The present invention relates to a method of coating one or more metal components of a fuel cell stack, such as a bipolar plate, an electrode, gaskets etc., the method comprising the steps of providing an uncoated metal component; etching said uncoated metal component; optionally depositing an adhesion layer on the etched uncoated metal component; and depositing a carbon coating on either the adhesion layer or on the etched uncoated metal component, with the adhesion layer and the carbon coating respectively being deposited by means of one of a physical vapor deposition process, an arc ion plating process, a sputtering process, and a Hipims process. The invention further relates to a component of a fuel cell stack and to an apparatus for coating one or more components of a fuel cell stack.

A substrate having a multilayer coating system in the form of a surface coating, which has an outer cover layer comprising amorphous carbon, and a coating process for producing a substrate. At least a first Mo.sub.aN.sub.x support layer is provided between the substrate and the cover layer, which support layer has a nitrogen content x, referred to an Mo content a, which is in the range of 25 at %≤x≤55 at %, with x+a=100 at %.

The invention provides a multi-layered electrode for sensing pH, the electrode comprising: a sensing layer on a substrate, the sensing layer comprising at least one proton-sensitive metal oxide, wherein a pH-dependent potential of the multi-layered electrode is measurable via an electrically conductive connection to the sensing layer; a proton-permeable layer covering at least a portion of the sensing layer, the proton-permeable layer comprising at least one electrically insulating proton-conductive metal oxide; and a carbonaceous layer on the proton-permeable layer, the carbonaceous layer comprising amorphous carbon.

A component includes a metallic substrate having a tribological surface and a coating. The coating includes a first layer disposed on the tribological surface and a second layer disposed on the first layer. The first layer includes titanium, chromium, or a diamond-like carbon (DLC). The second layer includes a disulfide.

A valve component comprising a substrate with a sliding surface, the sliding surface being designed to be subjected to sliding against another surface during operation of the valve, wherein at least a portion of the sliding surface is coated with a coating comprising an under-layer comprising tungsten and an upper-layer deposited atop the under-layer, said upper-layer comprising diamond-like-carbon, wherein the under-layer comprises carbon and has a layer thickness of at least 11 micrometers, and the upper-layer has a lower coefficient of friction than the under-layer and has a layer thickness of at least 1.5 micrometers.

Provided are: an oriented electrical steel sheet having a high tension applied to a steel sheet and excellent adhesion to a film; and a method for producing the same. This oriented electrical steel sheet includes: a steel sheet; a film A containing a crystalline material disposed on the steel sheet; and a film B containing a vitreous material disposed on the film A, wherein an element profile, which is obtained by using a high-frequency glow discharge light-emission surface analysis method, in the direction from the film B to the steel sheet satisfies formulae (1) and (2). 0.35≤(t.sub.A/t.sub.Fe/2)≤0.75 . . . (1), 0.25≤(t.sub.A/2/t.sub.Fe/2)≤1.00 . . . (2), where t.sub.A represents the peak time of an alkali metal element profile, t.sub.A/2 represents the half time of an alkali metal.

Provided is a cutting tool comprising a base body and a hard carbon film arranged on the base body, in which, when the cross section of the hard carbon film is observed using a high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscope, the area proportion of black regions with an equivalent circle diameter of 10 nm or more is 0.7% or less, and the hard carbon film has a hydrogen content of 5 atom% or less.

A tribological system, comprising a main body and a sandwich lubrication, in which the sandwich lubrication includes a binder-free solid lubricant layer comprising a solid lubricant, and a lubricant layer comprising a lubricant. The binder-free solid lubricant layer and the lubricant layer are present as separate layers on the main body and wherein the mass ratio of solid lubricant to lubricant is at most 0.05:1

Artificial lift pump components such as couplings are disclosed, all having a body formed from a selected material, the body having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, a first surface treatment introducing carbon, nitrogen, boron into the material to form a first and hard layer, and a second layer defined as an deposited coating to the first layer that is also made of a carbon, nitrogen, or boron and is further characterized as being ceramic like (hard) and having a low-friction.

A sliding element for an internal combustion engine may include a base material having an annular external surface. The external surface may include a bonding layer, a first layer of coating, and a second layer of coating sequentially disposed thereon. The first layer of coating and the second layer of coating may include hard amorphous carbon (DLC) of a combined matrix having a plurality of sp3/sp2 bonds. The first layer of coating may include 45% sp3 bonds or less and may have a thickness of at least 10 micrometers. The second layer of coating may include at least 55% sp3 bonds and may have a thickness of at least 3 micrometers.