The sealed Ni/MH batteries with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the positive electrodes were assembled. The overall characteristics of Ni/MH batteries were investigated at different charge-discharge cycles at room temperature. The high-rate discharge performance of the Ni/MH battery was improved by the addition of CNTs in the positive electrode. Under high-rate discharge conditions, the batteries with CNTs added in the positive electrodes exhibited much better cycling stability, higher discharge voltage, and high-rate capability. The increase in internal resistance of the batteries with CNTs was lower than that of the batteries without CNTs during charge-discharge cycles. The addition of 0.5 wt.% CNTs was proved a desired amount to modify the batteries performance at the high discharge rates. Too much CNTs contributed no effect in the improvement of overall performance of the batteries.

Adhesion strength and high temperature wear behaviour of ion plating TiN composite coating with electric brush plating Ni-W interlayer deposited on a hot work die steel were investigated using a plate-on-ring test rig. The microstructure and wear characteristics of the coating were analyzed using XRD, TEM, SEM and EDS. The adhesion of the coating to the substrate was determined by scratch test. The results indicated that crystallization and precipitation-hardening in the electric brush plating Ni-W interlayer and formation of interface diffusion layer and duplex composite layer at the interface occurred due to thermal effects during TiN deposition. The Ni-W interlayer could provide an effective support for the TiN coating, thus the adhesion strength and hardness of the TiN composite coating increased significantly. In the temperature range 500-7008C, the TiN composite coating with Ni-W interlayer revealed high wear resistance as compared with the single TiN coating. The coefficient of friction and wear rate of the single TiN coating increased as the temperature increased, while the TiN composite coating exhibited the lowest coefficient of friction and wear rate at 6008C. Abrasive and adhesive wear were the predominant wear mechanisms of the coatings at elevated temperatures.

Tribological properties of carbon-nanotube-reinforced copper composites were investigated using a pin-on-disk test rig under dry conditions. The composites containing 4-16 vol% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by a powder-metallurgy technique. The tests were carried out at normal loads between 10 and 50 N, and the effect of volume fraction of CNTs on tribological behavior of the composites was examined. The composites revealed a low coefficient of friction compared with the copper matrix alloy. Due to the effects of the reinforcement and reduced friction, the wear rate of the composites decreased with increasing volume fraction of CNTs at low and intermediate loads. The composites with a high volume fraction of CNTs exhibited high porosity and their wear resistance decreased under high-load conditions.

Spinel LiMn2O4 materials were synthesized via sintering of a precursor which was obtained from the solution of the corresponding metal acetate by a spray-drying method. Following sintering at 600 C for 15h, the spinel LiMn2O4 particles that are formed are fine, narrowly distributed, and well crystallized. The synthesized material has excellent electrochemical properties as a cathode, delivering an initial discharge capacity of 137mA h/g and exhibiting good cycle stability.

Sliding wear behavior of in situ Cu-TiB2 nanocomposites fabricated by reaction of pure titanium and copper-boron melts were investigated on a pin-on-disk wear tester under dry sliding conditions, rubbing against medium carbon steel disk at sliding speeds range from 0.089 to 0.445ms−1 and at loads between 20 and 140 N. The hardness, yield strength and wear resistance of the in situ composites increased with the content (from 0.5 to 2.5 wt.%) of TiB2 nanoparticles in the copper matrix. Owing to the good interfacial bonding between uniformly dispersed TiB2 nanoparticles and the copper matrix, there was no transition from mild wear to severe wear over the applied load range. While the electrical conductivity of the in situ composites decreased considerably with the content of TiB2 nanoparticles, the wear resistance made the material a potential candidate for sliding electrical contacts.