This study examines how sliding frequency governs the tribocorrosion behavior and surface durability of AISI 316L stainless steel used in food-processing equipment and volumetric pumps subjected to cyclic alkaline cleaning. Although AISI 316L exhibits high corrosion resistance, its passive film can be degraded under combined mechanical loading and chemical attack during cleaning-in-place operations, leading to accelerated material loss and reduced component lifetime. To clarify the role of dynamic operating conditions, tribo-electrochemical tests were performed in an eco-friendly 5 wt.% sodium bicarbonate solution representative of industrial cleaning environments, coupling in situ monitoring of the coefficient of friction and open-circuit potential with post-test surface characterization. The results show a clear frequency dependent transformation of the passive film. At low sliding frequencies (2–5 Hz), the surface is enriched in metallic nickel and chromium hydroxide–carbonate species, forming a self-healing, hydroxide–carbonate-rich layer that favors repassivation, stable friction, and limited wear. At higher frequencies (8–10 Hz), these protective hydroxides are progressively replaced by brittle oxides such as iron(III) oxide and chromium(III) oxide, leading to unstable electrochemical response, higher wear rates, and surface embrittlement. These findings identify sliding frequency as a critical operational parameter for stainless steel components exposed to repetitive contact in alkaline media and provide a mechanistic basis for adjusting motion conditions and cleaning protocols to reduce tribocorrosion damage and extend service life.

Pt-Sn nanoparticles were synthesized by magnetron sputtering of a 2-inch Pt0.8Sn0.2 target into polyethylene glycol using an innovative reactor configuration designed for liquid-phase deposition. A comprehensive study was conducted to understand the influence of liquid temperature on the growth of nanoparticles under two conditions: (i) an in situ heating of the liquid during sputtering deposition using bain-marie bath and (ii) an ex situ post-deposition annealing under air of the nanoparticle-liquid suspension obtained after deposition. COMSOL multiphysics simulations have revealed that the temperature of the liquid critically determines the transport regime of sputtered species inside the liquid glycol thus affecting the nanoparticle formation pathways. Complementary structural and morphological characterisations, such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering, demonstrate that temperature modulates particle size and size distribution. The in situ heating of the liquid during the growth promotes aggregation and the emergence of interparticle correlations but does not significantly modify the size distribution of the NPs. The ex situ annealing treatment up to 150 °C of the as-deposited NPs affects their organization in solution, lightly alters their intrinsic size and can induce structural and microstructural modifications of the NPs and particularly affect the elemental distribution of Pt and Sn. These results provide new insights into temperature-controlled synthesis of alloy nanoparticles in liquids.

This study examines how sliding frequency governs the tribocorrosion behavior and surface durability of AISI 316L stainless steel used in food-processing equipment and volumetric pumps subjected to cyclic alkaline cleaning. Although AISI 316L exhibits high corrosion resistance, its passive film can be degraded under combined mechanical loading and chemical attack during cleaning-in-place operations, leading to accelerated material loss and reduced component lifetime. To clarify the role of dynamic operating conditions, tribo-electrochemical tests were performed in an eco-friendly 5 wt% sodium bicarbonate solution representative of industrial cleaning environments, coupling in situ monitoring of the coefficient of friction and open-circuit potential with post-test surface characterization. The results show a clear frequency dependent transformation of the passive film. At low sliding frequencies (2-5 Hz), the surface is enriched in metallic nickel and chromium hydroxide-carbonate species, forming a self-healing, hydroxide-carbonate-rich layer that favors repassivation, stable friction, and limited wear. At higher frequencies (8-10 Hz), these protective hydroxides are progressively replaced by brittle oxides such as iron (III) oxide and chromium (III) oxide, leading to unstable electrochemical response, higher wear rates, and surface embrittlement. These findings identify sliding frequency as a critical operational parameter for stainless steel components exposed to repetitive contact in alkaline media and provide a mechanistic basis for adjusting motion conditions and cleaning protocols to reduce tribocorrosion damage and extend service life.

A machine-learning-assisted strategy is proposed to calibrate the heteronuclear parameters of the Tight-Binding Second-Moment Approximation (TB-SMA) potential using finite-temperature experimental data. The method involves the use of neural-network surrogate models trained on a large dataset of fictitious binary alloys, generated by randomly sampling TB-SMA parameter sets within physically meaningful intervals. Each surrogate model learns to predict thermodynamic observables - mixing enthalpy and lattice parameter - directly from the potential parameters. Once trained, the networks provide instantaneous predictions, eliminating the need for costly simulations during the optimization loop. The surrogate models are then embedded in a minimization scheme that adjusts the mixed interaction parameters to reproduce experimental thermodynamic data at selected compositions and at given temperatures. This workflow is applied to ten binary alloys formed by Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, and Rh, obtaining parametrizations that accurately match experimental trends. The approach is general and well adapted to complex multi-element systems as high-entropy alloys. It can be extended to other potential forms and target properties.

