A sliding engine component may include a substrate having a surface coated with a first electroplated metallic layer and a second electroplated metallic layer. The first metallic layer may be disposed between the substrate and the second metallic layer. The first metallic layer and the second metallic layer may have a grained structure. The grained structure of each of the first metallic layer and the second metallic layer may have an aspect ratio between a mean grain size perpendicular to the substrate surface and a mean grain size parallel to the substrate surface. The aspect ratio of the second metallic layer may be less than the aspect ratio of the first metallic layer.

An article comprises a body having a coating. The coating comprises a YOF coating or other yttrium-based oxy-fluoride coating generated either by performing a fluorination process on a yttrium-based oxide coating or an oxidation process on a yttrium-based fluorine coating.

An article comprises a body having a coating. The coating comprises a YOF coating or other yttrium-based oxy-fluoride coating generated either by performing a fluorination process on a yttrium-based oxide coating or an oxidation process on a yttrium-based fluorine coating.

An article comprises a body having a coating. The coating comprises a Y-O-F coating or other yttrium-based oxy-fluoride coating generated either by performing a fluorination process on a yttrium-based oxide coating or an oxidation process on a yttrium-based fluorine coating.

A method of freeze-drying comprising rapidly freezing either liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide in and around a material having pores at a rate of at least 0.2 C./min to limit the size of crystals formed from the carbon dioxide so as to avoid the formation of gas bubbles and damage to the pores and exposure of the material to gas-liquid interfaces. During freezing a solid layer primarily of solid carbon dioxide is formed on and surrounding the material by transferring heat with a cryogenic liquid circulating about the material. This solid layer protects the material from gas-liquid interfaces and surface tension before decreasing pressure about the material by venting carbon dioxide.

Methods for producing a superhydrophobic anodized surface including anodizing a surface of a substrate in an anodization acid to form a plurality of pores, etching the surface with an etchant to widen an edge of each of the plurality of pores; repeatedly anodizing the surface in the anodization acid and etching the surface with the etchant until the edges of the plurality of pores overlap to form a plurality of nano-sharp ridges, and coating the surface with a hydrophobic polymer to render the surface superhydrophobic, such that the surface exhibits a contact angle of at least 150 degrees with a drop of water. Articles including a surface having a series of nano-sharp pore ridges defined by a series of pores and a sub-m thick layer of a hydrophobic polymer on said surface.

A method of surface coating a metallic object, including removing substantially all of the existing silver sulfide tarnish if present, ultrasonically cleaning the object with immersion in a solvent, uniformly dispersing selected nanoparticles over the surface of the object by sonicating the object in an ultrasonic bath containing the selected nanoparticles. The invention further includes quickly rinsing the object with solvent upon removal from the ultrasonic bath to inhibit formation of large agglomerates, drying the object with a flow of gas, optically inspecting the object for the presence of agglomeration and applying a barrier layer conformal coating and a protective layer conformal coating.

A bearing article can include a metal substrate having a bronze layer; a PEEK layer; a PTFE composition layer overlying and penetrating the PEEK layer. A method for preparing a bearing article can include providing a metal substrate with a sintered bronze layer, electrostatic spraying a non-fluorinated polymer onto the metal substrate followed by spraying a fluorinated polymer onto the non-fluorinated polymer and heat rolling to form a laminate.

A metal foil including: a steel layer whose thickness is 10 to 200 m; an Al-containing metal layer arranged on the steel layer; and plural granular alloys which exist in an interface between the steel layer and the Al-containing metal layer, wherein, when a cutting-plane line of a surface of the Al-containing metal layer is defined as a contour curve and an approximation straight line of the contour curve is defined as a contour average straight line, a maximum point, whose distance from the contour average straight line is more than 10 m, is absent on the contour curve, and wherein, when an equivalent sphere diameter of the granular alloys is x in units of m and a thickness of the Al-containing metal layer is T in units of m, the granular alloys satisfy x0.5T.

A plate-shaped heat dissipation member includes a metal-silicon carbide composite containing aluminum or magnesium, in which at least one of two main surfaces of the heat dissipation member is curved to be convex in an outward direction of the heat dissipation member, and when a flatness of the one main surface defined by JIS B 0621 is represented by f.sub.1 and a flatness of the other main surface different from the one main surface defined by JIS B 0621 is represented by f.sub.2, f.sub.2 is less than f.sub.1 by 10 m or more.