The Role of Ambient Gas and Pressure on the Structuring of Hard Diamond-Like Carbon Films Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition

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Andrei C. Popescu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Hard carbon thin films were synthesized on Si (100 and quartz substrates by the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD technique in vacuum or methane ambient to study their suitability for applications requiring high mechanical resistance. The deposited films’ surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, crystalline status by X-ray diffraction, packing and density by X-ray reflectivity, chemical bonding by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, adherence by “pull-out” measurements and mechanical properties by nanoindentation tests. Films synthesized in vacuum were a-C DLC type, while films synthesized in methane were categorized as a-C:H. The majority of PLD films consisted of two layers: one low density layer towards the surface and a higher density layer in contact with the substrate. The deposition gas pressure played a crucial role on films thickness, component layers thickness ratio, structure and mechanical properties. The films were smooth, amorphous and composed of a mixture of sp3-sp2 carbon, with sp3 content ranging between 50% and 90%. The thickness and density of the two constituent layers of a film directly determined its mechanical properties.

Effects of thermal annealing on the structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of hard fluorinated carbon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Maia da Costa, M. E. H.; Baumvol, I. J. R.; Radke, C.; Jacobsohn, L. G.; Zamora, R. R. M.; Freire, F. L.

2004-11-01

Hard amorphous fluorinated carbon films (a-C:F) deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition were annealed in vacuum for 30 min in the temperature range of 200-600 °C. The structural and compositional modifications were followed by several analytical techniques: Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Nanoidentation measurements and lateral force microscopy experiments were carried out in order to provide the film hardness and the friction coefficient, respectively. The internal stress and contact angle were also measured. RBS, ERDA, and XPS results indicate that both fluorine and hydrogen losses occur for annealing temperatures higher than 300 °C. Raman spectroscopy shows a progressive graphitization upon annealing, while the surface became slightly more hydrophobic as revealed by the increase of the contact angle. Following the surface wettability reduction, a decrease of the friction coefficient was observed. These results highlight the influence of the capillary condensation on the nanoscale friction. The film hardness and the internal stress are constant up to 300 °C and decrease for higher annealing temperatures, showing a direct correlation with the atomic density of the films. Since the thickness variation is negligible, the mass loss upon thermal treatment results in amorphous structures with a lower degree of cross-linking, explaining the deterioration of the mechanical properties of the a-C:F films.

Progress of Diamond-like Carbon Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHEN Qing-yun

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Diamond-like carbon(DLC films had many unique and outstanding properties such as high thermal conductivity, high hardness, excellent chemical inertness, low friction coefficients and wear coefficients. The properties and combinations were very promising for heat sink, micro-electromechanical devices, radiation hardening, biomedical devices, automotive industry and other technical applications, more research and a lot of attention were attracted in recent years. The research progress of diamond-like films and the nucleation mechanism of film were summarized, and application prospect of DLC films were demonstrated. The aim of this paper is to provide insights on the research trend of DLC films and the industry applications.

Nano mechanical properties of carbon films modified by ion radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foerster, C.E.; Serbena, F.C.; Lepienski, C.M.; Odo, G.Y.; Zawislak, F.C.; Lopes, J.M.J.; Baptista, D.L.; Garcia, I.T.S.

2000-01-01

In present work it is measured hardness, Young modulus and friction coefficient values for different types of carbon films. These films were submitted to different ion bombardment conditions (energy and fluencies). The mechanical behavior was obtained by nano indentation technique and analyzed by the Oliver/Pharr method. For friction coefficient determination the nano scratch procedure is used. Pristine C 60 films (fullerenes) has a hardness of 0.33 GPa. After irradiation with different ions (He, N and Bi), the hardness raise to about 14 GPa and the Young modulus change from 20 to about 200 GPa. For photoresist film AZ-1350J irradiation with Ar and He change the hardness from 0.4 to about 14 GPa and the Young modulus raise from 4 to 80 GPa. In a-C-H the hardness change from 3.5 to 11 GPa when submitted to N irradiation. In PPA films the hardness value raise from 0.5 to 11 GPa after irradiation with Ar. These mechanical and tribological results were analyzed in terms of deposited energy by the ion irradiation and compared with those presented in the literature. (author)

Synthesis and characterization of boron incorporated diamond-like carbon thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, L.L.; Yang, Q.; Tang, Y.; Yang, L.; Zhang, C.; Hu, Y.; Cui, X.

2015-01-01

Boron incorporated diamond-like carbon (B-DLC) (up to 8 wt.% boron) thin films were synthesized on silicon wafers using biased target ion beam deposition technique, where diamond-like carbon (DLC) was deposited by ion beam deposition and boron (B) was simultaneously incorporated by biased target sputtering of a boron carbide (B 4 C) target under different conditions. Pure DLC films and B–C films were also synthesized by ion beam deposition and biased target sputtering of B 4 C under similar conditions, respectively, as reference samples. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the synthesized films have been characterized by various technologies. It has been found that B exists in different states in B-DLC, including carbon-rich and B-rich boron carbides, boron suboxide and boron oxide, and the oxidation of B probably occurs during the film deposition. The incorporation of B into DLC leads to the increase of sp 3 bonded carbon in the films, the increase of both film hardness and elastic modulus, and the decrease of both surface roughness and friction coefficient. Furthermore, the content of sp 3 bonded carbon, film hardness and elastic modulus increase, and the film surface roughness and friction coefficient decrease with the increase of B-rich carbide in the B-DLC films. - Highlights: • Biased target ion beam deposition technique is promising to produce high quality DLC based thin films; • Boron exists in different states in B-DLC thin films; • The incorporation of B to DLC with different levels leads to improved film properties; • The fraction of sp 3 bonded C in B-DLC thin films increase with the increase of B-rich carbide content in the films

Electrochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Diamondlike Carbon-Metal Composite Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MORRISON, M. L.; BUCHANAN, R. A.; LIAW, P. K.; BERRY, C. J.; BRIGMON, R.; RIESTER, L.; JIN, C.; NARAYAN, R. J.

2005-05-11

Implants containing antimicrobial metals may reduce morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with medical device-related infections. We have deposited diamondlike carbon-silver (DLC-Ag), diamondlike carbon-platinum (DLC-Pt), and diamondlike carbon-silver-platinum (DLC-AgPt) thin films using a multicomponent target pulsed laser deposition process. Transmission electron microscopy of the DLC-silver and DLC-platinum composite films revealed that the silver and platinum self-assemble into nanoparticle arrays within the diamondlike carbon matrix. The diamondlike carbon-silver film possesses hardness and Young's modulus values of 37 GPa and 331 GPa, respectively. The diamondlike carbon-metal composite films exhibited passive behavior at open-circuit potentials. Low corrosion rates were observed during testing in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) electrolyte. In addition, the diamondlike carbon-metal composite films were found to be immune to localized corrosion below 1000 mV (SCE). DLC-silver-platinum films demonstrated exceptional antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus bacteria. It is believed that a galvanic couple forms between platinum and silver, which accelerates silver ion release and provides more robust antimicrobial activity. Diamondlike carbon-silver-platinum films may provide unique biological functionalities and improved lifetimes for cardiovascular, orthopaedic, biosensor, and implantable microelectromechanical systems.

Preparation of multi-layer film consisting of hydrogen-free DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC for conductive hard coating

Science.gov (United States)

Iijima, Yushi; Harigai, Toru; Isono, Ryo; Degai, Satoshi; Tanimoto, Tsuyoshi; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Yasui, Haruyuki; Kaneko, Satoru; Kunitsugu, Shinsuke; Kamiya, Masao; Taki, Makoto

2018-01-01

Conductive hard-coating films have potential application as protective films for contact pins used in the electrical inspection process for integrated circuit chips. In this study, multi-layer diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared as conductive hard-coating films. The multi-layer DLC films consisting of DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC (N-DLC) film were prepared using a T-shape filtered arc deposition method. Periodic DLC/N-DLC four-layer and eight-layer films had the same film thickness by changing the thickness of each layer. In the ball-on-disk test, the N-DLC mono-layer film showed the highest wear resistance; however, in the spherical polishing method, the eight-layer film showed the highest polishing resistance. The wear and polishing resistance and the aggressiveness against an opponent material of the multi-layer DLC films improved by reducing the thickness of a layer. In multi-layer films, the soft N-DLC layer between hard DLC layers is believed to function as a cushion. Thus, the tribological properties of the DLC films were improved by a multi-layered structure. The electrical resistivity of multi-layer DLC films was approximately half that of the DLC mono-layer film. Therefore, the periodic DLC/N-DLC eight-layer film is a good conductive hard-coating film.

Study of Flux Ratio of C60 to Ar Cluster Ion for Hard DLC Film deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyauchi, K.; Toyoda, N.; Kanda, K.; Matsui, S.; Kitagawa, T.; Yamada, I.

2003-01-01

To study the influence of the flux ratio of C60 molecule to Ar cluster ion on (diamond like carbon) DLC film characteristics, DLC films deposited under various flux ratios were characterized with Raman spectrometry and Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS). From results of these measurements, hard DLC films were deposited when the flux ratio of C60 to Ar cluster ion was between 0.7 and 4. Furthermore the DLC film with constant sp2 content was obtained in the range of the ratio from 0.7 to 4, which contents are lower values than that of conventional films such as RF plasma. DLC films deposited under the ratio from 1 to 4 had hardness from 40 to 45GPa. It was shown that DLC films with stable properties of low sp2 content and high hardness were formed even when the fluxes were varied from 1 to 4 during deposition. It was indicated that this process was useful in the view of industrial application

Characteristics of W Doped Nanocrystalline Carbon Films Prepared by Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yong Seob; Park, Chul Min; Kim, Nam-Hoon; Kim, Jae-Moon

2016-05-01

Nanocrystalline tungsten doped carbon (WC) films were prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Tungsten was used as the doping material in carbon thin films with the aim of application as a contact strip in an electric railway. The structural, physical, and electrical properties of the fabricated WC films with various DC bias voltages were investigated. The films had a uniform and smooth surface. Hardness and frication characteristics of the films were improved, and the resistivity and sheet resistance decreased with increasing negative DC bias voltage. These results are associated with the nanocrystalline WC phase and sp(2) clusters in carbon networks increased by ion bombardment enhanced with increasing DC bias voltage. Consequently, the increase of sp(2) clusters containing WC nanocrystalline in the carbon films is attributed to the improvement in the physical and electrical properties.

Carbon and nitrogen co-doping self-assembled MoS{sub 2} multilayer films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiaoqin [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Xu, Jiao; Chai, Liqiang [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); He, Tengfei [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Yu, Fucheng [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Wang, Peng, E-mail: pengwang@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • Mo–S–C–N composite films were synthesized by using reactive magnetron sputtering. • A self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale was formed in the composite film. • The hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa. • The wear rate of deposited Mo–S–C–N film both in vacuum and ambient atmosphere decreases dramatically. - Abstract: Mo–S–C–N composite films were prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite and MoS{sub 2} targets in argon and nitrogen atmospheres. The effects of carbon/nitrogen co-doping and carbon concentration on the composition, microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of deposited films have been investigated by various characterization techniques. The results show that the deposited films comprise MoS{sub 2} nanocrystalline and amorphous carbon, and the incorporating nitrogen forms Mo-N and C–N chemical bonds. Increasing carbon concentration leads to the increase of sp{sup 2} carbon fraction in the films. Furthermore, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that a self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale is formed in the Mo–S–C–N film. Benefiting from the composite and self-assembled multilayer structures, the hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa, and corresponding friction experiment indicates that this composite films display low friction coefficient and high wear resistance both in vacuum and ambient air conditions.

