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.

A device comprising: a substrate; a first coating deposited on the substrate; an intermediate coating deposited on the first coating, wherein the first coating is interposed between the substrate and the intermediate coating; and a second coating deposited on the intermediate coating, wherein the intermediate coating is interposed between the first coating and the second coating, and the second coating is outermost and black. The substrate, the first coating, the intermediate coating and the second coating define at least one of a jewelry item and a component of a jewelry item.

Provided are a low-price fuel cell separator with high corrosion resistance and a method for manufacturing the separator. The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell separator including a metal substrate and a titanium layer containing titanium formed on the metal substrate, and a method for manufacturing the separator. A ratio of a (100) plane to a sum of values obtained by dividing peak intensities of the (100) plane, a (002) plane, and a (101) plane derived from titanium in an X-ray diffraction analysis of a separator surface by respective relative intensities is a constant value or more.

A cladding tube, a fuel rod and a fuel assembly are disclosed. The cladding tube comprises a tubular base component having an outer surface and an inner surface defining an inner space of the cladding tube housing a pile of fuel pellets. The tubular base component is made of a Zr-based alloy. A coating is applied onto the outer surface for protecting the tubular base component from mechanical wear, oxidation and hydriding. The Zr-based alloy has the following composition: Zr=balance, Al=0-2 wt %, Ti=0-20 wt %, Sn=0-6 wt %, Fe=0-0.4 wt %, Nb=0-0.4 wt %, O=200-1800 wtppm, C=0-200 wtppm, Si=0-200 wtppm, and S=0-200 wtppm. The total amount of Al+Ti+Sn>2.5 wt % and ≤28 wt %.

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe semiconductor equipment devices having a metal workpiece and a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating disposed on a surface of the metal workpiece, thermal semiconductor test pedestals having a metal plate and a DLC coating disposed on a surface of the metal plate, techniques for fabricating thermal semiconductor test pedestals with DLC coatings, and associated configurations. A thermal semiconductor test pedestal may include a metal plate and a DLC coating disposed on a surface of the metal plate. The metal plate may include a metal block formed of a first metal and a metal coating layer formed of a second metal between the metal block and the DLC coating. An adhesion strength promoter layer may be disposed between the metal coating layer and the DLC coating. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

A method for depositing a multilayer coating onto a substrate includes supporting the substrate on a platen comprising an electrically conductive material disposed in a deposition chamber, connected to an electrical power supply and electrically insulated from an electrode. The pressure in the deposition chamber is less than 10 Torr when a first feedstock is fed to the substrate. The electrical power supply is activated to create a plasma surrounding the substrate which ionises and/or activates particles within the first feedstock, allowing the ionised and/or activated particles from the first feedstock to deposit on the substrate and polymerise, thereby forming a first a coating on the substrate. Particles of a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, are fed to the substrate and are ionized and/or activated by the plasma and allowed to deposit on the substrate and polymerise to form a second coating on the substrate. The pressure in the deposition chamber does not rise above 700 Torr between feedstocks fed therein.

The invention relates to the production of wear-resistant layers which are exposed to friction wear on surfaces of components of internal combustion engines. In the process, wear-resistant layers are formed on the respective surface by electric arc discharge under vacuum conditions. The wear-resistant layers are formed from at least approximately hydrogen-free tetrahedrally amorphous (ta-C) comprising a mixture of sp2 and sp3 hybridized carbon and have a microhardness of at least 3500 HV and an arithmetical mean roughness value Ra of 0.1 μm without a mechanical, physical and/or chemical surface processing taking place.

A linear compressor and a method for manufacturing a linear compressor are provided. A piston of a linear compressor may include a surface treatment body made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy; a first surface treatment provided on an outer surface of the surface treatment body by a first vacuum deposition process; and a second surface treatment provided on an outer surface of the first surface treatment by a second vacuum deposition process.

A vehicle component includes a surface that is configured to contact a fuel containing ethanol and zinc ions. A sacrificial carbon layer is disposed on the surface. The sacrificial carbon layer has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 250 nm to less than or equal to about 5 μm. The sacrificial carbon layer includes carbon that is configured to complex and solubilize ZnO deposited on the surface, wherein the ZnO forms from the zinc ions carried by the fuel.

In a method for coating a sliding element, in particular a piston ring or a cylinder liner of an internal combustion engine, DLC phases are embedded into a hard material layer as said hard material layer is deposited. A sliding element, such as a piston ring or a cylinder liner of an internal combustion engine, comprises a hard material layer with embedded DLC phases.