In this work, the effect of femtosecond laser-induced structuring on the morphological, structural and chemical properties of an AlCuTiZnZr metallic glass thin film deposited by magnetron plasma sputtering was studied. The deposition conditions were selected to produce an alloy containing > 50 at % of bactericidal elements (Cu and Zn). The as-deposited and laser structured films were characterized by SEM, AFM, EDX, XPS, RBS, GIXRD and TEM. The impact of the laser induced structuring on the bactericidal activity was assessed against Escherichia coli. Results showed that laser induced structuring led to the formation of Low Spatial Frequency LIPSS (Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures) on the alloy thin film with periods of 650 +/- 20 nm and an amplitude of 400 +/- 50 nm. A partial ablation of the film was evidenced inducing a drastic modification of the surface chemistry due to the re-deposition of ablated atoms. A crystalline, oxidized, poorly adhesive layer enriched in bactericidal elements was formed covering the surface. TEM observations clearly showed that nano-patterns of unaffected metallic glass are still present at the top of the LIPSS, below this redeposited layer. In the presence of this upper layer, an increase of the bactericidal activity was highlighted as compared to the as deposited stable metallic glass film. This was correlated to a rise in the copper and zinc ion concentrations in the solution after interaction with the structured surfaces, as measured by ICP-OES. These findings suggest that laser-induced structuring could promote the release of ions while preserving the presence of amorphous phase nano-ptterns present beneath the redeposited layer. This could lead to surfaces that combine enhanced bactericidal activity with metallic glass properties.

Molecular beam deposition was employed to synthesize Ag-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles, particularly Janus nanoparticles, embedded within photopolymer films under controlled conditions. This approach fills a key literature gap, as previous studies have focused on either polymer-based Janus nanoparticles or metallic nanoparticles as separate systems. Precise tuning of deposition mode (co-deposition versus sequential), layer sequence (Ag/Pt or Pt/Ag), and Ag content produces anisotropic architectures with spatially segregated Ag and Pt domains. Phase segregation dominates over alloying or core-shell formation, driven by large differences in cohesive energy, atomic radius, and lattice strain, combined with limited room-temperature atomic mobility. The photopolymer substrate promotes domain separation through tunable surface chemistry and interfacial asymmetry. Rapid deposition kinetically traps Janus morphologies, while extended Ag exposure generates ramified JNPs with increased heterogeneity. Co-deposition produces nearly homogeneous alloys, whereas sequential strategies yield asymmetric particles: Ag/Pt leads to acorn-like Janus structures, while Pt/Ag results in fragmented, patchy alloys. Each configuration shows distinct optical responses, verified by UV-vis spectroscopy. Combined insights from grazing incidence small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering, angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirm anisotropic phase segregation and structural diversity. Overall, these findings establish MBD on photopolymer substrates as a versatile and broadly applicable platform for the design of anisotropic bimetallic nanostructures with tunable structural, chemical, and optical functionalities.

Reconstructing the growth of metallic nanoparticles in real time remains a long-standing challenge, particularly for nanoalloy systems that exhibit complex atomic spatial arrangements and display structures and properties distinct from those of pure metal particles. Here, we present a methodology that integrates Molecular Dynamics and in silico wide-angle X-ray scattering signals, which are calculated using the Debye Scattering Equation, with a deep learning regressor, enabling a direct connection between experiments and data-driven structural interpretation. Atomic-scale descriptors of size and composition of bimetallic nanoparticles, as well as elemental ordering spanning from Janus-like to core-shell arrangements, previously accessible primarily through computational methods, are now extracted using X-ray scattering measured patterns as the sole input information. Applying this model, we reconstruct the growth mechanism of Ag-Co nanoparticles formed in ultra high vacuum by Co vapor deposition onto Ag seeds, monitored in situ and in real time by grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and occurring under strongly out-of-equilibrium conditions. This analysis provides evidence that the nanoparticle structural evolution is not governed solely by the amount of Co supplied but instead results from a kinetically controlled evolution pathway, in line with theoretical predictions. Overall, the developed framework provides a strategy that significantly improves the interpretation of nanoalloys growth processes in real time via X-ray scattering data that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible to analyze through conventional fitting approaches. As such, the presented method is inherently compatible with on-the-fly and high-throughput data collection strategies.