The microstructure, mechanical and friction properties of protective diamond like carbon films on magnesium alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Y. S.; Wu, Y. F.; Yang, H.; Cang, K.; Song, G. H.; Li, Z. X.; Zhou, K.

2011-12-01

Protective hard coatings deposited on magnesium alloys are believed to be effective for overcoming their poor wear properties. In this work, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films as hard protective films were deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy by arc ion plating under negative pulse bias voltages ranging from 0 to -200 V. The microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the DLC films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The tribological behavior of uncoated and coated AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated using a ball-on-disk tribotester. The results show that the negative pulse bias voltage used for film deposition has a significant effect on the sp3 carbon content and mechanical properties of the deposited DLC films. A maximum sp3 content of 33.3% was obtained at -100 V, resulting in a high hardness of 28.6 GPa and elastic modulus of 300.0 GPa. The DLC films showed very good adhesion to the AZ91 magnesium alloy with no observable cracks and delamination even during friction testing. Compared with the uncoated AZ91 magnesium alloy, the magnesium alloy coated with DLC films exhibits a low friction coefficient and a narrow, shallow wear track. The wear resistance and surface hardness of AZ91 magnesium alloy can be significantly improved by coating a layer of DLC protective film due to its high hardness and low friction coefficient.

The microstructure, mechanical and friction properties of protective diamond like carbon films on magnesium alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou, Y.S.; Wu, Y.F.; Yang, H.; Cang, K.; Song, G.H.; Li, Z.X.; Zhou, K.

2011-01-01

Protective hard coatings deposited on magnesium alloys are believed to be effective for overcoming their poor wear properties. In this work, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films as hard protective films were deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy by arc ion plating under negative pulse bias voltages ranging from 0 to -200 V. The microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the DLC films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The tribological behavior of uncoated and coated AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated using a ball-on-disk tribotester. The results show that the negative pulse bias voltage used for film deposition has a significant effect on the sp 3 carbon content and mechanical properties of the deposited DLC films. A maximum sp 3 content of 33.3% was obtained at -100 V, resulting in a high hardness of 28.6 GPa and elastic modulus of 300.0 GPa. The DLC films showed very good adhesion to the AZ91 magnesium alloy with no observable cracks and delamination even during friction testing. Compared with the uncoated AZ91 magnesium alloy, the magnesium alloy coated with DLC films exhibits a low friction coefficient and a narrow, shallow wear track. The wear resistance and surface hardness of AZ91 magnesium alloy can be significantly improved by coating a layer of DLC protective film due to its high hardness and low friction coefficient.

The microstructure, mechanical and friction properties of protective diamond like carbon films on magnesium alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou, Y.S., E-mail: yshzou75@gmail.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210094 (China); Wu, Y.F.; Yang, H.; Cang, K. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210094 (China); Song, G.H. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110178 (China); Li, Z.X.; Zhou, K. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210094 (China)

2011-12-01

Protective hard coatings deposited on magnesium alloys are believed to be effective for overcoming their poor wear properties. In this work, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films as hard protective films were deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy by arc ion plating under negative pulse bias voltages ranging from 0 to -200 V. The microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the DLC films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The tribological behavior of uncoated and coated AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated using a ball-on-disk tribotester. The results show that the negative pulse bias voltage used for film deposition has a significant effect on the sp{sup 3} carbon content and mechanical properties of the deposited DLC films. A maximum sp{sup 3} content of 33.3% was obtained at -100 V, resulting in a high hardness of 28.6 GPa and elastic modulus of 300.0 GPa. The DLC films showed very good adhesion to the AZ91 magnesium alloy with no observable cracks and delamination even during friction testing. Compared with the uncoated AZ91 magnesium alloy, the magnesium alloy coated with DLC films exhibits a low friction coefficient and a narrow, shallow wear track. The wear resistance and surface hardness of AZ91 magnesium alloy can be significantly improved by coating a layer of DLC protective film due to its high hardness and low friction coefficient.

Superlubricity and wearless sliding in diamondlike carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdemir, A.

2001-01-01

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films have attracted great interest in recent years mainly because of their unusual optical, electrical, mechanical, and tribological properties. Such properties are currently being exploited for a wide range of engineering applications including magnetic hard disks, gears, sliding and roller bearings, scratch resistant glasses, biomedical implants, etc. Systematic studies on carbon-based materials in our laboratory have led to the development of a new class of amorphous DLC films that provide extremely low friction and wear coefficients of 0.001 to 0.005 and 10(sup -11) to 10(sup -10) mm(sup 3) /N.m, respectively, when tested in inert-gas or high-vacuum environments. These films were produced in highly hydrogenated gas discharge plasmas by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process at room temperature. The carbon source gases used in the deposition of these films included methane, acetylene, and ethylene. Tribological studies in our laboratory have established a very close correlation between the composition of the plasmas and the friction and wear coefficients of the resultant DLC films. Specifically, the friction and wear coefficients of DLC films grown in plasmas with higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios were much lower than films derived from source gases with lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratios. Fundamental tribological and surface analytical studies have led us to conclude that hydrogen (within the film, as well as on the sliding surfaces) is extremely important for the superlubricity and wearless sliding behavior of these films. Based on these studies, a mechanistic model is proposed to explain the superlow friction and wear properties of the new DLC films

Hard and transparent hybrid polyurethane coatings using in situ incorporation of calcium carbonate nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Lu; Yang Jie; Sun Jing; Cai Lifang; He Linghao; Huang Hui; Song Rui; Hao Yongmei

2011-01-01

Highlights: → In situ mineralization via gas diffusion was adopted for a good dispersion of calcium carbonate nanoparticles in the polymeric PU matrix. → Hybrid films with high dispersion, transparency, robust and thermal stability can be obtained by controlling the CaCO 3 loading. → The hybrid films display a significant improvement in its water resistance, surface hardness, scratch resistance and flexibility, with the introduction of CaCO 3 , and all coatings exhibited excellent chemical resistance and adhesion. - Abstract: The combination of hardness, scratch resistance, and flexibility is a highly desired feature in many coating applications. The aim of this study is to achieve this goal through the in situ introduction of an unmodified calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) into a water-soluble polyurethane (PU) matrix. Smooth and (semi-) transparent films were prepared from both the neat PU and the CaCO 3 -filled composites. As evidenced by the measurements from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), hybrid films with high dispersion, transparency, robustness and thermal stability could be obtained by controlling the CaCO 3 loading. The storage modulus could increase from 441 MPa of neat PU matrix to 1034 MPa of hybrid film containing 2% (w/w) CaCO 3 . In addition, the same hybrid films displayed a significant improvement in its water resistance. In this case, the water-uptake ratio decreased from 41.54% of PU to 2.21% of hybrid film containing 2% (w/w) CaCO 3 . Moreover, with the introduction of CaCO 3 , conventional coating characterization methods demonstrated an increase in the surface hardness, scratch resistance and flexibility, and all coatings exhibited excellent chemical resistance and adhesion.

On the properties of nanocomposite amorphous carbon films prepared by off-plane double bend filtered cathodic vacuum arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tay, B.K.; Zhang, P.

2002-01-01

It is known to deposit hard thin films, such as tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C), using a filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA). These ta-C films have interesting and useful properties because of the high sp 3 fraction of carbon atoms (up to 87%) in the film. However, the high internal stress in the films can limit their applications as the film may flake away from the substrate. In order to reduce the internal stress of the ta-C films and in an attempt to improve adhesion of thick films of this type, growth modifications such as incorporating metal into the ta-C films have been carried out. Nanocomposite amorphous carbon films were deposited by FCVA technique using metal-carbon composite target. Atomic force microscopy, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the films. Nanoindenter and surface profilometer were used to determine the hardness, Young's modulus, and internal stress. The same metal composition targets for different elements results in different metal composition in the corresponding nanocomposite amorphous carbon films. We attribute this observation to the dynamic balance deposition effect of the FCVA deposition process. The influence of the type of metallic elements and its composition in the films on the structural, mechanical properties, surface energy and field emission (FE) performance was studied. The incorporation of metal into the films results in the decrease of sp 3 fraction, internal stress in the films, but the hardness and Young's modulus remains at high level. The surface energy of the films increases with incorporating Ni atoms, but decreases after incorporating Fe and Al atoms into the films. After heat-treatment, the incorporation of metal into ta-C films can greatly improve the FE performance

The effect of substrate bias on titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xu; Liang, Hong; Wu, Zhenglong; Wu, Xiangying; Zhang, Huixing

2013-01-01

The titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite films have been deposited on silicon substrate by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technology, the effects of substrate bias on composition, structures and mechanical properties of the films are studied by scanning electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nano-indentation. The results show that the Ti content, deposition rate and hardness at first increase and then decrease with increasing the substrate bias. Maximum hardness of the titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite film is 51 Gpa prepared at −400 V. The hardness enhancement may be attributed to the compressive stress and the fraction of crystalline TiC phase due to ion bombardment

Physical properties of chemical vapour deposited nanostructured carbon thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahadik, D.B.; Shinde, S.S.; Bhosale, C.H.; Rajpure, K.Y.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: In the present paper, nanostructured carbon films are grown using a natural precursor 'turpentine oil (C 10 H 16 )' as a carbon source in the simple thermal chemical vapour deposition method. The influence of substrate surface topography (viz. stainless steel, fluorine doped tin oxide coated quartz) and temperature on the evolution of carbon allotropes surfaces topography/microstructural and structural properties are investigated and discussed. - Abstract: A simple thermal chemical vapour deposition technique is employed for the deposition of carbon films by pyrolysing the natural precursor 'turpentine oil' on to the stainless steel (SS) and FTO coated quartz substrates at higher temperatures (700-1100 deg. C). In this work, we have studied the influence of substrate and deposition temperature on the evolution of structural and morphological properties of nanostructured carbon films. The films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy techniques. XRD study reveals that the films are polycrystalline exhibiting hexagonal and face-centered cubic structures on SS and FTO coated glass substrates respectively. SEM images show the porous and agglomerated surface of the films. Deposited carbon films show the hydrophobic nature. FTIR study displays C-H and O-H stretching vibration modes in the films. Raman analysis shows that, high ID/IG for FTO substrate confirms the dominance of sp 3 bonds with diamond phase and less for SS shows graphitization effect with dominant sp 2 bonds. It reveals the difference in local microstructure of carbon deposits leading to variation in contact angle and hardness, which is ascribed to difference in the packing density of carbon films, as observed also by Raman.

Iron, nitrogen and silicon doped diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films: A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, Sekhar C.; Pong, W.F.; Papakonstantinou, P.

2016-01-01

The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), valence band photoemission (VB-PES) and Raman spectroscopy results show that the incorporation of nitrogen in pulsed laser deposited diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films, reverts the sp"3 network to sp"2 as evidenced by an increase of the sp"2 cluster and I_D/I_G ratio in C K-edge XANES and Raman spectra respectively which reduces the hardness/Young's modulus into the film network. Si-doped DLC film deposited in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition process reduces the sp"2 cluster and I_D/I_G ratio that causes the decrease of hardness/Young's modulus of the film structure. The Fe-doped DLC films deposited by dip coating technique increase the hardness/Young's modulus with an increase of sp"3-content in DLC film structure. - Highlights: • Fe, N and Si doped DLC films deposited by dip, PLD and PECVD methods respectively • DLC:Fe thin films have higher hardness/Young's modulus than DLC:N(:Si) thin films. • sp"3 and sp"2 contents are estimated from C K-edge XANES and VB-PES measurements.

