A hard film formed on/above a substrate has a composition represented by the following formula (1): Cr.sub.1−aMg.sub.a(B.sub.xC.sub.yN.sub.1−x−y) (1). In the formula (1), a is the atomic ratio of Mg, x is the atomic ratio of B, and y is the atomic ratio of C; and a, x, and y satisfy the following relationships: 0.05≦a≦0.30, 0≦x≦0.20, and 0≦y≦0.30.

In a general aspect, a ceramic thin film with nanotwinned regions at a tunable volume fraction is manufactured. In some aspects, a method for manufacturing a ceramic thin film on a surface of a substrate in an evacuated chamber is disclosed. The ceramic thin film includes crystalline grains; and each of the crystalline grains includes one or more nanotwinned regions. The one or more nanotwinned regions have a volume fraction in a range of 30-80% of the ceramic thin film. The ceramic thin film comprises titanium, nitrogen, and boron. A plurality of targets including a plurality of sputtering materials is prepared. A gas atmosphere in the evacuated chamber is formed. Electric power is supplied to the plurality of targets to cause co-sputtering of the plurality of sputtering materials to form the ceramic thin film with the one or more nanotwinned regions.

The invention relates to an evaporation boat comprising an evaporator body, wherein the evaporator body comprises an evaporator surface which extends along a longitudinal direction of the evaporator body. The evaporator surface has a pyramidally structured surface which can be created by mechanically machining the evaporator surface in two mutually perpendicular machining directions. The pyramidally structured surface comprises a plurality of structural elements which are directly adjacent to one another and have a substantially rectangular bottom surface and lateral surfaces which taper conically to a top surface or point.

Provided is a coated cutting tool having a base material side single layer portion and a laminated portion provided as a hard coating in order from a base material side. The base material side single layer portion is formed of a nitride-based hard coating in which a proportion of Al is highest among metal (including metalloid) elements, a sum of Al and Cr in a content ratio (atomic ratio) is 0.9 or more, and at least B is contained. In the laminated portion, a nitride-based a layer in which a proportion of Ti is highest among metal (including metalloid) elements and at least B is contained, and a nitride-based b layer in which a proportion of Al is highest among metal (including metalloid) elements and at least Cr and B are contained are alternately laminated.

In a vanadium nitride film formed on a surface of a base material, a ratio V [at %]/N [at %] between a vanadium element concentration and a nitrogen element concentration in the film is 1.08 or more and a chlorine element concentration in the film is 1 at % or more and 5 at % or less.

Described herein is a submerged-plasma process for the production of amorphous and nanocrystalline nanostructured materials, depending on processing conditions, from precursors that can be in the liquid or injected into the plasma or both.

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 magnesium alloy composite structure includes a magnesium alloy substrate, a zinc layer applied to the magnesium alloy substrate, a copper layer applied to the zinc layer, a nickel strike layer applied to the copper layer; an autocatalytic nickel layer applied to the nickel strike layer and a surface layer applied to the autocatalytic nickel layer. Various surface layers include Aluminum Titanium Nitride, Boron Nitride, Chromium Nitride, Titanium Nitride, Zirconium Nitride, Zirconium Oxide, Zirconium Oxycarbide, Titanium Carbide, Titanium Nitride and Diamond Like Carbon.

A cutting tool including a base material and a hard layer provided on the base material, in which the hard layer is composed of a compound represented by Ti.sub.aAl.sub.bB.sub.cN, an atomic ratio a is 0.25 or more and less than 0.55, an atomic ratio b of is 0.45 or more and less than 0.75, an atomic ratio c of is more than 0 and 0.1 or less, a sum of the atomic ratio a, the atomic ratio b and the atomic ratio c is 1, a ratio I.sub.(200)/I.sub.(002) of an intensity I.sub.(200) of an X-ray diffraction peak of a (200) plane to an intensity I.sub.(002) of an X-ray diffraction peak of a (002) plane in the hard layer is 2 to 10, and a full width at half maximum of the X-ray diffraction peak of the (002) plane is 2 degrees to 8 degrees.

A method of containing molten aluminum using non-wetting materials comprising depositing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4, or one selected from an oxide, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, nitride, AlN, BN, carbide, and SiC, onto a crucible. An apparatus for containment of molten aluminum using non-wetting materials comprising a layer of MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4, or one selected from an oxide, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, nitride, AlN, BN, carbide, and SiC, deposited onto a crucible.