(NanoRealm) - Iranian Engineers suggested a new method for lining internal surfaces of pipes, steel and aluminum tubes and bars to fight against common erosions and corrosions.

"First, the surface of aluminum metal was coated by nickel through mechanical alloying (MA) method. To do so, nickel powder together with aluminum samples of cubic form were ball-milled in a planetary ball-mill for various durations and different amounts of the powder.

Such different operational conditions led triggered chemical/diffusional interactions, alloying and formation of new intermetallic phases," Rasoul Pouriamanesh, a member of the research team at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) said to the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council, elaborating on the steps of the research.

Noting that intermetallic phases like Ni-Al, Al3Ni and Ni3Al were formed inside the coating layer, Pouriamanesh reiterated that it was revealed that the reactions involved (all of which are exothermic) caused local temperature increases and promoted a better cling of layer to target at the spots where the reactions occurred.



"The coating layers were consisted of nanoparticles with different size distributions. After annealing, the microstructures and sizes of the particles were investigated to find the optimal conditions for obtaining perfect coated metal surfaces," he added.

Pouriamanesh referred to "achieving a homogeneous, poreless and uniform nanostructure inside the coating layer (which facilitates metal diffusions and formation of intermetallic phases of Al-Ni" as the outcome of the research.


Source: FarNews - http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8812030880