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon films treated by SF{sub 6} plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marins, N M S; Mota, R P; Santos, D C R; Honda, R Y; Kayama, M E; Kostov, K G; Algatti, M A [Laboratorio de Plasma, Faculdade de Engenharia, UNESP, Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha-333, 12516-410, Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil); Cruz, N C; Rangel, E C, E-mail: nazir@feg.unesp.b [Laboratorio de Plasmas Tecnologicos, Unidade Diferenciada Sorocaba/Ipero, UNESP, Av. Tres de Marco-511, 18085-180, Sorocaba, SP (Brazil)

2009-05-01

This work was performed to verify the chemical structure, mechanical and hydrophilic properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, using acetylene/argon mixture as monomer. Films were prepared in a cylindrical quartz reactor, fed by 13.56 MHz radiofrequency. The films were grown during 5 min, for power varying from 25 to 125 W at a fixed pressure of 9.5 Pa. After deposition, all samples were treated by SF{sub 6} plasma with the aim of changing their hydrophilic character. Film chemical structure investigated by Raman spectroscopy, revealed the increase of sp{sup 3} hybridized carbon bonds as the plasma power increases. Hardness measurements performed by the nanoindentation technique showed an improvement from 5 GPa to 14 GPa following the increase discharge power. The untreated films presented a hydrophilic character, which slightly diminished after SF{sub 6} plasma treatment.

Iron, nitrogen and silicon doped diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films: A comparative study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ray, Sekhar C., E-mail: Raysc@unisa.ac.za [Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1710, Science Campus, Christiaan de Wet and Pioneer Avenue, Florida Park, Johannesburg (South Africa); Pong, W.F. [Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Tamsui 251, New Taipei City, Taiwan (China); Papakonstantinou, P. [Nanotechnology and Integrated Bio-Engineering Centre, University of Ulster, Shore Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB (United Kingdom)

2016-07-01

The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), valence band photoemission (VB-PES) and Raman spectroscopy results show that the incorporation of nitrogen in pulsed laser deposited diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films, reverts the sp{sup 3} network to sp{sup 2} as evidenced by an increase of the sp{sup 2} cluster and I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratio in C K-edge XANES and Raman spectra respectively which reduces the hardness/Young's modulus into the film network. Si-doped DLC film deposited in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition process reduces the sp{sup 2} cluster and I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratio that causes the decrease of hardness/Young's modulus of the film structure. The Fe-doped DLC films deposited by dip coating technique increase the hardness/Young's modulus with an increase of sp{sup 3}-content in DLC film structure. - Highlights: • Fe, N and Si doped DLC films deposited by dip, PLD and PECVD methods respectively • DLC:Fe thin films have higher hardness/Young's modulus than DLC:N(:Si) thin films. • sp{sup 3} and sp{sup 2} contents are estimated from C K-edge XANES and VB-PES measurements.

Pyrolyzed thin film carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Yu-Chong (Inventor); Liger, Matthieu (Inventor); Harder, Theodore (Inventor); Konishi, Satoshi (Inventor); Miserendino, Scott (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A method of making carbon thin films comprises depositing a catalyst on a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon in contact with the catalyst and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon. A method of controlling a carbon thin film density comprises etching a cavity into a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon into the cavity, and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon while in the cavity to form a carbon thin film. Controlling a carbon thin film density is achieved by changing the volume of the cavity. Methods of making carbon containing patterned structures are also provided. Carbon thin films and carbon containing patterned structures can be used in NEMS, MEMS, liquid chromatography, and sensor devices.

Obtention of high hardness multilayer systems by laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejia T, I.S.

2007-01-01

In this thesis work the synthesis of thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon nitride (CN x ) amorphous carbon (a-C) and Ti/TiN/CNx multilayers and Ti/TiN/a-C by means of the laser ablation technique, with the objective of obtaining films of high hardness is studied, as well as to produce multilayer coatings with superior properties to the individual layers. The effect that has the laser fluence used for ablationing the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited of TiN was investigated. It was found that the hardness is increased in lineal way approximately with the fluence increment up to 19 J/cm 2 . Thin films of a-C with hardness of the order of 12 GPa. likewise CN x films with high hardness (18.4 GPa) were obtained. The hardness of the deposited films was analyzed and it was related with its microstructure and deposit conditions. It was concluded that the Ti/TiN/CNx and Ti/TiN/a-C systems presented bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

Characterization of the Diamond-like Carbon Based Functionally Gradient Film

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2002-01-01

Diamond-like carbon coatings have been used as solid lubricating coatings in vacuum technology for their goodphysical and chemical properties. In this paper, the hybrid technique of unbalanced magnetron sputtering and plasmaimmersion ion implantation (PIll) was adopted to fabricate diamond-like carbon-based functionally gradient film,N/TiN/Ti(N,C)/DLC, on the 304 stainless steel substrate. The film was characterized by using Raman spectroscopyand glancing X-ray diffraction (GXRD), and the topography and surface roughness of the film was observed usingAFM. The mechanical properties of the film were evaluated by nano-indentation. The results showed that the surfaceroughness of the film was approximately 0.732 nm. The hardness and elastic modulus, fracture toughness andinterfacial fracture toughness of N/TiN/Ti(N,C)/DLC functionally gradient film were about 19.84 GPa, 190.03 GPa,3.75 MPa.m1/2 and 5.68 MPa@m1/2, respectively. Compared with that of DLC monolayer and C/TiC/DLC multilayer,this DLC gradient film has better qualities as a solid lubricating coating.

Stress in hard metal films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, G.C.A.M.; Kamminga, J.D.

2004-01-01

In the absence of thermal stress, tensile stress in hard metal films is caused by grain boundary shrinkage and compressive stress is caused by ion peening. It is shown that the two contributions are additive. Moreover tensile stress generated at the grain boundaries does not relax by ion

Influence of H-C bonds on the stopping power of hard and soft carbonized layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutard, D.; Moeller, W.; Scherzer, B.M.U.

1988-01-01

Soft and hard carbon-hydrogen films were deposited in a rf glow discharge. Their stopping powers were deduced from depth-profile analysis by means of proton enhanced-cross-section scattering at around 1.5 MeV and 4 He + elastic-recoil detection at 2.6 MeV. In the case of soft films, ion-induced hydrogen depletion allowed study of the dependence of the stopping on hydrogen concentration. The presence of hydrogen increases the stopping power of the film by a factor of up to ∼2 compared to the predicted value for pure carbon. Moreover, Bragg's rule underestimates the total stopping considerably. However, good agreement is obtained with a recent theoretical model by Sabin et al. which takes into account the different C-C and C-H s

Nanomechanics of hard films on compliant substrates.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reedy, Earl David, Jr. (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Emerson, John Allen (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Bahr, David F. (Washington State University, Pullman, WA); Moody, Neville Reid; Zhou, Xiao Wang; Hales, Lucas (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN); Adams, David Price (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Yeager,John (Washington State University, Pullman, WA); Nyugen, Thao D. (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD); Corona, Edmundo (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Kennedy, Marian S. (Clemson University, Clemson, SC); Cordill, Megan J. (Erich Schmid Institute, Leoben, Austria)

2009-09-01

a result, our understanding of the critical relationship between adhesion, properties, and fracture for hard films on compliant substrates is limited. To address this issue, we integrated nanomechanical testing and mechanics-based modeling in a program to define the critical relationship between deformation and fracture of nanoscale films on compliant substrates. The approach involved designing model film systems and employing nano-scale experimental characterization techniques to isolate effects of compliance, viscoelasticity, and plasticity on deformation and fracture of thin hard films on substrates that spanned more than two orders of compliance magnitude exhibit different interface structures, have different adhesion strengths, and function differently under stress. The results of this work are described in six chapters. Chapter 1 provides the motivation for this work. Chapter 2 presents experimental results covering film system design, sample preparation, indentation response, and fracture including discussion on the effects of substrate compliance on fracture energies and buckle formation from existing models. Chapter 3 describes the use of analytical and finite element simulations to define the role of substrate compliance and film geometry on the indentation response of thin hard films on compliant substrates. Chapter 4 describes the development and application of cohesive zone model based finite element simulations to determine how substrate compliance affects debond growth. Chapter 5 describes the use of molecular dynamics simulations to define the effects of substrate compliance on interfacial fracture of thin hard tungsten films on silicon substrates. Chapter 6 describes the Workshops sponsored through this program to advance understanding of material and system behavior.

Deposition and properties of Al-containing diamond-like carbon films by a hybrid ion beam sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Wei; Wang Aiying

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Weak carbide former, Al element, was incorporated into DLC films using a hybrid ion beams system comprising an anode-layer ion source and a magnetron sputtering unit. → The structure disorder of the films tended to decrease with Al atoms doping, which resulted in the distinct reduction of the film internal stress and hardness, but the internal stress dropped faster than the hardness. → The DLC films with low internal stress and high hardness can be acquired by Al incorporation. - Abstract: Metal incorporation is one of the most effective methods for relaxing internal stress in diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. It was reported that the chemical state of the incorporated metal atoms has a significant influence on the film internal stress. The doped atoms embedding in the DLC matrix without bonding with C atoms can reduce the structure disorder of the DLC films through bond angle distortion and thus relax the internal stress of the films. In present paper, Al atoms, which are inert to carbon, were incorporated into the DLC films deposited by a hybrid ion beams system comprising an anode-layer ion source and a magnetron sputtering unit. The film composition, microstructure and atomic bond structure were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The internal stress, mechanical properties and tribogoical behavior were studied as a function of Al concentration using a stress-tester, nanoindentation and ball-on-disc tribo-tester, respectively. The results indicated that the incorporated Al atoms were dissolved in the DLC matrix without bonding with C atoms and the films exhibited the feature of amorphous carbon. The structure disorder of the films tended to decrease with Al atoms incorporation. This resulted in the distinct reduction of the internal stress in the films. All Al-DLC films exhibited a lower friction coefficient compared with pure DLC film. The formation of the

Nanocomposite metal amorphous-carbon thin films deposited by hybrid PVD and PECVD technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, V; Soares, P; Martins, A J; Carneiro, J; Cerqueira, F

2009-07-01

Carbon based films can combine the properties of solid lubricating graphite structure and hard diamond crystal structure, i.e., high hardness, chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity and optical transparency without the crystalline structure of diamond. Issues of fundamental importance associated with nanocarbon coatings are reducing stress, improving adhesion and compatibility with substrates. In this work new nanocomposite coatings with improved toughness based in nanocrystalline phases of metals and ceramics embedded in amorphous carbon matrix are being developed within the frame of a research project: nc-MeNxCy/a-C(Me) with Me = Mo, Si, Al, Ti, etc. Carbide forming metal/carbon (Me/C) composite films with Me = Mo, W or Ti possess appropriate properties to overcome the limitation of pure DLC films. These novel coating architectures will be adopted with the objective to decrease residual stress, improve adherence and fracture toughness, obtain low friction coefficient and high wear-resistance. Nanocomposite DLC's films were deposited by hybrid technique using a PVD-Physically Vapor Deposition (magnetron sputtering) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), by the use of CH4 gas. The parameters varied were: deposition time, substrate temperature (180 degrees C) and dopant (Si + Mo) of the amorphous carbon matrix. All the depositions were made on silicon wafers and steel substrates precoated with a silicon inter-layer. The characterisation of the film's physico-mechanical properties will be presented in order to understand the influence of the deposition parameters and metal content used within the a-C matrix in the thin film properties. Film microstructure and film hybridization state was characterized by Raman Spectroscopy. In order to characterize morphology SEM and AFM will be used. Film composition was measured by Energy-Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The contact angle for the produced DLC's on

Deposition of amorphous carbon films using Ar and/or N{sub 2} magnetron sputter with ring permanent magnet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinoshita, Haruhisa, E-mail: rdhkino@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp; Kubota, Masaya; Ohno, Genji

2012-11-15

Magnetron sputter with a rotating ring permanent magnet using Ar and/or N{sub 2} gases were first used to form amorphous carbon (a-C and a-CN{sub x}) films on p-Si wafers set on a grounded lower electrode. The a-C film was hard while the a-CN{sub x} films were soft. These films include a little O and H atoms unintentionally. Optical band gap, refractive index, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy absorption spectra, hardness and field emission threshold electric field were significantly different between a-C and a-CN{sub x} films. The optical band gap of the a-C film was 0.7 eV while those of a-CN{sub x} films were almost constant at about 1.25 eV. The low field emission threshold electric field of 13 V/{mu}m was obtained in hard a-C film.