Intermittent operation is common in industrial processes where stainless steel components undergo repeated cleaning cycles. In such conditions, the durability of passive films plays a central role in controlling tribocorrosion. Here, the tribocorrosion behavior of AISI 316L stainless steel in 5 wt% NaHCO3 solution was examined under ball-on-plate reciprocating sliding at 25 N load, 10 mm stroke, and 5 Hz frequency, with four sliding sequences (1000 s each) separated by rest intervals of 15 min, 1 h, 2 h, and overnight for a total test duration of 20 h. A similar to 50% reduction in the coefficient of friction occurred within the first 180 s, followed by a stable lowfriction regime (similar to 0.4) that persisted regardless of rest duration. This response correlated with open circuit potential recovery during pauses, evidencing rapid repassivation. A total wear volume of 0.28 mm(3) was measured, giving a wear rate of 1.12 x 10(-4) mm(3)/N.m. After an initial transient stage, the wear curve stabilized, showing that the tribofilm arrested further degradation. Post-test surface analyses revealed a chemically complex tribofilm composed of iron/chromium oxides and hydroxides enriched with carbonate species, with localized metallic nickel enrichment in chromium-depleted areas. These results provide quantitative evidence that sodium bicarbonate promotes the formation of durable self-healing tribofilms, capable of suppressing wear and maintaining low-friction conditions in stainless steel components subjected to intermittent sliding in diverse industrial cleaning alkaline environments.

In this paper, we focus on the Cs-doping effect at the La-site in La1-xCsxMnO3 (x = 0; 0.05 and 0.1) manganite. Synthesized powders via the sol-gel auto-combustion route have been characterized by structural and magnetic measurements. All samples crystallize into a rhombohedral structure with R 3 c space group as confirmed by Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The diffraction analyses as function of temperature reveal a linear evolution of the structural parameters influencing the Jahn-Teller (J-T) distortion. Spherical nanoparticles have been observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses confirmed the expected presence of La, Cs, Mn and O ratio, as well as the phase purity of the synthesized materials. The polycrystalline grain structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), where crystallite size obtained from TEM ranges from 21 nm to 120 nm as function of the composition and sintered temperature. The lattices fringes resolved in the high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) images confirmed the crystal rhombohedral symmetry of our compounds. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies demonstrate the mixed valence states of manganese ions (Mn4+ and Mn3+) in undoped as well as doped systems. The electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses confirmed the decreasing of the ferromagnetic ordering versus the increase of Cs doping. Soft ferromagnetism has been observed in all our La1-xCsxMnO3 (x = 0; 0.05 and 0.1) samples which can be attributed to the super exchange interaction between the magnetic ions. Surprisingly enough, the magnetization behavior is found to be a sum of ferromagnetic (FM), superparamagnetic (SPM) and paramagnetic (PM) contributions at low temperature ( i.e. 4K). As expected, their behavior is PM at room tem- perature. This work shows how structural and magnetic properties can be greatly affected by small amount of La- substitution by Cs.

The graph shows the structural and time-dependent optical behavior of polymer-supported AgPt nanoalloys, showing key transformations vital for plasmonics, catalysis, and sensing, aiding the design of stable, high-performance nanomaterials.

In this work, we evaluated the ability of three numerical methods to predict the phase formation in Cu–Zn binary and Cu–Ti–Zn ternary alloy thin films deposited by DC-magnetron sputter deposition. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to simulate the growth of the alloy film and study the organization at the atomic level. A Machine Learning (ML) approach trained with a recently published bulk HEA (high-entropy alloy) database was used to determine the presence of an amorphous phase, solid solutions, or/and intermetallics. Finally, CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) thermodynamic modeling allows one to simulate the phase diagrams. Crystalline phases formed in experimental films were investigated by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD). Comparison with CALPHAD results highlights that for pure Ti or binary Cu–Zn films, the thermodynamically stable phases are formed in the films. Less agreement was found at low or high percentage of Ti introduced in the Cu–Zn system, and drastic differences were observed for elemental compositions close to equimolarity. In those cases, the out of equilibrium nature of the magnetron sputtering deposition technique is evidenced. The very limited agreement between the GIXRD and ML approach is explained by the available database, which is exclusively based on bulk alloys. Elemental composition of the alloy does not itself determine the stabilized phases: elaboration techniques are to be taken into account too. MD simulations bring information on a possible segregation of the Zn element to the surface and grain boundaries. A very good agreement is evidenced between the calculated and experimental diffraction patterns.

