in the sample (or standard), that generates the variation of the intensity of the color, will be directly proportional to the concentration of the analyte in the analyzed solution. Indeed, the absorbance response increased proportionally to the enzymatic product and to the concentration of saxitoxin in the range of 3.5 x 10(-7)-2 x 10(-5) ng ml(-1) with a detection limit of 1 x 10(-7) ng ml(-1) (RSD% 15, S N-1 equal to 3). The immunoanalytical system has been characterized, optimized, and tested with seawater samples. This analytical approach, combined with the transportable and small-sized instrumentation, allows for easy in situ monitoring of marine water contaminations

Microstructure Analysis of Thermally Etched Alumina Ceramics

U radu je opisan postupak pripreme aluminij-oksidne (Al2O3) keramike visoko čiste, oblikovane hladnim izostatičkim prešanjem. Mikrostruktura pripravljene keramike analizirana je optičkim mikroskopom (OM), pretražnim elektronskim mikroskopom (SEM) te mikroskopom atomskih sila (AFM). Na poliranom uzorku određen je udjel pora, a nakon toplinskog nagrizanja određena je veličina zrna. Prosječni promjer zrna određen je metodom kruga, metodom crte te analizom slike.Ceramography is the art and science of preparation, examination, and evaluation of ceramic microstructures. Microstructure is the structure level approximately 0.1 to 100 μ m between the wavelength of visible light and the resolution limit of the naked eye. The microstructure includes most grains, secondary phases, grain boundaries, pores, microcracks, hardness microindentations. Investigation and evaluation of ceramic microstructure is very important because a number of mechanical, optical, thermal, electrical and other properties of ceramics are significantly affected by the microstructure. The techniques for ceramographic preparation are divided into five parts: sawing, mounting, grinding, polishing and etching. In this paper a method for preparation of a cold isostatically pressed high purity alumina ceramics (α-Al2O3) is described. Microstructure analysis of prepared ceramics was performed by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Porosity is determined on the polished sample; grain size is measured after thermal etching. The mean grain diameter is determined by means of lineal-intercept method, circular-intercept method and image analysis