Tribological performance of hard carbon coatings on 440C bearing steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kustas, F M; Misra, M S; Shepard, D F; Froechtenigt, J F [Martin Marietta Astronautics Group, Denver, CO (United States)

1991-11-01

Hard carbon coatings such as amorphous carbon, diamond and diamond-like carbon have received considerable attention for tribological applications owing to their high hardness, high modulus and desirable surface properties. Unfortunately, most of the deposition techniques induce high substrate temperatures that would temper traditional bearing steels and reduce the substrate load-carrying capability. Therefore, to effectively use these desirable coatings, a lower temperature deposition technique is required. Ion beam deposition can provide essentially ambient temperature conditions, accurate control of process parameters and good coating-substrate adhesion. To use these attributes, a test program was initiated to deposit mass-analyzed, high purity C{sup +} and CH{sub 4}{sup +} ions on molybdenum and 440C bearing steel for subsequent characterization by Raman spectroscopy and friction-wear tests. Results for a coating deposited from a carbon monoxide source showed an amorphous carbon-microcrystalline graphtie structure which exhibited very high microhardness and a three fold reduction in coefficient of friction for unlubricated tests compared to untreated 440C steel. In addition, incrementally increasing the applied load (by up to a factor of 5) resulted in progressively lower coefficients of friction, which conforms to solid lubrication theory. End-of-travel wear debris and some limited coating delamination were observed within thinner areas of the coating. Therefore an amorphous carbon-graphite coating applied to 440C steel at ambient temperature exhibits solid lubricating film characteristics with high load-carrying capability. (orig.).

Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon films deposited by the dual plasma technique

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yaohui Wang; Xu Zhang; Xianying Wu; Huixing Zhang; Xiaoji Zhang

2008-01-01

Direct current metal filtered cathodic vacuum are (FCVA) and acetylene gas (C2H2) were wielded to synthesize Ti-containing amorphous carbon films on Si (100). The influence of substrate bias voltage and acetylene gas on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the phase of TiC in the (111) preferential crystallo-graphic orientation exists in the film, and rite main existing pattern of carbon is sp2. With increasing the acetylene flow rate, the con-tents of Ti and TiC phase of the film gradually reduce; however, the thickness of the film increases. When the substrate bias voltage reaches -600 V, the internal stress of the film reaches 1.6 GPa. The micro-hardness and elastic modulus of the film can reach 33.9 and 237.6 GPa, respectively, and the friction coefficient of the film is 0.25.

Single-layer nano-carbon film, diamond film, and diamond/nano-carbon composite film field emission performance comparison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiaoping; Wang, Jinye; Wang, Lijun

2016-01-01

A series of single-layer nano-carbon (SNC) films, diamond films, and diamond/nano-carbon (D/NC) composite films have been prepared on the highly doped silicon substrate by using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition techniques. The films were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and field emission I-V measurements. The experimental results indicated that the field emission maximum current density of D/NC composite films is 11.8–17.8 times that of diamond films. And the field emission current density of D/NC composite films is 2.9–5 times that of SNC films at an electric field of 3.0 V/μm. At the same time, the D/NC composite film exhibits the advantage of improved reproducibility and long term stability (both of the nano-carbon film within the D/NC composite cathode and the SNC cathode were prepared under the same experimental conditions). And for the D/NC composite sample, a high current density of 10 mA/cm"2 at an electric field of 3.0 V/μm was obtained. Diamond layer can effectively improve the field emission characteristics of nano-carbon film. The reason may be due to the diamond film acts as the electron acceleration layer.

Correlation between hardness and stress in Al-(Nb, Mo, Ta) thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Car, T., E-mail: car@irb.h [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Division of Materials Science, Bijenicka cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, P.O.B. 1016 (Croatia); Radic, N. [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Division of Materials Science, Bijenicka cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, P.O.B. 1016 (Croatia); Panjan, P.; Cekada, M. [Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Tonejc, A. [Department of Physics, Bijenicka cesta 32, 10000 Zagreb, P.O.B. 331 (Croatia)

2009-06-30

The thin films of Al{sub x}Nb{sub 1-x} (95 {>=} x {>=} 20), Al{sub x}Mo{sub x} (90 {>=} x {>=} 20) and Al{sub x}Ta{sub 1-x} (95 {>=} x {>=} 20) were prepared by magnetron codeposition at room temperature. The average film thickness was from 325 to 400 nm, depending on the film composition. The structure of the as-deposited films was examined by the X-ray diffraction. The stress of the films was determined from the substrate deformation by the profilometer, and the microhardness (load 2 mN) was examined by the micro- and nano-hardness device. For the purpose of the examination of the hardness, the samples were deposited onto the sapphire wafers, while the examination of the film stress, was performed by using thin glass substrates. For all the Al-(Nb, Mo, Ta) alloy compositions, the microhardness is predominantly under the influence of the harder element, and monotonically decreases with the increase of the aluminum content. However, the microhardness of the amorphous AlTa films was higher than the bulk value of a harder element (Ta) in the alloy. A simple empirical linear relationship between the Vickers hardness, the bulk value hardness of the transition metal (harder element) and the elastic energy fraction of the identation deformation, was established. The elastic energy fraction in the microhardness is also linearly correlated with the stress in films.

Metal-doped diamond-like carbon films synthesized by filter-arc deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weng, K.-W.; Chen, Y.-C.; Lin, T.-N.; Wang, D.-Y.

2006-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films are extensively utilized in the semiconductor, electric and cutting machine industries owing to their high hardness, high elastic modulus, low friction coefficients and high chemical stability. DLC films are prepared by ion beam-assisted deposition (BAD), sputter deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), cathodic arc evaporation (CAE), and filter arc deposition (FAD). The major drawbacks of these methods are the degraded hardness associated with the low sp 3 /sp 2 bonding ratio, the rough surface and poor adhesion caused by the presence of particles. In this study, a self-developed filter arc deposition (FAD) system was employed to prepare metal-containing DLC films with a low particle density. The relationships between the DLC film properties, such as film structure, surface morphology and mechanical behavior, with variation of substrate bias and target current, are examined. Experimental results demonstrate that FAD-DLC films have a lower ratio, suggesting that FAD-DLC films have a greater sp 3 bonding than the CAE-DLC films. FAD-DLC films also exhibit a low friction coefficient of 0.14 and half of the number of surface particles as in the CAE-DLC films. Introducing a CrN interfacial layer between the substrate and the DLC films enables the magnetic field strength of the filter to be controlled to improve the adhesion and effectively eliminate the contaminating particles. Accordingly, the FAD system improves the tribological properties of the DLC films

Correlation of sp{sup 3} and sp{sup 2} fraction of carbon with electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties of argon-diluted diamond-like carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dwivedi, Neeraj [Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, National Physical Laboratory (CSIR), Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi (India); Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016 (India); Kumar, Sushil, E-mail: skumar@nplindia.org [Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, National Physical Laboratory (CSIR), Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi (India); Malik, H.K. [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016 (India); Govind [Surface Physics and Nano Structures Group, National Physical Laboratory (CSIR), Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Rauthan, C.M.S.; Panwar, O.S. [Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, National Physical Laboratory (CSIR), Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi (India)

2011-05-15

In the present work the correlation of electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties of argon-diluted diamond-like carbon (Ar-DLC) thin films with sp{sup 3} and sp{sup 2} fractions of carbon have been explored. These Ar-DLC thin films have been deposited, under varying C{sub 2}H{sub 2} gas pressures from 25 to 75 mTorr, by radio frequency-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies are performed to estimate the sp{sup 3} and sp{sup 2} fractions of carbon by deconvoluting C 1s core level spectra. Various electrical, optical and nano-mechanical parameters such as conductivity, I-V characteristics, optical band gap, stress, hardness, elastic modulus, plastic resistance parameter, elastic recovery and plastic deformation energy have been estimated and then correlated with calculated sp{sup 3} and sp{sup 2} fractions of carbon and sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} ratios. Observed tremendous electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties in Ar-DLC films deposited under high base pressure conditions made it a cost effective material for not only hard and protective coating applications but also for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Band gap engineering of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films for solar cell application

Science.gov (United States)

Dwivedi, Neeraj; Kumar, Sushil; Dayal, Saurabh; Rauthan, C. M. S.; Panwar, O. S.; Malik, Hitendra K.

2012-10-01

In this work, self bias variation, nitrogen introduction and oxygen plasma (OP) treatment approaches have been used for tailoring the band gap of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films. The band gap of a-C:H and modified a- C:H films is varied in the range from 1.25 eV to 3.45 eV, which is found to be nearly equal to the full solar spectrum (1 eV- 3.5 eV). Hence, such a-C:H and modified a-C:H films are found to be potential candidate for the development of full spectrum solar cells. Besides this, computer aided simulation with considering variable band gap a-C:H and modified a- C:H films as window layer for amorphous silicon p-i-n solar cells is also performed by AFORS-HET software and maximum efficiency as ~14 % is realized. Since a-C:H is hard material, hence a-C:H and modified a-C:H films as window layer may avoid the use of additional hard and protective coating particularly in n-i-p configuration.

Structural and nanomechanical properties of nanocrystalline carbon thin films for photodetection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rawal, Ishpal [Department of Physics, Kirorimal College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Panwar, Omvir Singh, E-mail: ospanwar@mail.nplindia.ernet.in; Tripathi, Ravi Kant; Chockalingam, Sreekumar [Polymorphic Carbon Thin Films Group, Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Srivastava, Avanish Kumar [Electron and Ion Microscopy, Sophisticated and Analytical Instruments, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Kumar, Mahesh [Ultrafast Optoelectronics and Tetrahertz Photonics Group, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India)

2015-05-15

This paper reports the effect of helium gas pressure upon the structural, nanomechanical, and photoconductive properties of nanocrystalline carbon thin (NCT) films deposited by the filtered cathodic jet carbon arc technique. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images confirm the nanocrystalline nature of the deposited films with different crystallite sizes (3–7 nm). The chemical structure of the deposited films is further analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, which suggest that the deposited films change from graphitelike to diamondlike, increasing in sp{sup 3} content, with a minor change in the dilution of the inert gas (helium). The graphitic character is regained upon higher dilution of the helium gas, whereupon the films exhibit an increase in sp{sup 2} content. The nanomechanical measurements show that the film deposited at a helium partial pressure of 2.2 × 10{sup −4} has the highest value of hardness (37.39 GPa) and elastic modulus (320.50 GPa). At a light intensity of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}, the NCT films deposited at 2.2 × 10{sup −4} and 0.1 mbar partial pressures of helium gas exhibit good photoresponses of 2.2% and 3.6%, respectively.

