Research Directions:

Ÿ surface coating and technology of lightweight alloys

        This research investigates the damage behavior and failure mechanism of lightweight alloys based on the key scientific and technical problems of lightweight alloys (Mg, Al and Ti) serving at the synergetic situations (wear, corrosion .etc), but also focus on the design, preparation and properites studies of the nanostructure coatings (multilayer, composite, gradient, surface texture .etc).

Ÿ Self-lubrication Wear-resistant Integrated Coating Technology for Equipments: 

        The direction aims at developing multifunctional coating with self-lubricating, anti-wear, impact-resistant, high-loaded, ablation-resistant, adhesion-resistant, antistatic and high-temp resistant properties to solve the key technical problems (friction, wear, erosion, corrosion, fatigue failure and lubrication seal failure .etc) of mechanical parts served in specific work conditions, and promoting its industrialization. 

Ÿ Bionic self-cleaning super-hydrophobic coating technology: 

        The research is mainly aimed at fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces with MNBS structure by conventional attempts to satisfy the urgent demand of anti-ice/snow and drag/noise reduction technology in aircrafts, electric power and underwater crafts fields. Furthermore, the research team focuses on the icing/anti-sticking interfacial behaviors and drag reducing mechanism, and promoting the engineering applications and industrialization of the self-cleaning coating.

Team Introduction

        The research team is consisted of 11 members, including 1 researcher(doctor supervisor) ,1 associate researcher (master supervisor), 3 assistant researchers,2 intern researchers,1 engineer,3 masters. The characters of the team is inter-disciplinarity, reasonable structure and cooperation-efficiency.

Zhuangzhu Luo (PhD, Professor，Center directer，Jiusan Society membership)，joined in Chongqing institute of Green and intelligent technology, CAS in 2011. His research interests include functional materials and surface engineering technologies. He has taken charge of over 20 projects such as NSFC, national high-tech supporting project. He received the First Prize of Gansu Province Technological Progress and Chinese Academy of Sciences Zhu Liyuehua outstanding doctoral Award. He possessed 12 national patents(7 granted) and published more than 20 papers (SCI 14, EI 6) in journals such as Advanced Materials、Soft Matter、Surface＆Coatings Technology.

Zhiwen Xie (PhD, Professor Assistant) obtained his PhD in Material Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), and joined in Chongqing institute of Green and intelligent technology, CAS in 2011. His research interests include micro-nano hard coating materials and preparation technology. His current projects include Chinese Academy of Sciences Western Light . He has published more than 10 papers (SCI 12) in journals such as Surface & Coatings Technology. He received the Second Prize of technological progress from national defense and has one granted patent

Markable achievements 

Ÿ Group 1: surface coating and technology of lightweight alloys

        Based on the project supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Western Light (No. Y32Z010F10), a new functional composite films system with high load-bearing, self-lubricant and anti-corrosion properties is developed to solve the wear-corrosion synergy failure existing in the current magnesium alloy parts(Fig.1), and Al/AlN/CrAlN/CrN/MoS2 gradient duplex coating is synthesized on magnesium alloy (Fig.2). The results show that the hardness of uncoated magnesium alloy has increased by 20 times (Fig.3). The gradient duplex coating has the good self-lubricating and anti-corrosion properties, and its wear rate and corrosion rate was only 1/140 and 1/136 compared to that of the uncoated magnesium alloy, respectively (Fig.4 and 5). In addition, a serious corrosion degradation with a great amount of corrosion products and cracks can be observed on the surface of uncoated sample, whereas little corrosion products can be seen on the surface of coated sample, hinting the better chemical stability (Fig.6). The study appears in Vacuum（2014，101:171-176）.

Ÿ Group 2-- Self-lubrication and Wear-resistant muli-functional Coating Technology for Equipments:

  The researchers have developed series of multi-functional coating materials with self-lubricating wear-resistant, impact-resistant, high load-bearing, adhesion-resistant properties to solve equipment industrial technical problems, The research achievement enhanced market competitiveness significantly.By Sep. 2013, the research center had provided free service and technical support for more than 60 companies in various fields such as heavy equipment, weapon, textile industry. Over 70 batches of the coated samples had passed approval test and 3 of them had been converted to products: friction-reduction coating for industrial printer frame (figure 7), self-lubrication and wear-resistant coating for piston (figure 8) and wear-resistant and protective coating for axises/piston column (figure 9).

Ÿ Bionic self-cleaning super-hydrophobic coating technology:

    A novel bionic self-cleaning superhydrophobic polymer functional coating with MNBS structure by conventional attempts was successfully fabricated on the surface of some substrates (such as aluminum, copper, steel and glass) by one-step casting process. It revealed excellent drag and noise reduction, self-clean and anti-ice/snow performance in the applications of underwater crafts and transmission lines (Figure 10). The coatings possess excellent engineering application properties such as long-term stability, high cohesive strength, anti-temperature change and chemical-media resistance (Figure 11). The research has been published in related journal publications such as Advanced Materials. The research achievement has been applied for five national patents (three granted). At present, the research team is cooperating with national power company to develop  “the self-cleaning glass insulators ”，and promoting the engineering applications and industrialization (Figure 12).