The present disclosure relates to a titanium or titanium alloy member and to a surface hardening method for the titanium or titanium alloy member. The titanium or titanium alloy member includes a base material of titanium or titanium alloy, and at a surface of the base material, a hardened layer formed by diffusion of oxygen into the surface. The method includes: a heating step of heating the titanium or titanium alloy base material of the member to a predetermined temperature under an inert gas atmosphere; a hardening step of introducing (i) a mixed gas including an inert gas, and (ii) oxygen gas as a hardening treatment gas, to perform hardening treatment of the surface of the base material; and a cooling step of cooling the base material down to room temperature under the inert gas atmosphere.

The present disclosure relates to a titanium or titanium alloy member and to a surface hardening method for the titanium or titanium alloy member. The titanium or titanium alloy member includes a base material of titanium or titanium alloy, and at a surface of the base material, a hardened layer formed by diffusion of oxygen into the surface. The method includes: a heating step of heating the titanium or titanium alloy base material of the member to a predetermined temperature under an inert gas atmosphere; a hardening step of introducing (i) a mixed gas including an inert gas, and (ii) oxygen gas as a hardening treatment gas, to perform hardening treatment of the surface of the base material; and a cooling step of cooling the base material down to room temperature under the inert gas atmosphere.

A bolt of the present invention has a composition comprising: 0.50 mass % or greater and 0.65 mass % or less of carbon (C), 1.5 mass % or greater and 2.5 mass % or less of silicon (Si), 1.0 mass % or greater and 2.0 mass % or less of chromium (Cr), 0.2 mass % or greater and 1.0 mass % or less of manganese (Mn), 1.5 mass % or greater and 5.0 mass % or less of molybdenum (Mo), wherein a total amount of phosphorous (P) and sulfur (S) as impurities is 0.03 mass % or less, the remaining is iron (Fe), and the bolt comprises an iron based oxide film with a film thickness of 3 μm or greater and 20 μm or less on the surface thereof. The bolt has excellent delayed fracture resistance and reliably provides a fastening axial force.

Some embodiments include a method of forming a conductive structure. A metal-containing conductive material is formed over a supporting substrate. A surface of the metal-containing conductive material is exposed to at least one radical form of hydrogen and to at least one oxidant. The exposure alters at least a portion of the metal-containing conductive material to thereby form at least a portion of the conductive structure. Some embodiments include a conductive structure which has a metal-containing conductive material with a first region adjacent to a second region. The first region has a greater concentration of one or both of fluorine and boron relative to the second region.

A method for producing a steel strip containing, in addition to iron as the main component and unavoidable impurities, one or more of the following oxygen-affine elements in wt. %: Al: more than 0.02, Cr: more than 0.1, Mn: more than 1.3 or Si: more than 0.1, where the surface of the steel strip is cleaned, oxidation-treated and annealed. The treated and annealed steel strip is subsequently coated with a hot-dip coat. In order to be less cost-intensive and to achieve uniform, reproducible adhesion conditions for the coat, the steel strip is oxidation-treated prior to the annealing at temperatures below 200° C., where on the surface of the steel strip, with the formation of oxides with iron from the steel strip, an oxide layer is formed, which contains iron oxide and is reduction-treated during the course of the annealing under a reducing atmosphere to achieve a surface consisting substantially of metallic iron.

A method for producing a steel strip containing, in addition to iron as the main component and unavoidable impurities, one or more of the following oxygen-affine elements in wt. %: Al: more than 0.02, Cr: more than 0.1, Mn: more than 1.3 or Si: more than 0.1, where the surface of the steel strip is cleaned, oxidation-treated and annealed. The treated and annealed steel strip is subsequently coated with a hot-dip coat. In order to be less cost-intensive and to achieve uniform, reproducible adhesion conditions for the coat, the steel strip is oxidation-treated prior to the annealing at temperatures below 200° C., where on the surface of the steel strip, with the formation of oxides with iron from the steel strip, an oxide layer is formed, which contains iron oxide and is reduction-treated during the course of the annealing under a reducing atmosphere to achieve a surface consisting substantially of metallic iron.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to protective coatings on aerospace components and methods for depositing the protective coatings. In one or more embodiments, a method for producing a protective coating on an aerospace component includes depositing a metal oxide template layer on the aerospace component containing nickel and aluminum (e.g., nickel-aluminum superalloy) and heating the aerospace component containing the metal oxide template layer during a thermal process and/or an oxidation process. The thermal process and/or oxidation process includes diffusing aluminum contained within the aerospace component towards a surface of the aerospace component containing the metal oxide template layer, oxidizing the diffused aluminum to produce an aluminum oxide layer disposed between the aerospace component and the metal oxide template layer, and removing at least a portion of the metal oxide template layer while leaving the aluminum oxide layer.

A material layer for a laminated core of an electric machine is made of iron-containing ferromagnetic material and includes an electrically insulating coating on at least one side of the material layer. The electrically insulating coating Includes an electrically Insulating material which Is produced through controlled oxidation of the ferromagnetic material of the material layer and contains iron monoxide and/or triiron tetraoxid. The material layer is produced from a green body, which Is sintered under a reducing atmosphere.

Methods for forming micro- and/or nano-structures on the surfaces of a device and devices made thereby. The methods include exposing the surfaces of the device having an initial microstructure to an oxidizing environment at a first elevated temperature so as to form a first oxide scale on the device surfaces, exposing the first oxide scale to a reducing agent at a second elevated temperature so as to convert or partially convert the first oxide scale into a composite scale that includes a second oxide and a first metal, and exposing the composite scale to a dissolution agent that selectively dissolves part or all of the second oxide so as to yield a porous surface layer that includes the first metal.

The present disclosure appropriately shortens a processing step for processing a substrate in which a silicon layer and a silicon germanium layer are alternatively laminated. The present disclosure provides a substrate processing method of processing the substrate in which the silicon layer and the silicon germanium layer are alternatively laminated, which includes forming an oxide film by selectively modifying a surface layer of an exposed surface of the silicon germanium layer by using a processing gas including fluorine and oxygen and converted into plasma.