Deposition of diamond-like carbon films by plasma source ion implantation with superposed pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, K.; Hatada, R.

2003-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared on silicon wafer substrate by plasma source ion implantation with superposed negative pulse. Methane and acetylene gases were used as working gases for plasma. A negative DC voltage and a negative pulse voltage were superposed and applied to the substrate holder. The DC voltage was changed in the range from 0 to -4 kV and the pulse voltage was changed from 0 to -18 kV. The surface of DLC films was very smooth. The deposition rate of DLC films increased with increasing in superposed DC bias voltage. Carbon ion implantation was confirmed for the DLC film deposited from methane plasma with high pulse voltage. I D /I G ratios of Raman spectroscopy were around 1.5 independent on pulse voltage. The maximum hardness of 20.3 GPa was observed for the film prepared with high DC and high pulse voltage

Structural, nanomechanical and variable range hopping conduction behavior of nanocrystalline carbon thin films deposited by the ambient environment assisted filtered cathodic jet carbon arc technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panwar, O.S., E-mail: ospanwar@mail.nplindia.ernet.in [Polymorphic Carbon Thin Films Group, Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Rawal, Ishpal; Tripathi, R.K. [Polymorphic Carbon Thin Films Group, Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Srivastava, A.K. [Electron and Ion Microscopy, Sophisticated and Analytical Instruments, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Kumar, Mahesh [Ultrafast Opto-Electronics and Tetrahertz Photonics Group, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India)

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Nanocrystalline carbon thin films are grown by filtered cathodic jet carbon arc process. • Effect of gaseous environment on the properties of carbon films has been studied. • The structural and nanomechanical properties of carbon thin films have been studied. • The VRH conduction behavior in nanocrystalline carbon thin films has been studied. - Abstract: This paper reports the deposition and characterization of nanocrystalline carbon thin films by filtered cathodic jet carbon arc technique assisted with three different gaseous environments of helium, nitrogen and hydrogen. All the films are nanocrystalline in nature as observed from the high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) measurements, which suggests that the nanocrystallites of size ∼10–50 nm are embedded though out the amorphous matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies suggest that the film deposited under the nitrogen gaseous environment has the highest sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} ratio accompanied with the highest hardness of ∼18.34 GPa observed from the nanoindentation technique. The film deposited under the helium gaseous environment has the highest ratio of the area under the Raman D peak to G peak (A{sub D}/A{sub G}) and the highest conductivity (∼2.23 S/cm) at room temperature, whereas, the film deposited under the hydrogen environment has the lowest conductivity value (2.27 × 10{sup −7} S/cm). The temperature dependent dc conduction behavior of all the nanocrystalline carbon thin films has been analyzed in the light of Mott’s variable range hopping (VRH) conduction mechanism and observed that all the films obey three dimension VRH conduction mechanism for the charge transport.

Nanostructured titanium/diamond-like carbon multilayer films: deposition, characterization, and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Dwivedi, Neeraj; Kumar, Sushil; Malik, Hitendra K

2011-11-01

Titanium/diamond-like carbon multilayer (TDML) films were deposited using a hybrid system combining radio frequency (RF)-sputtering and RF-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) techniques under a varied number of Ti/diamond-like carbon (DLC) bilayers from 1 to 4, at high base pressure of 1 × 10(-3) Torr. The multilayer approach was used to create unique structures such as nanospheres and nanorods in TDML films, which is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and explained by a hypothetical model. Surface composition was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), whereas energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) measurements were performed to investigate the bulk composition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to evaluate the phase and crystallinity of the deposited TDML films. Residual stress in these films was found to be significantly low. These TDML films were found to have excellent nanomechanical properties with maximum hardness of 41.2 GPa. In addition, various nanomechanical parameters were calculated and correlated with each other. Owing to metallic interfacial layer of Ti in multilayer films, the optical properties, electrical properties, and photoluminescence were improved significantly. Due to versatile nanomechanical properties and biocompatibility of DLC and DLC based films, these TDML films may also find applications in biomedical science.

Protolytic carbon film technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renschler, C.L.; White, C.A.

1996-04-01

This paper presents a technique for the deposition of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) on virtually any surface allowing carbon film formation with only the caveat that the substrate must withstand carbonization temperatures of at least 600 degrees centigrade. The influence of processing conditions upon the structure and properties of the carbonized film is discussed. Electrical conductivity, microstructure, and morphology control are also described.

Constitution, microstructure, mechanical properties, and performance of magnetron-sputtered carbon films with additions of silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bauer, C. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Institut fuer Materialforschung I, Postfach 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Leiste, H.; Stueber, M.; Ulrich, S.; Holleck, H.

2003-11-01

Amorphous carbon films with additions of silicon were deposited by non-reactive magnetron sputtering on WC-Co hard metal and on silicon substrates. The targets were hot-pressed, homogenous mixtures of graphite and silicon carbide powder. Additional argon ion bombardment of the growing film was applied by a substrate bias varied between 0V and -800 V. The deposited amorphous carbon films with two different silicon contents (5 at.% and 23 at.% respectively) were characterised with respect to their microstructure, density, thickness, residual stress, Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, critical load of failure, friction coefficient, and wear behaviour. The residual stress of the carbon films could be remarkably lowered by silicon additions (23 at.%). The hardness reached high values (2200 HV0.05) and the friction coefficient for unlubricated sliding friction against a steel (1.3505) counterpart was as low as 0.06. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Amorphe Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium wurden nichtreaktiv durch Magnetronzerstaeubung auf Substraten aus WC-Co Hartmetall und Silizium abgeschieden. Die neuartigen Targets wurden durch Heisspressen einer homogenen Mischung aus Graphit- und Siliziumcarbidpulver hergestellt. Durch Anlegen einer elektrischen Substratvorspannung von 0 V bis -800 V wurden die aufwachsenden Schichten zusaetzlich mit Argonionen unterschiedlicher Energie beschossen. Die abgeschiedenen amorphen Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium (5 at% bzw. 23 at%) wurden hinsichtlich Struktur, Dichte, Dicke, Eigenspannungen, Vickershaerte, reduziertem Elastizitaetsmodul, kritischer Last des Versagens im Ritztest, Reibwert und Verschleissverhalten untersucht. Fuer Schichten mit hohem Siliziumgehalt (23 at%) erfolgte eine erhebliche Reduzierung der Eigenspannung, die Haerte wurde bei sehr hohen Werten stabilisiert (2200 HV0,05) und der Reibungskoeffizient fuer ungeschmierte Gleitreibung gegen Stahl (1

Carbon films produced from ionic liquid carbon precursors

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Sheng; Luo, Huimin; Lee, Je Seung

2013-11-05

The invention is directed to a method for producing a film of porous carbon, the method comprising carbonizing a film of an ionic liquid, wherein the ionic liquid has the general formula (X.sup.+a).sub.x(Y.sup.-b).sub.y, wherein the variables a and b are, independently, non-zero integers, and the subscript variables x and y are, independently, non-zero integers, such that ax=by, and at least one of X.sup.+ and Y.sup.- possesses at least one carbon-nitrogen unsaturated bond. The invention is also directed to a composition comprising a porous carbon film possessing a nitrogen content of at least 10 atom %.

Workshop on diamond and diamond-like-carbon films for the transportation industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nichols, F.A.; Moores, D.K. [eds.

1993-01-01

Applications exist in advanced transportation systems as well as in manufacturing processes that would benefit from superior tribological properties of diamond, diamond-like-carbon and cubic boron nitride coatings. Their superior hardness make them ideal candidates as protective coatings to reduce adhesive, abrasive and erosive wear in advanced diesel engines, gas turbines and spark-ignited engines and in machining and manufacturing tools as well. The high thermal conductivity of diamond also makes it desirable for thermal management not only in tribological applications but also in high-power electronic devices and possibly large braking systems. A workshop has been recently held at Argonne National Laboratory entitled ``Diamond and Diamond-Like-Carbon Films for Transportation Applications`` which was attended by 85 scientists and engineers including top people involved in the basic technology of these films and also representatives from many US industrial companies. A working group on applications endorsed 18 different applications for these films in the transportation area alone. Separate abstracts have been prepared.

Nano-hardness estimation by means of Ar+ ion etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartali, R.; Micheli, V.; Gottardi, G.; Vaccari, A.; Safeen, M.K.; Laidani, N.

2015-01-01

When the coatings are in nano-scale, the mechanical properties cannot be easily estimated by means of the conventional methods due to: tip shape, instrument resolution, roughness, and substrate effect. In this paper, we proposed a semi-empirical method to evaluate the mechanical properties of thin films based on the sputtering rate induced by bombardment of Ar + ion. The Ar + ion bombardment was induced by ion gun implemented in Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). This procedure has been applied on a series of coatings with different structure (carbon films) and a series of coating with a different density (ZnO thin films). The coatings were deposited on Silicon substrates by RF sputtering plasma. The results show that, as predicted by Insepov et al., there is a correlation between hardness and sputtering rate. Using reference materials and a simple power law equation the estimation of the nano-hardness using an Ar + beam is possible. - Highlights: • ZnO film and Carbon films were grown on silicon using PVD. • The growth temperature was room temperature. • The hardness of the coatings was estimated by means of nanoindentation. • Evaluation of resistance of materials to the mechanical damage induced by an Ar + ion gun (AES). • The hardness have been studied and a power law with the erosion rate has been found

Contribution to the study of hard, low-density pyrolytic carbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutin, F.R.

