International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering (10 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Performance analysis of high-speed laser cladding Fe55 alloy coatings via inside-laser powder feeding  
  by Yu Xie, Shuokun Ma, Tuo Shi, Siqi Yu, Shuguang Wang 
  Abstract: To improve the surface performance of 304 stainless steel, a Fe55 alloy coating with excellent wear and corrosion resistance was fabricated using high-speed laser cladding with an innovative inside-laser powder feeding method. The effects of laser power, defocus distance, and scanning speed on the coating morphology were studied. SEM and XRD analyses were conducted along with microhardness, wear, and electrochemical corrosion tests. Optimal parameters were identified: 1850 W laser power, 24 m/min scanning speed, +2 mm defocus, 16.8 g/min powder feed rate, and 80% overlap. The resulting coating was smooth, defect-free, had a dilution rate below 5%, and showed improved hardness and corrosion resistance compared to the stainless steel substrate. This efficient and eco-friendly technique has promising potential for advanced surface enhancement applications.
  Keywords: laser high-speed cladding; inside-laser powder feeding; Fe55 alloy; surface coating; microstructure.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10071352
   
  
• Nano-tribological characterisation and biocompatibility of antibacterial coating for biomedical application  
  by Omar Hussain, Sheikh Shahid Saleem 
  Abstract: Surface modification strategies are becoming more common to enhance the biological properties of bone implant applications. In this work, multilayer RF-magnetron sputtered Ti/TaN coatings deposited on Ti6Al4V were investigated. Biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and coating effectiveness were assessed. It was observed that the coating layers played an important role in biocompatibility. Energy-dispersive-spectroscopy confirms the presence of the coating elements. In-vitro tests with HCT-116 cells showed greater viability (survival rate of 96.62%) on the coated sample. Critical loads associated with coating failure were obtained using FESEM micrographs. The cohesive failure began at LC1 (72.2997 mN) whereas the critical normal load threshold for the thin film coating was obtained at LC2 (291.3407 mN). The results of this work indicate the viability of deposited coating for implant application.
  Keywords: biomaterials; thin film; RF magnetron sputtering; biomedical.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10071893
   
  
• The effect of Ni element content on the performance of 3Cr13+2.0wt%B coatings  
  by Huafei Zhao, Qiangqiang Zhang, Yaowei Yong, Mengmeng Cao, Yuhe Ma, Zheng Zhang 
  Abstract: To enhance ductile iron performance under harsh conditions, this study investigates the effect of nickel content on laser-clad 3Cr13+2.0wt%B coatings. Results show that adding 1.0 wt% Ni achieves optimal metallurgical bonding and coating quality (average thickness >1.2 mm). The microstructure comprises -Fe, -Fe, (Cr,Fe)7C3, Fe2B, and -(Fe,Ni) phases, with microhardness 4.15 times that of the substrate. Under identical abrasion, the wear rate decreases to 0.135 x 10^(3) g/m, dominated by mild abrasive and oxidative wear. In 3.5% NaCl salt spray tests, the self-corrosion potential increases by 0.052 V, with reduced corrosion current and enhanced impedance, indicating superior corrosion resistance. The addition of 1.0 wt% Ni simultaneously improves coating quality, hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion performance.
  Keywords: laser cladding; ductile iron; 3Cr13; wear resistance; corrosion resistance.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10072478
   
  
• A fretting fatigue life model considering the effects of contact stress and cyclic stress amplitude  
  by Kyungmok Kim 
  Abstract: This article developed a fretting fatigue life model of metallic materials. A fretting fatigue model incorporating imposed contact pressure and cyclic stress amplitude was established based on a bearing life theory. Fretting fatigue lifetime data of various metallic materials were collected from the literature. The effect of contact pressure on the number of fretting cycles to failure was investigated. It was identified that at low contact pressures, the number of fretting cycles to failure can be described by an inverse power-law function of contact stress. When the contact pressure exceeded the critical value, the number of fretting cycles to failure remained almost constant, regardless of the imposed contact pressure. Finally, a direct comparison between predicted and measured lifetime values was performed. The results revealed small errors (less than 13%) between predicted and measured values, attributed to the variance in fretting fatigue tests.
  Keywords: fretting fatigue; fatigue lifetime; contact pressure; fatigue model; cyclic stress amplitude.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10072580
   
  
• Geometric interpretation of the increase in the number of photons using ultra-thin films  
  by Myung Sik Choi, Byeongdeok Lee, Sangwoo Kim, Changhyun Jin 
  Abstract: Until now, surface treatment methods have been subject to many restrictions because each material has different properties. In addition, the effect of surface treatment has been approached qualitatively rather than quantitatively. This study demonstrates the remarkable improvement in the optical intensity of a matrix upon depositing an ultra-thin film layer, regardless of the morphology, dimension, type, and size. Thus, a new optical energy amplification mechanism, in which the number of photons can be increased, is proposed using a geometrical approach. In particular, the flame chemical vapour deposition used here was achieved within seconds. Moreover, based on the purpose of the process, the reduction of the metal oxide and the deposition of the amorphous carbon could be easily controlled. The powerful optical results were investigated for various material surfaces such as Au-SnO2 nanowires, porous Si substrates, and Al2O3 substrates.
  Keywords: thin film; photon; amorphous carbon; flame chemical vapour deposition.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10072898
   