In this work, thin films of CuZn and CuTiZn alloys were synthesized by magnetron sputter deposition. Their antibacterial activity on the proliferation of Escherichia coli was investigated after incubation during 24 h at 37.0 degrees C by measuring the bacteria solution absorbance at 600 nm. Among tests usually employed in laboratories to evaluate the antibacterial properties of coatings, this one specially characterizes the action of chemical elements dissolved in the solution, i.e. the so-called release killing mechanism. The obtained results are discussed depending on the film chemical composition (in depth and at the surface), microstructure and crystallinity. A good antibacterial activity was found for pure Zn and CuZn films, whereas a rapid degradation was observed as soon as Ti is added, which coincides with the formation of a dense amorphous phase. At close chemical compositions, formation of this stable metallic glass phase seems to be detrimental to the ion release mechanism. This work highlighted that the microstructural and crystalline properties (more or less porous polycrystalline film/ dense, defect free metallic glass) significantly influence the antibacterial properties of such alloy thin films.

Stainless steel pumps in food industries are prone to seizure during sanitation operations. To understand the tribocorrosion phenomena induced during the cleaning routine, tribological and tribocorrosion tests were carried out using three inexpensive, eco-friendly domestic cleaning solutions: 8 % acetic acid, and 5 % sodium hydrogen carbonate. Some tests were conducted in demineralized water, which served as a reference medium. High friction and wear were observed with AISI 316 L stainless steel in vinegar and water, consistent with current observations in food cleaning processes. However, in sodium hydrogen carbonate, an unprecedented tribological behavior was recorded under specific test conditions. Worn surface analysis results indicate that this phenomenon is associated with the formation of a passive film composed of chromium oxides/hydroxides and iron oxides/hydroxides, with the emergence of a nickel-rich sublayer. The electrical activity of the passive film demonstrated its insulating behavior. Due to the synergistic interactions between the mechanical wear of the passive film and chemical reactions of AISI 316L stainless steel in sodium hydrogen carbonate, significant improvement in the frictional properties of AISI 316L has been found, which can play an important role in increasing the mechanical life of equipment and energy efficiency.

Lead-free materials based on the (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O-3 (BCZT) system exhibit excellent electromechanical properties that can be strongly modified by small amounts of dopants. Here, we use a combinatorial strategy to unravel the influence of aliovalent doping with Ce on dielectric and piezoelectric properties of BCTZ. We synthesize and characterize a single BCTZ thin film with a composition gradient from undoped to 0.2 mol % cerium doping. The cerium doping increases the piezoelectric coefficient from 42.3 +/- 2.9 pm V-1 (undoped) to 63.0 +/- 2.4 pm V-1 for 0.06 Ce-mol %, and then decreases to 38.4 +/- 1.3 pm V (-1) for the maximum amount of cerium (0.2 mol %). An investigation of subcoercive field nonlinearities reveals that these variations are not only induced by changes in dynamics and densities of domain walls. The results highlight the advantage of combinatorial techniques to identify ideal compositions for applications without synthesizing a high number of samples with unavoidable sample-to-sample variations.

Subcoercive field non-linearities in 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3TiO3)-0.5(BaZr0.2Ti0.8O3) (BCTZ 50/50) thin film elaborated using pulsed laser deposition are studied using permittivity and phase angle of the third harmonic measurements as a function of the AC measuring field EAC and temperature. The global phase transition temperature Tmax for which the permittivity is maximum, decreases from 330 to 260 K when EAC increases. Rayleigh analysis of the AC field dependence of the relative permittivity shows a regular decrease in the domain wall motion contributions as temperature increases up to Tmax and an even more pronounced decrease above Tmax. This measurement reveals that the ferroelectric behavior subsists 70 K above the global phase transition. The phase angle of the third harmonic at temperatures below 275 K is characteristic of a conventional ferroelectric and from 275 K to Tmax=330 K of a relaxor. Above Tmax, the thin film exhibits a peculiar phase angle of the third harmonic, which consists of −180°→−225°→+45°→0° instead of the −180°→−90°→0° found for relaxor. This peculiar behavior is observed only on heating and is tentatively attributed to changes in the correlations between polar nanoregions.