1966-06-01

Apparent contradictions in the properties of pyrolytic carbons obtained at 1600 deg C (hardness and graphitization) are studied. It is shown that structure of the deposit is turbostratic with high internal stresses (δ -2 ), and it graphitizes (by thermal treatment over 2000 deg C) in a similar manner to graphitisable carbon. Because the deposit forms lamellar compounds, it is presumed that the structure is similar to that of graphitisable carbon. Since it is not structure dependant, the hardness originates from the 'growth texture' and is not comparable with the hardness of a non-graphitisable carbon. The pyrolytic carbon studied is composed of regions, on the overage a few microns across, formed by the stacking of small carbon platelets, interlocked and showing a preferred orientation. The mis-orientation of the various regions produces general disorientation. We estimate that the introduction of the particles of some material such as thermal black which are observed in the electron microscope are responsible for the mis-orientation. The density and hardness of the deposit are a result of the interlocking of platelets, which creates a closed porosity and prevents any sliding of the atomic planes. (author) [fr

Preparation and analysis of amorphous carbon films deposited from (C{sub 6}H{sub 12})/Ar/He chemistry for application as the dry etch hard mask in the semiconductor manufacturing process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seungmoo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Won, Jaihyung; Choi, Jongsik [TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Samseok [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Yeonhong; Lee, Hyeondeok [TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Dongjin, E-mail: dbyun@korea.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-08-01

Amorphous carbon layers (ACL) were deposited on Si (100) wafers by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) by using 1-hexene (C{sub 6}H{sub 12}) as a carbon source for dry etch hard mask of semiconductor devices manufacturing process. The deposition characteristics and film properties were investigated by means of ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS) and stress analysis. Hardness, Young's modulus, and surface roughness of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C were investigated by using nano-indentation and AFM. The deposition rate was decreased from 5050 A/min to 2160 A/min, and dry etch rate was decreased from 2090 A/min to 1770 A/min, and extinction coefficient was increased from 0.1 to 0.5. Raman analysis revealed a higher shift of the G-peak and a lower shift of the D-peak and the increase of I(D)/I(G) ratio as the deposition temperature was increased from 350 deg. C to 550 deg. C. XPS results of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C revealed a carbon 1s binding energy of 284.4 eV. The compressive film stress was decreased from 2.95 GPa to 1.28 GPa with increasing deposition temperature. The hardness and Young's modulus of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C were 5.8 GPa and 48.7 GPa respectively. The surface roughness RMS of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C was 2.24 A, and that after cleaning in diluted HF solution (H{sub 2}O:HF = 200:1), SC1 (NH{sub 4}OH:H{sub 2}O{sub 2}:H{sub 2}O = 1:4:20) solution, and sulfuric acid solution (H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}:H{sub 2}O{sub 2} = 6:1) was 2.28 A, 2.30 A and 7.34 A, respectively. The removal amount of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C in diluted HF solution, SC1 solution and sulfuric acid solution was 6 A, 36 A and 110 A, respectively. These results demonstrated the viability of ACL deposited by PECVD from C{sub 6}H{sub 12} at 550 deg. C for application as the dry etch hard mask in fabrication of semiconductor devices.

Hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon nanocomposite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narayan, Roger J.

2005-01-01

Hydroxyapatite is a bioactive ceramic that mimics the mineral composition of natural bone. Conventional plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings demonstrate poor adhesion and poor mechanical integrity. We have developed hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon bilayer film. The diamondlike carbon interlayer serves to prevent metal ion release and improve adhesion of the hydroxyapatite film. These films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and microscratch adhesion testing. Based on the results of this study, hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon bilayers demonstrate promise for use in several orthopedic implants

Hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon nanocomposite films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narayan, Roger J. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0245 (United States)]. E-mail: roger.narayan@mse.gatech.edu

2005-05-15

Hydroxyapatite is a bioactive ceramic that mimics the mineral composition of natural bone. Conventional plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings demonstrate poor adhesion and poor mechanical integrity. We have developed hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon bilayer film. The diamondlike carbon interlayer serves to prevent metal ion release and improve adhesion of the hydroxyapatite film. These films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and microscratch adhesion testing. Based on the results of this study, hydroxyapatite-diamondlike carbon bilayers demonstrate promise for use in several orthopedic implants.

Erosion behavior of soft, amorphous deuterated carbon films by heat treatment in air and under vacuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, K.

1999-01-01

The erosion of soft a-C:D films by heat treatment in air and under vacuum is studied by ion-beam analysis. When the films are heated in air above 500 K, the film thickness and the areal densities of C and especially D decrease, and oxygen is incorporated in the films. The initial atomic loss rates of carbon and deuterium from the films are 2.6 x 10 17 C atoms cm -2 h -1 and 4.8 x 10 17 D atoms cm -2 h -1 at 550 K. However, after D depletion the films show a resistivity against further erosion due to annealing in air. When the films are heated under vacuum erosion starts at about 600 K and all components including D decrease proportionally to the film thickness. Thermal desorption spectroscopy of the films reveals the evolution of C x D y type hydrocarbons. Infrared analysis shows that the incorporated oxygen is chemically bonded to carbon. The thermally-activated decomposition of the soft a-C:D films is compared to that of hard a-C:D films and a reaction scheme is suggested. (orig.)

Carbon film electrodes for super capacitor applications

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Ming X.

1999-01-01

A microporous carbon film for use as electrodes in energy strorage devices is disclosed, which is made by the process comprising the steps of: (1) heating a polymer film material consisting essentially of a copolymer of polyvinylidene chloride and polyvinyl chloride in an inert atmosphere to form a carbon film; and (2) activating said carbon film to form said microporous carbon film having a density between about 0.7 g/cm.sup.2 and 1 g/cm.sup.2 and a gravimetric capacitance of about between 120 F/g and 315 F/g.

Nano-hardness estimation by means of Ar{sup +} ion etching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartali, R., E-mail: bartali@fbk.eu; Micheli, V.; Gottardi, G.; Vaccari, A.; Safeen, M.K.; Laidani, N.

2015-08-31

When the coatings are in nano-scale, the mechanical properties cannot be easily estimated by means of the conventional methods due to: tip shape, instrument resolution, roughness, and substrate effect. In this paper, we proposed a semi-empirical method to evaluate the mechanical properties of thin films based on the sputtering rate induced by bombardment of Ar{sup +} ion. The Ar{sup +} ion bombardment was induced by ion gun implemented in Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). This procedure has been applied on a series of coatings with different structure (carbon films) and a series of coating with a different density (ZnO thin films). The coatings were deposited on Silicon substrates by RF sputtering plasma. The results show that, as predicted by Insepov et al., there is a correlation between hardness and sputtering rate. Using reference materials and a simple power law equation the estimation of the nano-hardness using an Ar{sup +} beam is possible. - Highlights: • ZnO film and Carbon films were grown on silicon using PVD. • The growth temperature was room temperature. • The hardness of the coatings was estimated by means of nanoindentation. • Evaluation of resistance of materials to the mechanical damage induced by an Ar{sup +} ion gun (AES). • The hardness have been studied and a power law with the erosion rate has been found.

Hardness enhancement and oxidation resistance of nanocrystalline TiN/Mo xC multilayer films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Q.; Wang, X.P.; Liang, F.J.; Wang, J.X.; Fang, Q.F.

2006-01-01

In this paper the influence of the layer's microstructure on the hardness enhancement in multilayer nanocrystalline films and the oxidation resistance are studied. The TiN/Mo x C multilayer films at different modulation period, and Mo x C and TiN monolayer films were deposited on the (0 0 1) silicon wafers and molybdenum sheets by rf and dc magnetron sputtering. The monolayer TiN films with a thickness of about 2 μm are of pure face-center cubic TiN phase, while the monolayer Mo x C films consist of two phases, one of which is body-center cubic Mo and the other is hexagonal Mo 2 C as determined by XRD. The coarse columnar grains of about 200 nm in the monolayer TiN films become much smaller or disappear in the multilayer films. The hardness enhancement of the multilayer films takes place at the modulation period of 320 nm, which can reach to 26 GPa and is much higher than the values of Mo x C and TiN monolayer films. This enhancement in hardness can be explained as the decrease in the size and/or disappearance of columnar grains in the TiN layer. The Young's modulus in the temperature range from 100 to 400 deg. C increases with decreasing modulation period. It is found that about 100 nm thick TiN films can increase largely the oxidation resistance of Mo x C films

Obtention of high hardness multilayer systems by laser ablation; Obtencion de sistemas multicapa de alta dureza por ablacion laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mejia T, I.S

2007-07-01

In this thesis work the synthesis of thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon nitride (CN{sub x}) amorphous carbon (a-C) and Ti/TiN/CNx multilayers and Ti/TiN/a-C by means of the laser ablation technique, with the objective of obtaining films of high hardness is studied, as well as to produce multilayer coatings with superior properties to the individual layers. The effect that has the laser fluence used for ablationing the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited of TiN was investigated. It was found that the hardness is increased in lineal way approximately with the fluence increment up to 19 J/cm{sup 2}. Thin films of a-C with hardness of the order of 12 GPa. likewise CN{sub x} films with high hardness (18.4 GPa) were obtained. The hardness of the deposited films was analyzed and it was related with its microstructure and deposit conditions. It was concluded that the Ti/TiN/CNx and Ti/TiN/a-C systems presented bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

Standard hardness conversion tables for metals relationship among brinell hardness, vickers hardness, rockwell hardness, superficial hardness, knoop hardness, and scleroscope hardness

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 Conversion Table 1 presents data in the Rockwell C hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.2 Conversion Table 2 presents data in the Rockwell B hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.3 Conversion Table 3 presents data on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, and Knoop hardness of nickel and high-nickel alloys (nickel content o...

Infrared analysis of thin films: amorphous, hydrogenated carbon on silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, Wolfgang; Keudell, Achim von; Schwarz-Selinger, Thomas

2000-01-01

The infrared analysis of thin films on a thick substrate is discussed using the example of plasma-deposited, amorphous, hydrogenated carbon layers (a-C:H) on silicon substrates. The framework for the optical analysis of thin films is presented. The main characteristic of thin film optics is the occurrence of interference effects due to the coherent superposition of light multiply reflected at the various internal and external interfaces of the optical system. These interference effects lead to a sinusoidal variation of the transmitted and reflected intensity. As a consequence, the Lambert-Beer law is not applicable for the determination of the absorption coefficient of thin films. Furthermore, observable changes of the transmission and reflection spectra occur in the vicinity of strong absorption bands due to the Kramers-Kronig relation. For a sound data evaluation these effects have to be included in the analysis. To be able to extract the full information contained in a measured optical thin film spectrum, an experimentally measured spectrum has to be simulated using the full formalism including the Kramers-Kronig relation. Infrared absorption spectra and the resulting k spectra in the range of the CH vibrational bands around 3000 cm -1 are presented for a variety of a-C:H layers. The shape and the total intensity of the peak are quite sensitive to the film structure. Soft, polymerlike hydrocarbon layers are characterized by a well structured, intense IR absorption band, while hard, amorphous, hydrogenated carbon layers exhibit a structureless, broad IR absorption band with relative low intensity. The k spectra of the CH vibrational bands can be considered as fingerprint for the type of a-C:H film. (author)

Superhard carbon film deposition by means of Laser-Arco {sup registered} on the way from the laboratory into the industrial series coating; Abscheidung superharter Kohlenstoffschichten mittels Laser-Arco {sup registered} auf dem Weg vom Labor in die industrielle Serienfertigung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheibe, Hans-Joachim; Leonhardt, Michael; Leson, Andreas; Meyer, Carl-Friedrich; Stucky, Thomas; Weihnacht, Volker [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik (IWS), Dresden (Germany)

2008-12-15

Diamond-like carbon films (DLC) are more and more applied as wear protection coatings for components and tools due to their unique combination of high hardness, low friction and sticking tendency to metallic counter bodies. Up to now applied DLC films are hydrogen containing (a-C:H) or metal carbon films (Me-C:H) deposited by a plasma assisted CVD process from carbon-hydrogen gas mixtures. Their wide industrial effort results from that the can be deposited with slowly modified coating machines for classical hard coating (e.g. TiN or CrN). A new generation DLC films are the hydrogen-free ta-C films (ta-C = tetrahedral bounded amorphous carbon) with a between two and three-times higher hardness and with a resulting higher wear resistance under extreme condition than classical DLC films. They have excellent emergency running properties at lubrication break down. Their industrial application is more difficult due to that they cannot deposited with modified coating machines for classical hard and DLC coating and a new technology with corresponding equipment was not available up to now. The laser controlled, pulsed arc deposition technology (Laser-Arco {sup registered}) of the Fraunhofer IWS Dresden has this potential. In kind of a Laser-Arc-Module-source the ta-C film deposition can be integrated in every industrial used deposition machine. (orig.)

