Thermal aging of polymer matrix composites exert significant influence on their properties and applications. This paper studied the color changes and mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate (GF-PC) composites after aging at different temperatures, and the correlation between the trend of color changes and mechanical properties after aging was discussed. The GF-PC composites were aged at 85 °C, 100 °C, 115 °C, 130 °C and 145 °C, respectively. Thereafter, CIELAB colors were used to characterize the color changes of the composites after aging. Tensile and three-point bending tests were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the composites. According to the values of CIELAB color, the color changes and the color difference (ΔE) of the GF-PC composites after aging were calculated, which showed that color of the GF-PC composite aged at 100 °C changed the most. The color changes of the composites after aging mainly comes from the change of brightness (L value), which was 25.067 for the Raw GF-PC composite. When the aging temperature increased from 85 °C to 100 °C, the brightness of the composites also increased, but decreased when the aging temperature is above 100 °C and continues to rise. Coincidentally, the trend of the mechanical properties of GF-PC composites is closely associated with color changes in the aging temperature range of 85 °C to 145 °C. The tensile and flexural strength of the composites reached the maximum value 72 MPa and 131 MPa, respectively, after aged at 100 °C. It can be speculated that the brightness of the GF-PC composites correlates with trends observed in its tensile strength and bending strength.

Traditional binary coatings like TiN and CrN display limited thermal stability and wear resistance under extreme conditions. High-entropy alloy nitride (HEAN) coatings offer a promising solution due to their customizable composition and unique properties, including high hardness, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability. This study focused on (AlCrNbTaTi)N HEAN coatings to address a critical need for materials capable of enduring extreme mechanical and tribological demands by examining the impact of aluminum content on their structural and mechanical properties, providing insights for optimizing coatings in harsh conditions through a self-assembled nanolayer structure with enhanced resilience and performance. The coatings were deposited via a cathodic arc by employing an AlCrNbTaTi alloy target composed of aluminum (20, 50, 60, 70%) and equal molar ratios of Cr, Nb, Ta, and Ti. The coatings were characterized through grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, SEM, HR-TEM, a nano-indentation test, and a friction and wear test. The results indicated that with increasing Al content, the structure of (AlCrNbTaTi)N coatings shifted from FCC to an amorphous state, leading to a reduction in the hardness and elastic modulus, accompanied by an increase in the wear rate and friction coefficient. The (AlCrNbTaTi)N coating, with an equal atomic ratio of metallic elements, showed potential as a hard tool coating. It demonstrated outstanding mechanical and tribological properties, with a 34.5 GPa hardness, 369 GPa modulus, 0.35 friction coefficient, and 8.2 × 10⁻¹⁹ m²·N⁻¹ wear rate. The findings highlight the potential of (AlCrNbTaTi)N coatings to extend tool life and improve operational efficiency, helping advance materials engineering for industrial applications.

Fuel cladding tubes are devices used in reactors to encapsulate fuel clots and transmit heat to coolants. However, zirconium alloy materials which are widely used in the fuel cladding pipe of pressurized water reactors have noticeable safety risks in resisting design basis accidents. Therefore, it is very important to improve the corrosion resistance of fuel envelope tubes to high-temperature water vapor oxidation. High-entropy alloys are considered to be a potential protective coating material for cladding tubes. In this study, AlCrNbSiTi high-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings were prepared by magnetron sputtering at different bias voltages. The effect of bias on coating morphologies, structure, mechanical properties, and resistance to high-temperature water vapor corrosion were studied. Experimental results showed that the bias significantly affects the coating surface roughness. In terms of mechanical properties, the sample at 50 V bias exhibited maximum hardness and elastic modulus of 18.2 GPa and 232.4 GPa, respectively. The highest adhesive force of the coating to the substrate of 36 N was obtained at 100 V bias. The optimum water vapor corrosion resistance of the AlCrNbSiTi HEA coating was achieved at 50 V bias, in which sample-point corrosion was the main corrosion failure mechanism.

High-entropy nitride AlCrNbSiTiN coatings were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at different bias voltages. The structure, mechanical properties and water vapor corrosion resistance of the coatings were systematically studied. The coatings exhibit a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure, while achieving a hardness up to 35.8 GPa. The main wear mechanisms of the coatings are adhesive wear and oxidation wear. After 200 h of water vapor corrosion, the content of O in the coatings is 4.30 at.%.