•Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloys with different CeLa addition were fabricated through casting and rolling.•Al8Cu4Ce and Al6Cu6La phases formed after CeLa addition.•Addition of 0.25 wt.% CeLa promoted formation of denser precipitates of Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al6(Mn, Fe).•Mechanical properties of the alloy was improved after 0.25 wt.% CeLa addition.Development of high strength lithium battery shell alloy is highly desired for new energy automobile industry. The microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloy with different CeLa additions were investigated through optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Rietveld refinement and tensile testing. Experimental results indicate that Al8Cu4Ce and Al6Cu6La phases formed due to CeLa addition. Addition of 0.25 wt.% CeLa could promote the formation of denser precipitation of Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al6(Mn, Fe) phases, which improved the mechanical properties of the alloy at room temperature. However, up to 0.50 wt.% CeLa addition could promote the formation of coarse Al8Cu4Ce phase, Al6Cu6La phase and Al6(Mn, Fe) phase, which resulted in weakened mechanical properties.

•Effects of CeLa addition on corrosion behavior of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe lithium battery shell alloy were investigated.•CeLa addition resulted in the formation of AlCuCe/La (Al8Cu4Ce and Al6Cu6La) local cathodes.•Corrosion activity of the main intermetallic particles decreased in the order of Al2CuMg, AlCuCe/La, Al6(Mn, Fe).•CeLa-containing alloy had higher Ecorr and lower Icorr at room temperatures, and wide passive region at 80 °C in comparison with CeLa-free alloy.•EIS testing indicated that the corrosion resistance (Rf + Rct) of CeLa-containing alloy was much bigger than that of the CeLa-free alloy.Effects of CeLa addition on the localized corrosion and electrochemical corrosion behavior of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe lithium battery shell alloy were investigated by immersion testing and electrochemical testing in 0.6 M NaCl solution at different temperatures. Experimental results indicated that CeLa addition resulted in the formation of AlCuCe/La (Al8Cu4Ce and Al6Cu6La) local cathodes and corrosion activity of the main intermetallic particles decreased in the order of Al2CuMg, AlCuCe/La, Al6(Mn, Fe). Corrosion potential shifted positively due to CeLa alloying. Corrosion current density of the CeLa-containing alloy was lower than that of the CeLa-free alloy at room temperature. At room temperature, there was no obvious surface passivation for both alloys. At 80 °C CeLa addition resulted in a wide passive region at the anode polarization region. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis also indicated that corrosion resistance of the CeLa-containing alloy was much higher than that of the CeLa-free alloy.

•The black Ti-Ni-O nanotubes photoanode was fabricated through Sn reduction.•In2O3 nanorods were fabricated by electrochemical deposition method.•The heterojunction photoanode exhibited high performance photocatalysis property.•Nonstoichiometric defects can enhance the photocatalytic performance effectively.Here we report photocatalytic application of heterojunction based on In2O3 nanorods decorated black Ti–Ni–O nanotubes. Black Ti–Ni–O nanotubes were fabricated through tin metal reduction reaction with the as-annealed Ti–Ni–O samples. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the heterostructure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra techniques. Nonstoichiometric defects caused by oxygen vacancies in both the In2O3 and the Ti–Ni–O oxides could improve both the visible and infrared absorption, and thus effectively enhance the photocatalytic performance. The heterostructure photoanodes could yield a photocurrent density of 5.32 mA/cm2 at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 1 M KOH and a remarkable photoconversion efficiency of 3.18% at −0.52 V vs. Ag/AgCl.

This work reports the facile synthesis of reduced N/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes photoanodes and their photocatalytic activity application. The obtained photoanodes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectrum (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance absorption spectra. The narrowed band gap of TiO2 due to the doping of N and Ni elements could enhance the light absorption effectively. The NaBH4 reduction process resulted in the formation of oxygen vacancies in photoanodes. The electrochemical characterization revealed that photo-induced carriers were more efficient charge separation and transportation in reduced N/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes photoanodes. The highest photocurrent density obtained from reduced N/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes photoanodes was 2.52 mA cm−2 at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 1 M KOH solution, which was about five times as high as that obtained from undoped TiO2.

