A watch or jewellery external part, in which the external part includes a substrate on a surface of which extends a coating including a tantalum Ta based nitride or oxynitride having a thickness comprised between 300 nm and 10 m and an intrinsic and saturated colour.

A low friction top coat over a multilayer metal/ceramic bondcoat provides a conductive substrate, such as a rotary tool, with wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The top coat further provides low friction and anti-stickiness as well as high compressive stress. The high compressive stress provided by the top coat protects against degradation of the tool due to abrasion and torsional and cyclic fatigue. Substrate temperature is strictly controlled during the coating process to preserve the bulk properties of the substrate and the coating. The described coating process is particularly useful when applied to shape memory alloys.

A pump used in a gasification system, the pump comprises a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a rotor supported within the housing for rotation relative to the housing, the rotor comprising a hub, a plurality of disks spaced apart by sections of the hub, and defining a plurality of transport channels for transporting solid carbonaceous feedstocks for the gasification system, and an interior feedstock facing surface adjacent to the solid carbonaceous feedstocks, wherein at least a portion of the interior feedstock facing surface is coated with a coating.

Provided are a metal nitride material for a thermistor, which has a high reliability and a high heat resistance and can be directly deposited on a film or the like without firing, a method for producing the same, and a film type thermistor sensor. The metal nitride material for a thermistor consists of a metal nitride represented by the general formula: (Ti.sub.1-wCr.sub.w).sub.xAl.sub.yN.sub.z (where 0.0<w<1.0, 0.70y/(x+y)0.95, 0.4z0.5, and x+y+z=1), wherein the crystal structure thereof is a hexagonal wurtzite-type single phase.

A coated component, in particular to a rolling bearing part, made from a metallic substrate (2), and a PVD coating (3), which is applied to the substrate (2), formed of chromium and having a thickness of less than 2 m, wherein the PVD coating (3) forms the surface of the component, and a compound of chromium and at least one further element is formed on the component surface.

The disclosure describes techniques for forming nanoparticles including Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase. In some examples, the nanoparticles may be formed by first forming nanoparticles including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron. The carbon or boron may be incorporated into the nanoparticles such that the iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron are mixed. Alternatively, the at least one of carbon or boron may be coated on a surface of a nanoparticle including iron and nitrogen. The nano particle including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron then may be annealed to form at least one phase domain including at least one of Fe.sub.16N.sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NB).sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NC).sub.2, or Fe.sub.16(NCB).sub.2.

A method of depositing a dielectric thin film may include: depositing a thin layer of dielectric; stopping deposition of the dielectric layer, and modifying the gas in the chamber if desired; inducing and maintaining a plasma in the vicinity of the substrate to provide ion bombardment of the deposited layer of dielectric; and repeating the depositing, stopping and inducing and maintaining steps until a desired thickness of dielectric is deposited. A variation on this method may include, in place of the repeating step: depositing a thick layer of lower quality dielectric; depositing a thin layer of high quality dielectric; stopping deposition of the dielectric layer, and modifying the gas in the chamber if desired; and inducing and maintaining a plasma in the vicinity of the substrate to provide ion bombardment of the deposited layer of dielectric. The thick layer of dielectric may be deposited more rapidly than the thin layers.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for forming a coating layer using a physical vapor deposition apparatus equipped with a sputtering apparatus and an arc ion plating apparatus, comprising: a first coating step of forming a Mo coating layer on a base material using a the sputtering apparatus and a Mo target and Ar gas; a nitrating step of forming a nitride film forming condition using an arc ion plating apparatus and Ar gas and N.sub.2 gas; a second coating step of forming a nano composite coating layer of CrMoN using the Mo target and Ar gas of the sputtering apparatus and the Ar gas, N.sub.2 gas and a Cr source of the arc ion plating apparatus at the same time; and a multi-coating step of forming a multi-layer having alternating CrMoN nano composite coating layers and Mo coating layers by revolving the base material around a central pivot.

A razor blade that includes a substrate with a cutting edge, the substrate includes (a) a thin-film of a first material disposed thereon, the thin-film having a thickness less than 1 m; (b) a mixed nitride-thin-film interregion disposed at or adjacent a surface of the thin-film and a surface of the substrate; and (c) a nitride region disposed adjacent the mixed nitride-thin-film interregion.

The present disclosure relates to a process for pre-lithiation and an equipment for implementing the same. The process for pre-lithiation comprising evaporating lithium onto a surface of a negative electrode to form a lithium layer thereon and subjecting the negative electrode to a thermal treatment.