Papers by Author: Attila Lajos Tóth

Abstract: Case hardened, double-walled train wheel, produced in the foundry of Abraham Ganz in 1867 and used for long time on the railroad tracks, was studied and evaluated by modern methods of materials sciences. The investigations indicated the presence of 0.059m% antimony (Sb), distributed uniformly in the material of the wheel. This quantity is several times higher than the average Sb amounts (<0.01m%) of the other components get into the castings. Sb was detected even in the several mm thick crust; except in the outermost surface layer with < 1 µm thickness. Based on the 20th century comprehensive studies, the antimony content, detected in the wheel, was found to be ideal. In grey iron it is a powerful pearlite stabilizer which has favourable effects on its mechanical properties and serviceability.The investigation of the surface structure proved that the excellent hardness (~600 HV) at the crust surface was due to the “nano-composite” structure formed from the pearlite as a consequence of severe plastic deformation during service. This was also promoted by the high amount (4.09m%) of carbon present in the casting. The microstructure refinement during operation most probably contributes to the long service lifetime of the wheels.The secret of the Abraham Ganz’s train wheels is inherently present – besides the novel construction and production technology (case hardening) – in the above mentioned composition and the structure of the material.

Abstract: The effect of the boron in steels is widely known as an element enhancing hardenability, but its role can also be related to the enamelability of steels. While the improvement of the hardenability is due to the solute boron, in the case of enameling grade steels the boron should be kept in form of precipitates 1. The hydrogen accumulated during processing and enameling diffuses to the metal/enamel interface and lead to the formation of the so called fish-scale failure. To prevent this it is needed an adequate type, number and dimension of precipitates which act as hydrogen traps hinder the free diffusion of the hydrogen in steel. The paper deals with the possibilities of investigation by scanning electron microscopy of the boron containing precipitates in the low carbon Al-killed steels apt for two side enamelling.

Abstract: Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the main inorganic component of mammal bone and teeth. It is one of the few bioactive materials, which helps cell growing. The objective of this study was to fabricate hydroxyapatite-biopolimer nanofiber mats. To achieve this goal, two different suspensions were used. Approximately 1 μm diameter size fibers with large HAP agglomerates were fabricated using acetone and acetic acid. Fibers with a larger diameter size and homogenous distributed HAP particles were produced applying acetone and isopropanol. During the experiment the effect of the processing parameters: applied voltage, diameter of needle, the distance of the needle tip and the collector, flow rate was analyzed.

Abstract: The excellent gas sensing properties of the tungsten oxides have been manifested first of all in nanostructure and 1D, and 2D open structured forms. For optimal performance the sensing layer substrates should be of large specific surface. In this paper we report on electrospinning – a candidate for fabrication of large specific surface tungsten oxide nanofibers. Fibrous tissues doped with tungstic acid hydrate (H2WO4.H2O) and tungsten oxide one third hydrate (WO3.1/3H2O) has been created and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy in order to learn about the changes the materials suffer during the process.

Abstract: Hydroxyapatite (HAp) was successfully produced from recycled eggshell, seashell and phosphoric acid by using two different type of milling method (attrition milling and ball milling). According to the analysis, the attrition milling resulted nanosize HAp even after milling, while the ball milling process provided HAp only after a 400oC, 2 h long heat treatment. The grain size in both cases were approximately preserved during the heat treatment. The effect of temperature on stoichiometry, morphology and crystallinity of HAp powders were investigated. The structures of the HAp were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microsopy.

Abstract: Studies of oblique deposited nanostructured SiOx films by ellipsometric and IR spectroscopies are presented, as additional information is obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The films were deposited onto Si substrates under a 75° incidence vapor by vacuum evaporation of SiO and were annealed in Ar at 950oC. The thickness and composition of the films were estimated from the ellipsometric data analysis applying the Bruggeman effective approximation theory. Three-layer optical model described satisfactory the annealed film structure and verified the formation of nanocrystalline Si clusters. SEM micrographs showed that evaporated films consisted of silicon oxide pillars separated by air space and tilted at an angle of ~57o to Si substrate surface. The thin silica pillars were most probably free from Si-SiO2 interface leading to absence of strong absorption on LO vibrations in the IR spectrum. The estimated porosity factor was ~62 %. By annealing, the film oxidized to SiO2 but it remained columnar with a porosity factor of ~47 %.

Abstract: The wetting angle (Θ) of molten Ag (Zn, Cu, Ga) drops on graphite substrate is investigated. A texture formation was found in the substrate/drop interphase region after solidification. The enrichment (segregation) of Ag atoms in the interface layer was observed in the Ag-Cu alloy, and unexpected mixing between graphite substrate and the Ag-Ga melt was also detected in the solidified structure.

Abstract: Protective, chromate substitute thin layers on roughened galvanized surfaces produced at OCAS (Arcelor, Belgium) were characterized and compared using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM+EDS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Nanoindentation and X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS). EDX maps, line scans and point analyses obtained at various places of the surfaces have shown differences between the CVD and silane nanolayers in the matter of thickness distribution and composition. At cross-section specimens the thickness of the layers could be shown. The hardness differences caused by layer thickness variations are hard to follow by nanoindentation as the penetration depth of the indenter is much larger than the thickness of the coatings. XPS measurements can distinguish between the chemical states of silicon in CVD and silane coatings.

Abstract: Hexagonal (h-) WO3 was prepared through heating hexagonal ammonium tungsten bronze (HATB), (NH4)0.07(NH3)0.04(H2O)0.09WO2.95. By adjusting the heating temperature and atmosphere of HATB, we could control the oxidation state of tungsten atoms and the residual NH3/NH4 + content in h-WO3. The as-produced h-WO3 nanoparticles with different composition were tested as gas sensors and the effect of composition on gas sensing properties was studied. Our results showed that oxidized h-WO3 had the best sensitivity to H2S.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to find if nanocrystal layers obtained by well-established nanotechnology are able to induce deposition of hydroxyapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2]. It is known that nanosized objects and porous structures influence biological events and they may be used to create biologically integrated multifunctional devices including biomaterials and sensors. In this work, sequential physical vapour deposition of CdSe and SiO, or SiOx film was used to modify glass substrates. To study the ability of the nanostructured surfaces to induce hydroxyapatite deposition, samples were immersed in a simulated body fluid and simultaneously irradiated with a scanning laser beam for a few minutes. This resulted in a porous sponge-like non homogeneous hydroxyapatite layer, consisting of networks of aggregates of nano dimensions on the modified surfaces. Analysis showed higher Ca and P contents in the stripes of the laser-substrate interaction, which indicated the influence of the laser energy. The method of laser-liquid-solid interaction used has led to a synergistic effect due to the simultaneous use of the nanostructured substrate, aqueous solution and laser energy.