Method for durably bonding functional layers to surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475089-B2
Application number	US-201414164722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2014
Priority date	Apr 1, 2008
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A new method for durably bonding layers of a functional material to surfaces physically and chemically bonds solid layer lubricants and other functional coatings to a substrate surface by first applying a bond layer of a selected substantially binder-free soft material onto the substrate surface by, for example, burnishing, and then applying the functional layer onto the bond layer. Example soft materials for the bond layer include soft oxides such as antimony trioxide and example solid layer lubricants include graphite, molybdenum disulfide and mixtures of such lubricants. The new method is a major improvement over conventional bonding or coating methods. The process is non-vacuum at ambient temperatures and requires no binders, adhesives, curing or baking. Lubricant performance is enhanced by orders of magnitude compared to conventional approaches. The method is inexpensive, environmentally friendly, applicable to almost any substrate material and scalable.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for bonding a functional layer onto a surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) applying a substantially binder-free bonding material onto the surface to form a bond layer, wherein the substantially binder-free bonding material consists essentially of a soft oxide, a sulfide, or a chalcogenide; and
(b) applying the functional layer onto the bond layer by depositing the functional layer as a lubricant powder onto the bond layer and burnishing the lubricant powder onto the bond layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substantially binder-free bonding material consists essentially of the soft oxide, wherein the soft oxide is selected from the group consisting of Sb 2 0 3 , ZnO, CdO, and PbO.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bond layer is Sb 2 O 3 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant powder is selected from the group consisting of ZnO, a dichalcogenide, boric acid, boron oxide, polytetrafluoroethlene, PbO, fullerene, carbon nanostructures, carbon fluoride, boron nitride, cesium oxythiomolybdate, CaF 2 , graphite and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the dichalcogenide is MoS 2 .

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the dichalcogenide is WS 2 .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface is metal, the bond layer is Sb 2 O 3 and the lubricant is a mixture of graphite, Sb 2 O 3 and MOS 2 .

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface is a metal, the bond layer is Sb 2 O 3 and the lubricant is a mixture of graphite and MOS 2 .

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bond layer consists essentially of antimony trioxide (Sb 2 O 3 ) and wherein the lubricant layer includes molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substantially binder-free bonding material is in a form of a bondable powder.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bond layer does not include metals and phosphate treatments.

12. A method for applying a functional coating to an object, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) adding a substantially binder-free bonding material into a mixing vessel, wherein the substantially binder-free bonding material consists essentially of a soft oxide, a sulfide, or a chalcogenide;
(b) adding the object into the mixing vessel;
(c) adding burnishing media into the mixing vessel;
(d) rotating the mixing vessel to burnish and coat the object with the substantially binder-free bonding material to make a bond layer on a surface of the object; and
(e) adding a functional layer onto the bond layer to form the functional coating.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the object is coated with the bond layer in a first mixing vessel, and wherein the functional layer is added onto the bond layer in a second mixing vessel.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the functional layer is selected from the group consisting of a lubricant, a hard-particle coating, an anti-corrosive material, a catalyst, a photosensitive material, an adsorbent, a photovoltaic material and a sensor containing layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the lubricant is selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, a dichalcogenide, boric acid, boron aside, polytetrafluoroethlene, PbO, fullerene carbon nanostructures, carbon fluoride, boron nitride, cesium oxythiomolybdate, CaF 2 , graphite and mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the surface of the object is a metal.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the soft oxide is an antimony trioxide material, and wherein the lubricant includes molybdenum disulfide.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the substantially binder-free bonding material is a soft oxide, and wherein the functional coating is a lubricant.

Assignees

• Us Air Force

Inventors

• Zabinski Jeffrey F

Classifications

• B32B2264/12

  Mixture of at least two particles made of different materials · CPC title

• B05D5/086 Primary

  having an anchoring layer · CPC title

• B05D2401/32

  applied as powders · CPC title

• B01J8/38

  with fluidised bed containing a rotatable device or being subject to rotation {or to a circulatory movement, i.e. leaving a vessel and subsequently re-entering it} · CPC title

• B05D1/36

  Successively applying liquids or other fluent materials, e.g. without intermediate treatment · CPC title