The scope of the work covers the development of the relationship between the chemical composition of surface-modified copper and the diffusion of alloy elements as well as the microstructure and mechanical properties. This article presents the impact of laser alloying with titanium and silver powders on the microstructure and mechanical properties of copper. In order to investigate the phenomena occurring during the laser alloying process, microstructural studies were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopic (EDS) analysis of the chemical composition in micro-areas. In addition, to test the properties of the resulting alloy, abrasion resistance, hardness measurement at low loading force, and conductivity measurements were performed. As a result of alloying with Ag and Ti powders, three distinct zones were indeed recognized: re-melting zone (RZ), diffusion zone (DZ), and heat affected zone (HAZ). The surface modification that results from laser alloying increases the hardness as well as the abrasion resistance of the material. Overall, it was found that laser alloying with Ti powder increased the strength of the copper surface layer due to the formation of intermetallic phases (Cu₃Ti₂). It was also found that laser alloying with Ag powder changed the mechanical properties of the surface layer due to the solid solution strengthening.

This article discusses the influence of conversion casein coatings with a thickness of about 20 µm on the structure and the corrosion behavior of two magnesium alloys: MgCa2Zn1 and MgCa2Zn1Gd3. Casein is a protein that, along with whey protein, is a part of milk. Casein coatings are appropriate for bone growth because they contain high amounts of calcium and phosphorus. In this work, casein coatings and casein-free coatings were applied on Mg-based alloys using the conversion process. The structure and topography observations were presented. The corrosion behavior was determined by electrochemical and immersion tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in chloride-rich Ringer solution. The obtained results show that conversion casein coatings effectively protect Mg-based alloys against corrosion. This was confirmed by higher corrosion potentials (E_corr), polarization resistances (R_p) derived from Tafel’s and EIS analysis, as well as low hydrogen release. The volume of hydrogen released after 216 h of immersion for casein coatings applied to MgCa2Zn1 and MgCa2Zn1Gd3 alloys was 19.25 and 12.42 mL/cm², respectively. The improvement in corrosion resistance of casein coatings was more significant for Mg alloy dopped with gadolinium. The lower corrosion rate of casein conversion coatings is explained by the synergistic effect of the addition of Gd in the Mg-based alloy and the formation of dense, tight conversion casein coatings on the surface of this alloy.

The scope of the work covers the development of the relationship between the chemical composition of surface-modified aluminium and its mechanical properties. This article presents the impact of laser alloying with ZrO powder on the microstructure and mechanical properties of pure aluminium. In order to study the phenomena occurring during the laser alloying process, microstructural studies were carried out using optical microscopy. Additionally, the properties of the obtained alloy were tested - abrasion resistance and hardness measured at low load force. As a result of the alloying process, three distinct zones were identified: the remelting zone (RZ), the diffusion zone (DZ) and the heat affected zone (HAZ). The surface modification resulting from laser alloying increases the hardness and abrasion resistance of the material.