Sub-coercive field non-linearities in $0.5(\text{Ba}_{0.7}\text{Ca}_{0.3}\text{TiO}_{3})-0.5(\text{BaZr}_{0.2}\text{Ti}_{0.8}\text{O}_{3})$ (BCTZ 50/50) thin film elaborated using pulsed laser deposition are studied using permittivity and phase angle of the third harmonic measurements as function of the AC measuring field $E_{\mathit{AC}}$ and temperature. The global phase transition temperature $T_{\mathit{max}}$ for which the permittivity is maximum, decreases from 330 K to 260 K when $E_{\mathit{AC}}$ increases. Rayleigh analysis of the AC field dependence of the relative permittivity shows a regular decrease of the domain wall motion contributions as temperature increases up to $T_{\mathit{max}}$ and an even more pronounced decrease above $T_{\mathit{max}}$. This measurement reveals that the ferroelectric behavior subsists 70 K above the global phase transition. The phase angle of the third harmonic at temperatures below 275 K, is characteristic of a conventional ferroelectric and from 275 K to $T_{\mathit{max}}=$ 330 K of a relaxor. Above $T_{\mathit{max}}$, the thin film exhibits a peculiar phase angle of the third harmonic, which consists of ${-180}°\rightarrow {-225}°\rightarrow {+45}° \rightarrow {0}°$ instead of the ${-180}°\rightarrow {-90}° \rightarrow {0}°$ found for relaxor. This peculiar behavior is observed only on heating, and is tentatively attributed to changes in the correlations between polar nanoregions.

Photonic curing offers the advantage of strongly reducing the treatment time of materials, especially for industrial purposes. The current work highlights the benefits of photonic curing for mesoporous silica made by inkjet-printing. This study shows that appropriate curing treatment allows the preservation of the shape and porosity of mesoporous silica microstructures obtained by inkjet-printing. Moreover, for the first time, this study demonstrates that photonic curing is compatible with very fragile organic functional groups such as the azide functional groups that enable a versatile functionalization by the copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction. Compatibility of photonic curing is assessed for 3D-printed (inkjet-printed) silica with preservation of the printed shape and porosity structure, in addition to maintaining fragile chemical functions (azide, fluorine, polymer) intact. Relevant industrial applications of photonic curing involve post-process treatment of numerous samples at once, as for thin films and coatings, with significantly reducing the curing time (from days to milliseconds). image

Lead-free materials based on the (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O_3 (BCZT) system exhibit excellent electromechanical properties that can be strongly modified by small amounts of dopants. Here, we use a high throughput strategy to unravel the influence of aliovalent doping with Ce on dielectric and piezoelectric properties of BCTZ. We synthesize and characterize a single BCTZ thin film with a composition gradient from undoped to 0.2 mol doping increases the piezoelectric coefficient from 42.3± 2.9 pm V^-1 (undoped) to 63± 2.4 pm V^-1 for 0.06 Ce-mol%, and then decreases to 38.4 ± 1.3 pm V^-1 for the maximum amount of cerium (0.2 mol these variations are not only induced by changes in dynamics and densities of domain walls. The results highlight the advantage of high throughput techniques to identify ideal compositions for applications, without synthesizing a high number of samples with unavoidable sample-to-sample variations.

A combination of experimental and numerical investigations on metallic silver and platinum nanoparticles deposited on silica substrates is presented, with a focus on metal-substrate interactions. Experimentally, the nanoparticles, obtained by ultra-high vacuum atom deposition, are characterized by grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering and high resolution transmission electronic microscopy to determine their structure and morphology and, in particular, their aspect ratio (height/diameter), which quantifies the metal-substrate interaction, from the as-grown to equilibrium state. Numerically, the interactions between the metal and the silica species are modeled with the Lennard-Jones (12, 6) potential, with two parameters for each metal and silica species. The geometric parameters were found in the literature, while the energetic parameters were determined from our experimental measurements of the aspect ratio. The parameters are as follows: σAg-O = 0.278 nm, σAg-Si = 0.329 nm, ɛAg-O = 75 meV, and ɛAg-Si = 13 meV for Ag-silica and σPt-O = 0.273 nm, σPt-Si = 0.324 nm, ɛPt-O = 110 meV, and ɛPt-Si = 18 meV for Pt-silica. The proposed Ag-silica potential reproduces quantitatively the unexpected experimental observation of the variation of the aspect ratio for Ag nanoparticles larger than 5 nm, which has been interpreted as a consequence of the silica roughness. The nanoparticle orientation, structure, and disorder are also considered. This metal-silica potential for Ag and Pt should be helpful for further studies on pure metals as well as their alloys.