CdTe:Sn thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on glass substrates at room temperature. The study of the changes in the chemical, structural and optical properties of the films as a function of the density of Sn ions calculated from Langmuir planar probe measurments is presented. Four films were grown by the simultaneous ablation of CdTe and Sn targets in vacuum. The Sn ion density was modified by varying the fluence on the Sn target, while the CdTe plasma density was kept constant for all the deposits. One CdTe film was grown as control sample using the same experimental conditions as in the CdTe:Sn films. The chemical composition was analyzed by XPS, where a dependence of the Sn incorporation into the CdTe lattice, on the Sn ion plasma density was demonstrated. The crystalline structure analysis by XRD showed a hexagonal structure for all the films. When the CdTe and Sn plasmas were combined, a preferential orientation in the plane (110) was observed for the resulting films. Furthermore, as Sn plasma density increased, the intensity of the (110) peak increased as well, suggesting that crystalline re-orientation is an effect of Sn incorporated into the CdTe lattice. Vibrational behavior was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. A vibrational mode appeared at 118 cm⁻¹ and was related to a Sn-Te vibration, suggesting the incorporation of substitutional Sn into the CdTe lattice. The Sn-Te bonding was confirmed by XPS by the appearance of signals centered at 485 and 494 eV, which correspond to Sn²⁺ in SnTe. Thin films thicknesses values were between 320 and 460 nm increasing with Sn ion density. The band gap calculated using UV–vis spectrophotometry, resulted in values ranging from 1.42 to 1.46 eV. PL measurements showed a slight blue shift of the near-edge emission as Sn plasma density increased.

In sealing, sliding, and power transmission operations, surface quality and contact tolerances have high impacts on material system efficiency. Although the boriding process improves the wear resistance of metallic surfaces, it increases surface roughness, affecting the tribological efficiency of material systems. This study presents the tribological results of AISI 4140 boriding surfaces tested using a dehydrated paste pack boriding method with and without a finishing polish process to reduce the roughness. The duration of the boriding process was 1 h at 1123, 1173, 1223, and 1273 K using boron paste obtained from a commercial source and using a pot-polishing process with Al₂O₃ with a particle size of 0.5 μm for 25 min. The samples with and without the finishing polish process were structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction, and the boride coating adhesion was determined using Rockwell C indentation. The tribological properties of the boride surface with and without the finishing polish process were determined using a reciprocating sliding test, with a ZrO₂ ball as a counter body. The boride surfaces’ crystalline structure changed with polishing, which revealed the FeB phase and reduced the roughness value. These modifications in the surface characteristics altered the adhesion and tribological performance of the coating, resulting in a more stable tribological performance on the polished boride surfaces, with a reduction in the coefficient of friction (Cof) value from 0.75 ± 0.02 for the tribological test on the 1123 K-P sample to 0.59 ± 0.002 for the 1273 K-P sample surface at 20 N of applied load.

The present work studied the characterization of boriding coatings without and with exposed hydrogen permeation on AISI 8620 through microstructure and mechanical behavior. A dehydrated paste pack process was carried out for the formation of boride coatings on AISI 8620 at 1173, 1223, and 1273K for 6h of exposure time for each temperature. After boronizing, hydrogen was introduced into the borided steels by in situ cathodic charging using an H₂SO₄ acid electrolyte. Specimens borided without and with hydrogen were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The experimental techniques of the Vickers microhardness and three-point bending were used. As a result, the hydrogen diffusion on steel AISI 8620 borided shows a significant increase in microhardness. Furthermore, three-point bend tests showed an increased strength on 8620 steel borided. However, the ductility and strength value on 8620 steel borided surfaces presented a drastic reduction due to hydrogen permeation. The results revealed that the borided coatings provided strength and reduced the hydrogen embrittlement index on AISI 8620 borided.

The effect of boron powder on surface AISI W2 steel and growth kinetic of the boride layer is studied. Boron powder mixture was used in the powder pack boriding; this process was carried out in the temperature range from 1173 to 1273 K with exposure times ranging from 2 to 8 h. The presence of boride was confirmed by optical microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and the distribution of alloy elements in boride layers with energy‐dispersive spectrometry using scanning electron microscopy. A mathematical model of the growth kinetics of the single layer was proposed and boron diffusion coefficient was determined by mass balance equation. The morphology of Fe₂B layer was smooth and boron activation energy in W2 steel was estimated as 187.696 kJ·mol⁻¹. The kinetic model was validated with two experimental conditions, a contour diagram describing the evolution of Fe₂B layer as a function of time and temperature parameters for industrial application.

Boriding is a widely used thermochemical treatment to improve surface hardness and wear resistance in steels used in demanding mechanical applications. However, boronizing processes using new boron paste increase costs and generate waste, creating a need for more sustainable alternatives. In this context, the reuse of dehydrated boron paste has proven effective in the formation of Fe₂B layers on AISI 9254 steel. In this study, AISI 9254 steel was boronized using reused dehydrated boron paste at 1173 K, 1223 K, and 1273 K for 3600, 7200, 10,800, and 14,400 s. Optical microscopy revealed layer thicknesses ranging from 16.07 $\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ to 69.35 $\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of single-phase Fe₂B, while EDS indicated elemental redistribution within the layer. The Vickers microhardness profile characterized the mechanical behavior, and the adhesion force showed HF1-HF2 ratings. The activation energy for boron diffusion in Fe₂B was calculated at 106.567 kJ ${\mathrm{mol}}^{-1}$. Auto-affine analysis verified the fractal nature of interface growth, with a scale $\omega \left(d\right)$ according to $\omega \left(\delta \right)\sim {\delta }^H$. These results confirm that reused paste allows the formation of Fe₂B layers, supporting sustainable boronization strategies with controlled interfacial evolution.