•The Ti–Nb–Zr–O nanotube photoanodes were fabricated by electrochemical anodization.•The length of the Ti–Nb–Zr–O nanotube arrays increased with the increase of Zr content at the same anodization potential.•Nb- and Zr-doping could enhance the photocatalytic properties of the titanium oxide.•The modification of the α-Fe2O3 improved photocatalytic activity of the Ti–Nb–Zr–O photoanode.Surface modification and doping of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes are efficient ways to obtain improved photosensitive characteristics. Here we report photocatalytic activity of α-Fe2O3 decorated Ti–Nb–Zr–O nanotube arrays. The Ti–Nb–Zr–O nanotube arrays were fabricated through anodization of Ti–Nb–Zr alloy in electrolytes of 1 M NaH2PO4 containing 0.5 wt% HF. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the heterojunction nanofilms. Nb- and Zr-doping could enhance the photocatalytic properties of the titanium oxide. However, more Zr-doping could lead to many defects that acted as recombination centers, which reduced the photocatalytic activity of the titanium oxide. The photocurrent density of the Ti–Nb–Zr–O nanotube photoanodes decorated with a small quantity of α-Fe2O3 could exhibit three times as high as that of the undoped TiO2 nanotube photoanodes.

•The Ni-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated through the anodization of Ti–Ni alloys.•Co-Pi modification greatly reduced electron–hole recombination probability in the Ni-doped TiO2.•The Co-Pi/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes composite photoanodes were fabricated through electrodeposition method.•The Co-Pi/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes composite photoanodes exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity.Surface modification and ions doping are the efficient ways to enhance photocatalytic activity of titanium oxide. The cobalt-phosphate/Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes composite photoanodes were fabricated via electrodeposition method and its photocatalytic properties were investigated. The cobalt-phosphate/Ni-doped TiO2 composite photoanodes were characterized by scanning electron microscope, Raman spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the cobalt-phosphate/Ni-doped TiO2 composite photoanodes exhibited a remarkable improvement. The experimental results indicated that the onset potential of cobalt-phosphate/Ni-doped TiO2 composite photoanodes shifted to more negative position compared to that of the undoped TiO2. The photocatalytic performance of the cobalt-phosphate/Ni-doped TiO2 composite photoanodes is attractive for further investigation of solar water oxidation.

As one of the key reliability issues, tin whisker problem has perturbed the electronics industry for several decades. Developing an effective way to mitigate the growth of tin whiskers is of great importance. In this study, we develop a novel multilayer method through alternately plating bright Sn and matte Sn layers to control the tin whisker growth. The samples of bilayer, trilayer and quadlayer were fabricated and stored at 55 °C/85 % relative humidity and room temperature to evaluate the whisker growth. Experimental results revealed that the tin whiskers tended to grow on the bilayer and trilayer samples with bright Sn as the top layer. The whiskers originated from the middle or bottom layer and broke through the top layer. Compared to the bottom layer of matte Sn, bright Sn as the bottom layer was prone to promote whisker growth, due to irregular formation of intermetallic compound. With increase of the number of Sn layers, the grain structure of bottom layer became the main factor to affect Sn whisker growth. Uniform thickness of individual Sn layers could help to reduce whisker density. Optimal Sn multilayers are obtained to be matte/bright/matte Sn and bright/matte/bright/matte Sn with uniform thickness of individual layers.

We report uniform anodization of biphase Ti35Nb5Zr alloy to form doped nanotube arrays in nonaqueous glycerol-based electrolytes rather than in traditional aqueous electrolytes. The electrolyte type played an important role in determining the formation of uniform nanotube arrays. Through using the glycerol-based electrolytes, phase-dependent anodization effect was greatly minimized at both the α-phase regions and the β-phase regions, which makes it possible to grow uniform nanotube arrays on the biphase alloy. The reported anodization method is expected to be useful in fabricating uniformly doped nanotubes on a variety of biphase Ti alloys.