Flexible fuel cell sensors and methods of making and using the same are provided. A fuel cell sensor can be used for the detection of, for example, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and the working mechanism of the fuel cell sensor can rely on redox reactions. The fuel cell sensor can include a proton exchange membrane (PEM), an anode disposed on a first surface of the PEM, a cathode disposed on a second surface of the PEM opposite from the first surface, and a reference electrode disposed on the first surface of the PEM and spaced apart from the anode.

A coated cylinder liner 20 comprises a wear resistant layer 22, such as a DLC coating, and a metallic adhesive layer 24, such as chromium or titanium, deposited on an inner surface 26 thereof. The layers 22, 24 each have a thickness t.sub.w, t.sub.n varying by not more than 5% along at least 70% of the length of the inner surface 26. The metallic adhesive layer 24 is deposited by sputtering a consumable metallic electrode 28 onto the inner surface 26. The sputtering can be magnetron sputtering. The consumable metallic electrode 28 can include a hollow opening 40 with orifices 50 for providing a carrier gas into the deposition chamber 52. In addition, the inner surface 26 of the cylinder liner 20 can provide the deposition chamber 52 by sealing a first opening 36 and second opening 38 of the cylinder liner 20.

So as to perform a vacuum surface treatment on a workpiece at a predetermined temperature, which is different from a temperature to which the surface is exposed during the vacuum surface treatment, the workpiece is conveyed in a conveyance direction along one or more than one station group including one or more than one tempering station and of a single treatment station.

A coating-substrate combination includes: a Ni-based superalloy substrate comprising, by weight percent: 2.0-5.1 Cr; 0.9-3.3 Mo; 3.9-9.8 W; 2.2-6.8 Ta; 5.4-6.5 Al; 1.8-12.8 Co; 2.8-5.8 Re; 2.8-7.2 Ru; and a coating comprising, exclusive of Pt group elements, by weight percent: Ni as a largest content; 5.8-9.3 Al; 4.4-25 Cr; 3.0-13.5 Co; up to 6.0 Ta, if any; up to 6.2 W, if any; up to 2.4 Mo, if any; 0.3-0.6 Hf; 0.1-0.4 Si; up to 0.6 Y, if any; up to 0.4 Zr, if any; up to 1.0 Re, if any.

A method for forming a coating system on a component includes depositing a reactive layer with predetermined CMAS reaction kinetics on at least a portion of a thermal barrier coating. The method also includes activating the reactive layer with a scanning laser. A component, such as a gas turbine engine component, includes a substrate, a thermal barrier coating and a reactive layer. The thermal barrier coating is deposited on at least a portion of the substrate. The reactive layer is deposited on at least a portion of the thermal barrier coating. The reactive layer has predetermined CMAS reaction kinetics activated by laser scanning.

Methods for preparing a void-free protective coating are disclosed herein. The void-free protective coating is used on a dielectric window having a central hole, which is used in a plasma treatment tool. A first protective coating layer is applied to the window, leaving an uncoated annular retreat area around the central hole. The first protective coating layer is polished to produce a flat surface and fill in any voids on the window. A second protective coating layer is then applied upon the flat surface of the first protective coating layer to obtain the void-free coating. This increases process uptime and service lifetime of the dielectric window and the plasma treatment tool.

An ultraviolet light-resistant article that includes: a substrate having a glass or glass-ceramic composition and first and second primary surfaces; an ultraviolet light-absorbing element having a an absorptivity greater than 50% at wavelengths from about 100 nm to about 380 nm and a thickness between about 10 nm and about 100 nm; and a dielectric stack formed with a plasma-enhanced process. Further, the light-absorbing element is between the substrate and the dielectric stack. Alternatively, the light-absorbing element can include one or more ultraviolet light-resistant layers disposed within the dielectric stack over the first primary surface.

Electrochromic devices and methods may employ the addition of a defect-mitigating insulating layer which prevents electronically conducting layers and/or electrochromically active layers from contacting layers of the opposite polarity and creating a short circuit in regions where defects form. In some embodiments, an encapsulating layer is provided to encapsulate particles and prevent them from ejecting from the device stack and risking a short circuit when subsequent layers are deposited. The insulating layer may have an electronic resistivity of between about 1 and 10.sup.8 Ohm-cm. In some embodiments, the insulating layer contains one or more of the following metal oxides: aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide. Carbides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides may also be used.

The present disclosure relates to a preparation method of a niobium diselenide (NbSe.sub.2) film with ultra-low friction and low electrical noise under sliding electrical contact in vacuum. The method uses a direct current (DC) closed field magnetron sputtering method for preparation. Through process design of low deposition pressure and low sputtering energy, on one hand, a purity of an NbSe.sub.2 sputtered product is kept, generation of interference phases such as NbSe.sub.3 is avoided, and electrical conductivity of the sputtered NbSe.sub.2 film is greatly improved, and on the other hand, a nanocrystalline/amorphous superlattice composite structure is formed, and excellent mechanical and lubricating properties are achieved. Under sliding electrical contact in vacuum, compared with those of a common electroplated gold coating, a friction coefficient of the film is reduced to 0.02 from 0.25, a wear life is prolonged by at least 7 times, and the electrical noise is reduced by about 50%.

A system and method are described for depositing a material onto a receiving surface, where the material is formed by use of a plasma to modify a source material in-transit to the receiving surface. The system comprises a microwave generator electronics stage. The system further includes a microwave applicator stage including a cavity resonator structure. The cavity resonator structure includes an outer conductor, an inner conductor, and a resonator cavity interposed between the outer conductor and the inner conductor. The system also includes a multi-component flow assembly including a laminar flow nozzle providing a shield gas, a zonal flow nozzle providing a functional process gas, and a source material flow nozzle configured to deliver the source material. The source material flow nozzle and zonal flow nozzle facilitate a reaction between the source material and the functional process gas within a plasma region.