Tribological performance of ultrathin diamond-like carbon films prepared by plasma-based ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, J X; Li, E Q; Tian, Z; Pan, X F; Xu, J; Jin, L; Yang, H G

2008-01-01

Ultrathin diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with thicknesses of 5-60 nm have been prepared on Si by plasma-based ion implantation. Raman spectrum and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) show that these DLC films present high sp 3 /sp 2 ratios. XPS also displays that each DLC film firmly adheres to the Si substrate owing to a C-Si transition layer. Atomic force microscopy shows that the DLC films are smooth and compact with average roughness (R a ) of about 0.25 nm. Sliding friction experiments reveal that these DLC films show significantly improved tribological performance. With increase of DLC film thickness, the sp 3 /sp 2 ratio increases, the roughness decreases, the hardness increases, the adhesive wear lightens and thereby the tribological performance becomes enhanced. Also, the effects of the applied load and the reciprocating frequency on the tribological performance are discussed

Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; PROVENCIO,PAULA P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; SIMPSON,REGINA L.; KLEINSORGE,B.; MILNE,W.I.

2000-01-27

The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces and their thicknesses increase with increasing deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies < 60 eV and increases for films grown using ion energies > 160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of 4-fold to 3-fold coordinated carbon atoms.

Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Provencio, P. N. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Tallant, D. R. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Simpson, R. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Kleinsorge, B. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, (United Kingdom); Milne, W. I. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, (United Kingdom)

2000-04-10

The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces; their thicknesses increase with deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies <60 eV and increases for films grown using ion energies >160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of {sigma}- to {pi}-bonded carbon atoms. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Highly Enhanced Raman Scattering on Carbonized Polymer Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jong-Chul; Hwang, Jongha; Thiyagarajan, Pradheep; Ruoff, Rodney S; Jang, Ji-Hyun

2017-06-28

We have discovered a carbonized polymer film to be a reliable and durable carbon-based substrate for carbon enhanced Raman scattering (CERS). Commercially available SU8 was spin coated and carbonized (c-SU8) to yield a film optimized to have a favorable Fermi level position for efficient charge transfer, which results in a significant Raman scattering enhancement under mild measurement conditions. A highly sensitive CERS (detection limit of 10 -8 M) that was uniform over a large area was achieved on a patterned c-SU8 film and the Raman signal intensity has remained constant for 2 years. This approach works not only for the CMOS-compatible c-SU8 film but for any carbonized film with the correct composition and Fermi level, as demonstrated with carbonized-PVA (poly(vinyl alcohol)) and carbonized-PVP (polyvinylpyrollidone) films. Our study certainly expands the rather narrow range of Raman-active material platforms to include robust carbon-based films readily obtained from polymer precursors. As it uses broadly applicable and cheap polymers, it could offer great advantages in the development of practical devices for chemical/bio analysis and sensors.

Template-mediated, Hierarchical Engineering of Ordered Mesoporous Films and Powders

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zheng

Hierarchical control over pore size, pore topology, and meso/mictrostructure as well as material morphology (e.g., powders, monoliths, thin films) is crucial for meeting diverse materials needs among applications spanning next generation catalysts, sensors, batteries, sorbents, etc. The overarching goal of this thesis is to establish fundamental mechanistic insight enabling new strategies for realizing such hierarchical textural control for carbon materials that is not currently achievable with sacrificial pore formation by 'one-pot' surfactant-based 'soft'-templating or multi-step inorganic 'hard-templating. While 'hard'-templating is often tacitly discounted based upon its perceived complexity, it offers potential for overcoming key 'soft'-templating challenges, including bolstering pore stability, accommodating a more versatile palette of replica precursors, realizing ordered/spanning porosity in the case of porous thin films, simplifying formation of bi-continuous pore topologies, and inducing microstructure control within porous replica materials. In this thesis, we establish strategies for hard-templating of hierarchically porous and structured carbon powders and tunable thin films by both multi-step hard-templating and a new 'one-pot' template-replica precursor co-assembly process. We first develop a nominal hard-templating technique to successfully prepare three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous (3DOm) and 3DOm-supported microporous carbon thin films by exploiting our ability to synthesize and assemble size-tunable silica nanoparticles into scalable, colloidal crystalline thin film templates of tunable mono- to multi-layer thickness. This robust thin film template accommodates liquid and/or vapor-phase infiltration, polymerization, and pyrolysis of various carbon sources without pore contraction and/or collapse upon template sacrifice. The result is robust, flexible 3DOm or 3DOm-supported ultra-thin microporous films that can be transferred by stamp

Thermally evaporated mechanically hard tin oxide thin films for opto-electronic apllications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tripathy, Sumanta K.; Rajeswari, V. P. [Centre for Nano Science and Technology, GVP College of Engineering (Autonomous), Visakhapatnam- 530048 (India)

2014-01-28

Tungsten doped tin oxide (WTO) and Molybdenum doped tin oxide (MoTO) thin film were deposited on corn glass by thermal evaporation method. The films were annealed at 350°C for one hour. Structural analysis using Xray diffraction data shows both the films are polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of tin oxide, Sn{sub 3}O{sub 4}, corresponding to JCPDS card number 01-078-6064. SEM photograph showed that both the films have spherical grains with size in the range of 20–30 nm. Compositional analysis was carried out using EDS which reveals the presence of Sn, O and the dopant Mo/W only thereby indicating the absence of any secondary phase in the films. The films are found to contain nearly 6 wt% of Mo, 8 wt% of W as dopants respectively. The transmission pattern for both the films in the spectral range 200 – 2000 nm shows that W doping gives a transparency of nearly 80% from 380 nm onwards while Mo doping has less transparency of 39% at 380nm. Film hardness measurement using Triboscope shows a film hardness of about 9–10 GPa for both the films. It indicates that W or M doping in tin oxide provides the films the added advantage of withstanding the mechanical wear and tear due to environmental fluctuations By optimizing the optical and electrical properties, W/Mo doped tin oxide films may be explored as window layers in opto-electronic applications such as solar cells.

Thermally evaporated mechanically hard tin oxide thin films for opto-electronic apllications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripathy, Sumanta K.; Rajeswari, V. P.

2014-01-01

Tungsten doped tin oxide (WTO) and Molybdenum doped tin oxide (MoTO) thin film were deposited on corn glass by thermal evaporation method. The films were annealed at 350°C for one hour. Structural analysis using Xray diffraction data shows both the films are polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of tin oxide, Sn 3 O 4 , corresponding to JCPDS card number 01-078-6064. SEM photograph showed that both the films have spherical grains with size in the range of 20–30 nm. Compositional analysis was carried out using EDS which reveals the presence of Sn, O and the dopant Mo/W only thereby indicating the absence of any secondary phase in the films. The films are found to contain nearly 6 wt% of Mo, 8 wt% of W as dopants respectively. The transmission pattern for both the films in the spectral range 200 – 2000 nm shows that W doping gives a transparency of nearly 80% from 380 nm onwards while Mo doping has less transparency of 39% at 380nm. Film hardness measurement using Triboscope shows a film hardness of about 9–10 GPa for both the films. It indicates that W or M doping in tin oxide provides the films the added advantage of withstanding the mechanical wear and tear due to environmental fluctuations By optimizing the optical and electrical properties, W/Mo doped tin oxide films may be explored as window layers in opto-electronic applications such as solar cells

Hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of transition-metal oxide thin films and interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wadati, H.; Fujimori, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Photoemission spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study the electronic structures of transition-metal oxides. •Hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPES) is a new type of photoemission spectroscopy which can probe bulk states. •HXPES is very suitable for studying oxide thin films such as the composition dependence and the film thickness dependence. -- Abstract: Photoemission spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique to study the electronic structures of solids, especially of transition-metal oxides. Recently, hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPES) has emerged as a more relevant experimental technique to obtain clear information about bulk states. Here, we describe how HXPES can be conveniently applied to study the interesting subjects on oxide thin films such as the composition dependence and the film thickness dependence of the electronic structures and the interfacial electronic structure of multilayers

Mesoporous carbon prepared from carbohydrate as hard template for hierarchical zeolites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeblad, Kresten; Christensen, Claus H.

2007-01-01

treatment of a mixture of sucrose and ammonia followed by carbonization of the mixture in N-2 at high temperatures. The porous carbon produced by this method was subsequently applied as a hard template in the synthesis of mesoporous silicalite-1 and removed by combustion after synthesis. X-ray diffraction......A mesoporous carbon prepared from sucrose was successfully employed as a hard template to produce hierarchical silicalite-1, thus providing a very simple and inexpensive route to desirable zeolite catalysts from widely available raw materials. The porous carbon was prepared by hydrothermal...... the porous carbon template as well as the mesoporous zeolite single-crystal material....

Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegal, M. P.; Provencio, P. N.; Tallant, D. R.; Simpson, R. L.; Kleinsorge, B.; Milne, W. I.

2000-01-01

The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces; their thicknesses increase with deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies 160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of σ- to π-bonded carbon atoms. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Tallant, D. R. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Martinez-Miranda, L. J. [University of Maryland, Department of Materials and Nuclear Engineering, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Barbour, J. C. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Simpson, R. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Overmyer, D. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

2000-04-15

Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon (a-C) films grown on silicon using pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is correlated to both growth energetics and film thickness. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray reflectivity probe both the topological nature of three- and four-fold coordinated carbon atom bonding and the topographical clustering of their distributions within a given film. In general, increasing the energetics of PLD growth results in films becoming more ''diamondlike,'' i.e., increasing mass density and decreasing optical absorbance. However, these same properties decrease appreciably with thickness. The topology of carbon atom bonding is different for material near the substrate interface compared to material within the bulk portion of an a-C film. A simple model balancing the energy of residual stress and the free energies of resulting carbon topologies is proposed to provide an explanation of the evolution of topographical bonding clusters in a growing a-C film. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; MARTINEZ-MIRANDA,L.J.; BARBOUR,J. CHARLES; SIMPSON,REGINA L.; OVERMYER,DONALD L.

2000-01-27

Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon (a-C) films grown on silicon using pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is correlated to both growth energetic and film thickness. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray reflectivity probe both the topological nature of 3- and 4-fold coordinated carbon atom bonding and the topographical clustering of their distributions within a given film. In general, increasing the energetic of PLD growth results in films becoming more ``diamondlike'', i.e. increasing mass density and decreasing optical absorbance. However, these same properties decrease appreciably with thickness. The topology of carbon atom bonding is different for material near the substrate interface compared to material within the bulk portion of an a-C film. A simple model balancing the energy of residual stress and the free energies of resulting carbon topologies is proposed to provide an explanation of the evolution of topographical bonding clusters in a growing a-C film.