  
• Wear and corrosion properties of the Cr-Ta coating deposited by electrospark deposition on the CrNi3MoVA steel  
  by Feng Gao, Jinpeng Yang, Guanglin Zhu, Minghuang Bi, Zijun Wang, Xiaoming Chen, Ce'an Guo, Jian Zhang 
  Abstract: A Cr-Ta coating with a thickness of approximately 30 μm was deposited on a CrNi3MoVA steel substrate using electrospark deposition, and its wear and corrosion properties were investigated. The dense Cr-Ta coating with fine grains is composed of Cr_xTa and Fe-Cr solid solution and metallurgically bonded to the substrate. Compared to the CrNi3MoVA steel, the Cr-Ta coating exhibits higher hardness, lower friction coefficient and wear loss. The main wear mechanism of the CrNi3MoVA steel is adhesive wear while that of the Cr-Ta coating belongs to abrasive wear. Furthermore, in contrast to the CrNi3MoVA steel, the Cr-Ta coating has a corrosion current density reduced by one order of magnitude, a corrosion potential shifted by approximately 0.05 V in the positive direction, and an electrochemical impedance increased by six times. These results indicated that the Cr-Ta coating significantly enhances the wear and corrosion properties of the CrNi3MoVA steel.
  Keywords: electrospark deposition; wear; corrosion; Cr-Ta coating.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10070309
   
  
• Characteristics of dynamic friction and stress distribution in the cold rolling interface of aluminium strip based on fractal theory  
  by Huajie Wu, Qiaoyi Wang, Laihua Tao, Xin Jiang 
  Abstract: This paper addresses the limitations of dynamic friction models in describing the force behaviour at the cold rolling interface. Using fractal theory, rolling theory, and load distribution theory, the study decouples the solid-liquid contact forces at the interface. Experimental data provided fractal parameters for aluminium surface roughness. A dynamic friction factor model incorporating surface roughness and metal flow velocity was developed. The study investigates the friction force and stress distribution at the aluminium cold rolling interface, revealing the dynamic friction factor varies with load, increasing along the rolling direction, and shows a more significant rise in the entry zone. The friction coefficient exhibits a monotonic increase with load, especially at lower reductions. The peak stress does not align with frictional force direction changes. The model's calculations closely match experimental data, with minor discrepancies in the exit zone.
  Keywords: fractal theory; dynamic friction; rolling interface; stress distribution.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10070311
   
  
• Long-term steady state friction and wear rate estimation of ZTA against AZ31 alloy under different bio-lubricants for hip prosthesis - an in-vitro study  
  by R. Nithyaprakash, S. Shankar, R. Naveenkumar, Gokul Anand Anand, S. Vasanth, Chander Prakash, Alokesh Pramanik, Animesh Kumar Basak 
  Abstract: The present study focuses on in-vitro bio-tribological study of ZTA against AZ31 alloy, in estimating friction and wear rate for long-term sliding distance of 40 km using Ball-on-Disc (B-o-D) tribometer for human hip prosthesis. The bio-lubricants considered for current study includes saline solution, Ringer's solution, distilled water, phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and sesame oil with B-o-D load of 20 N. Sesame oil exhibited least coefficient of friction (CoF) of 0.35 and maximum CoF of 0.42 is obtained for saline solution. Later, wear rate of ZTA is obtained for all these bio-lubricants and found that sesame oil exhibited least wear rate (K) of 8.55 × 10^-6 mm³/Nm and maximum (K) of 1.25 × 10^-5 mm³/Nm obtained for saline solution. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph depicted the mechanism behind these wear behaviour under different bio-lubricants, which revealed that, formation of tribo-film under sesame oil bio-lubricant medium could improve longevity of implants.
  Keywords: ZTA; MgAZ31; ball-on-disc; B-o-D; bio-lubricants; long-term; bio-tribology.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10069325
   
  
• Study on optimisation of asymmetrical microtextures in sliding friction pairs for enhanced lubrication  
  by Beibei Su, Qiang Wang, Tao Li 
  Abstract: This study proposes the asymmetrical microtextures added to the surface of the sliding-friction-pair and optimisation of the geometric parameters in asymmetrical microtextures to improve the lubrication efficiency and bearing capacity of the sliding-friction-pair. From the lubrication model of sliding-friction-pair using rectangular asymmetrical micro-structures established, the parameters of the depth and tilting bottom surface in each microtexture are optimised by the genetic algorithm. The result indicates that with the optimal asymmetrical micro-structures distributed by two different regions of the boss and pit region and with the boundary between these two regions to be a curve towards the central area in the direction of the oil film flow, both the hydrodynamic pressure (p) and bearing capacity (W) of the oil film are higher than symmetrical microtextures. In particular, the maximum p and W are strongly increased in comparison with symmetrical microtextures. Thus, the work efficiency of sliding-friction-pair is significantly improved.
  Keywords: sliding friction pair; lubricational model; asymmetrical microtextures; rectangular structure; bearing ability.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10070789
   
  
• Enhanced mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of remanufactured Ti-6Al-4V alloys by combining laser cladding and boriding post-treatment processes  
  by Yong Xia, Fangyong Niu, Dongjiang Wu 
  Abstract: In this study, Ti boride ceramic coatings were prepared on TC4 coating surfaces using boriding post-treatment. The effects of different holding times on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of laser cladding coatings were investigated. The results showed that the hardness of the coatings was affected by the phase content in various regions of the coatings. The volume fraction of martensite in the coating was significantly reduced after boriding process. The boriding process produced TiB whiskers and a boride layer on the surface of the coating, with a maximum hardness of 1,185 Hv, and the corrosion resistance of the boride layer decreased and then increased with the extension of the holding time. After 10 h of holding, the borides produced on surface were microporous and accelerating corrosion. The density of the boride layer increased after 20 h of holding, and the corrosion resistance was significantly increased.
  Keywords: laser cladding; boron penetration; titanium boride coating; microstructural evolution; corrosion.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2025.10071303