This study investigates the in-flight synthesis of titania and its doping into a silicon matrix resulting in a catalyst dispersed coating. In the experiments, a liquid precursor of titanium isopropoxide and ethanol is fed into a plasma gun forming a stream of titania nanoparticles into which a silicon-aluminum powder mixture is injected. The influence of process parameters and aluminum alloying on the microstructure and phase composition of the titania-doped silicon coatings is analyzed and presented.

A simple and efficient numerical model describing the processes of nucleation, growth, and transport of multicomponent nanoparticles is developed. The approach is similar to the classical method of moments but can be applied to co-condensation of several substances. The processes of homogeneous nucleation, heterogeneous growth, and coagulations due to Brownian collisions are considered in combination with the convective and diffusive transport of particles and reacting gases within multidimensional geometries. The model is applied to the analysis of multi-component co-condensation of TaC nanoparticles within a DC plasma reactor.

This paper presents the results of research on novel methods for the manufacturing of metallic gas flow, bi polar plates (BPP) for use in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Low cost, high speed, additive manufacturing methods that combine thermal spray (TS) and 3D printing (3DP) technologies are described. Flow plates were manufactured by creating 3DP patterns then depositing material with TS, and finally releasing the newly formed part. This net-shape spray forming method yields dense metal plates with interesting options for material choices and complex designs.

The combustion assisted thermal spray systems are being used to apply coatings to prevent surface degradation. They offer a highly attractive way to modify the surface properties of the substrate to extend the product life. The quality of combustion assisted thermal spray coating depends greatly on the flow behavior of reacting gases and particle dynamics. The present study investigates the effect of gas phase and its interaction with particles through the nozzle of a thermal spray gun by developing a comprehensive mathematical model. The objective is to develop a predictive understanding of various design parameters of combustion assisted thermal spray systems. The model was developed by considering the conservation of mass, momentum and energy of reacting gases. The particle dynamics was decoupled from the gas phase dynamics since the particle loading in the spray process is very low. The developed model was employed to investigate the influence of various design parameters on the coating quality of thermal spray process.