Diagnostics of capacitively-coupled hydrocarbon plasmas for deposition of diamond-like carbon films using quadrupole mass spectrometry and Langmuir probe

Science.gov (United States)

Oda, Akinori; Fukai, Shun; Kousaka, Hiroyuki; Ohta, Takayuki

2015-09-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are the hydrogenated amorphous carbon films, which contains a mixture of sp2- and sp3-bonded carbon. The DLC films have been widely used for various applications, such as automotive, semiconductors, medical devices, since have excellent material properties in lower friction, higher chemical stability, higher hardness, higher wear resistance. Until now, numerous investigations on the DLC films using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition have been done. For precise control of coating technique of DLC films, it is enormously important to clarify the fundamental properties in hydrocarbon plasmas, as a source of hydrocarbon ions and radicals. In this paper, the fundamental properties in a low pressure radio-frequency hydrocarbon (Ar/CH4 (1 %) gas mixture) plasmas have been diagnosed using a quadrupole mass spectrometer (HIDEN ANARYTICAL Ltd., EQP-300) and Langmuir probe system (HIDEN ANARYTICAL Ltd., ESPion). This work was partly supported by KAKENHI (No.26420247), and a ``Grant for Advanced Industrial Technology Development (No.11B06004d)'' in 2011 from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan.

Effect of Cu Content on TiN-Cu Nanocomposite Film Properties: Structural and Hardness Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Larijani

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Titanium nitride-Copper (TiN-Cu nanocomposite films were deposited onto stainless steel substrate using hollow cathode discharge ion plating technique. The influence of Cu content in the range of 2-7 at.% on the microstructure, morphology and mechanical properties of deposited films were investigated. Structural properties of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction pattern. Topography of the deposited films was studied using atomic force microscopy. Film hardness was estimated by a triboscope nanoindentation system. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed to study the surface chemical bonding states. It was found that addition of soft Cu phase above 2 at.% to TiN film drastically decreased the film hardness from 30 to 2.8 Gpa due to lubricant effect of segregated copper particles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that Cu and TiN phases grew separately. In our case,the formation of a solid solution or chemical bonding between Cu and Ti was rejected.

Characteristics of diamond – like carbon(DLC film deposited by PACVD process

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Krzysztof Lukaszkowicz

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Diamond – like carbon (DLC film is promising materials for many technical and engineering applications. DLC films are used in many different industries for example: in medicine, in electronics, in optics and the automotive industry. They have excellent tribological properties (low friction coefficient, chemical inertness and high mechanical hardness. This paper provides an analysis of the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of DLC films. In the study of the coating used several surface sensitive techniques and methods, i.e. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Raman spectroscopy and tribological tests like ball-on-disc. HRTEM investigation shows an amorphous character of DLC layer. In sliding dry friction conditions the friction coefficient for the investigated elements is set in the range between 0.02-0.03. The investigated coating reveals high wear resistance. The coating demonstrated a good adhesion to the substrate.

Role of intericosahedral chains on the hardness of sputtered boron carbide films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobsohn, L.G.; Averitt, R.D.; Wetteland, C.J.; Schulze, R.K.; Nastasi, M.; Daemen, L.L.; Jenei, Z.; Asoka-Kumar, P.

2004-01-01

The relationship between the structure and mechanical properties of sputter-deposited boron carbide films was investigated. Changes in the structure induced by annealing were characterized in terms of chemical composition, chemical bonding, and concentrations of defects and trapped impurities. The creation of intericosahedral chains for higher annealing temperatures was revealed by infrared and Raman measurements, and the intensity of the infrared band at 1500 cm-1 was found to be related to the hardness. The presence of residual trapped Ar atoms and of open-volume defects is insensitive to relatively high annealing temperatures and does not influence the recovery of the hardness. Our results suggest postdeposition annealing as a pathway to enhance the mechanical properties of boron carbide films

Re-crystallization of ITO films after carbon irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Usman, Muhammad, E-mail: usmanm@ncp.edu.pk [Experimental Physics Laboratories, National Centre for Physics, Shahdara Valley Road, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (Pakistan); Khan, Shahid, E-mail: shahidkhan@zju.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Khan, Majid [Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (Pakistan); Abbas, Turab Ali [Experimental Physics Laboratories, National Centre for Physics, Shahdara Valley Road, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (Pakistan)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Carbon irradiation on ITO destroys crystal structure until threshold ion fluence. • Carbon irradiation induced amorphization in ITO is recoverable at higher fluence. • Optical transmittance is reduced after carbon irradiation. • Electrical resistivity is increased after irradiation with carbon ions in ITO. • Bandgap is reduced with increasing fluence of carbon irradiation. - Abstract: 2.0 MeV carbon ion irradiation effects on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrate are investigated. The films are irradiated with carbon ions in the fluence range of 1 × 10{sup 13} to 1 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. The irradiation induced effects in ITO are compared before and after ion bombardment by systematic study of structural, optical and electrical properties of the films. The XRD results show polycrystalline nature of un-irradiated ITO films which turns to amorphous state after 1 × 10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2} fluence of carbon ions. Further increase in ion fluence to 1 × 10{sup 14} ions/cm{sup 2} re-crystallizes the structure and retains for even higher fluences. A gradual decrease in the electrical conductivity and transmittance of irradiated samples is observed with increasing ion fluence. The band gap of the films is observed to be decreased after carbon irradiation.

Re-crystallization of ITO films after carbon irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usman, Muhammad; Khan, Shahid; Khan, Majid; Abbas, Turab Ali

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Carbon irradiation on ITO destroys crystal structure until threshold ion fluence. • Carbon irradiation induced amorphization in ITO is recoverable at higher fluence. • Optical transmittance is reduced after carbon irradiation. • Electrical resistivity is increased after irradiation with carbon ions in ITO. • Bandgap is reduced with increasing fluence of carbon irradiation. - Abstract: 2.0 MeV carbon ion irradiation effects on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrate are investigated. The films are irradiated with carbon ions in the fluence range of 1 × 10"1"3 to 1 × 10"1"5 ions/cm"2. The irradiation induced effects in ITO are compared before and after ion bombardment by systematic study of structural, optical and electrical properties of the films. The XRD results show polycrystalline nature of un-irradiated ITO films which turns to amorphous state after 1 × 10"1"3 ions/cm"2 fluence of carbon ions. Further increase in ion fluence to 1 × 10"1"4 ions/cm"2 re-crystallizes the structure and retains for even higher fluences. A gradual decrease in the electrical conductivity and transmittance of irradiated samples is observed with increasing ion fluence. The band gap of the films is observed to be decreased after carbon irradiation.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

Science.gov (United States)

Okuyama, H.; Takashima, M.; Akasaka, H.; Ohtake, N.

2013-06-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuyama, H; Takashima, M; Akasaka, H; Ohtake, N

2013-01-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp 2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

The influence of methane/argon plasma composition on the formation of the hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Hsin-Hung; Liao, Jiunn-Der; Weng, Chih-Chiang; Hsieh, Jui-Fu; Chang, Chia-Wei; Lin, Chao-Hsien; Cho, Ting-Pin

2011-01-01

The quality of the a-C:H films was particularly correlated with the mixed ratio of methane/argon plasma. For a constant supply of energy and flowing rate, the optical emission from H α intensity linearly increased with the addition of methane in argon plasma, while that from intensities of radiation of diatmoic radicals (CH*and C 2 *) exponentially decreased. For the a-C:H films, the added methane in argon plasma tended to raise the quantity of hydrogenated carbon or sp 3 C-H structure, which exponentially decreased the nano-hardness and friction coefficient of the films. In contrast, the electric resistance of the films enlarged dramatically with the increase of the methane content in argon plasma. It is therefore advantageous to balance the mechanical properties and electrical resistance of the a-C:H film by adjusting plasma composition in the course of the film-growing process.

The preparation and mechanical properties of Al-containing a-C : H thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Guangan; Yan Pengxun; Wang Peng; Chen Youming; Zhang Junyan

2007-01-01

Al-containing hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Al-C : H) films were deposited on silicon substrates using a mid frequency magnetron sputtering Al target in an argon and methane gas mixture. The composition, surface morphology, hardness and friction coefficient of the films were characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation and tribological tester. The Al-C : H films deposited at low CH 4 content show high surface roughness, low hardness and high friction coefficient, similar to metallic Al films; in contrast, the Al-C : H films prepared under high CH 4 content indicate low surface roughness, high hardness and low friction coefficient, close to that of hard a-C : H films as wear-resistance films

Regression Analysis of the Effect of Bias Voltage on Nano- and Macrotribological Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Deposited by a Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc Ion-Plating Method

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Shojiro Miyake

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Diamond-like carbon (DLC films are deposited by bend filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA technique with DC and pulsed bias voltage. The effects of varying bias voltage on nanoindentation and nanowear properties were evaluated by atomic force microscopy. DLC films deposited with DC bias voltage of −50 V exhibited the greatest hardness at approximately 50 GPa, a low modulus of dissipation, low elastic modulus to nanoindentation hardness ratio, and high nanowear resistance. Nanoindentation hardness was positively correlated with the Raman peak ratio Id/Ig, whereas wear depth was negatively correlated with this ratio. These nanotribological properties highly depend on the films’ nanostructures. The tribological properties of the FCVA-DLC films were also investigated using a ball-on-disk test. The average friction coefficient of DLC films deposited with DC bias voltage was lower than that of DLC films deposited with pulse bias voltage. The friction coefficient calculated from the ball-on-disk test was correlated with the nanoindentation hardness in dry conditions. However, under boundary lubrication conditions, the friction coefficient and specific wear rate had little correlation with nanoindentation hardness, and wear behavior seemed to be influenced by other factors such as adhesion strength between the film and substrate.

Low temperature CVD growth of ultrathin carbon films

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Chao Yang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate the low temperature, large area growth of ultrathin carbon films by chemical vapor deposition under atmospheric pressure on various substrates. In particularly, uniform and continuous carbon films with the thickness of 2-5 nm were successfully grown at a temperature as low as 500 oC on copper foils, as well as glass substrates coated with a 100 nm thick copper layer. The characterizations revealed that the low-temperature-grown carbon films consist on few short, curved graphene layers and thin amorphous carbon films. Particularly, the low-temperature grown samples exhibited over 90% transmittance at a wavelength range of 400-750 nm and comparable sheet resistance in contrast with the 1000oC-grown one. This low-temperature growth method may offer a facile way to directly prepare visible ultrathin carbon films on various substrate surfaces that are compatible with temperatures (500-600oC used in several device processing technologies.

Bifurcation magnetic resonance in films magnetized along hard magnetization axis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasilevskaya, Tatiana M., E-mail: t_vasilevs@mail.ru [Ulyanovsk State University, Leo Tolstoy 42, 432017 Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation); Sementsov, Dmitriy I.; Shutyi, Anatoliy M. [Ulyanovsk State University, Leo Tolstoy 42, 432017 Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation)

2012-09-15

We study low-frequency ferromagnetic resonance in a thin film magnetized along the hard magnetization axis performing an analysis of magnetization precession dynamics equations and numerical simulation. Two types of films are considered: polycrystalline uniaxial films and single-crystal films with cubic magnetic anisotropy. An additional (bifurcation) resonance initiated by the bistability, i.e. appearance of two closely spaced equilibrium magnetization states is registered. The modification of dynamic modes provoked by variation of the frequency, amplitude, and magnetic bias value of the ac field is studied. Both steady and chaotic magnetization precession modes are registered in the bifurcation resonance range. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An additional bifurcation resonance arises in a case of a thin film magnetized along HMA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bifurcation resonance occurs due to the presence of two closely spaced equilibrium magnetization states. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both regular and chaotic precession modes are realized within bifurcation resonance range. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Appearance of dynamic bistability is typical for bifurcation resonance.

Bifurcation magnetic resonance in films magnetized along hard magnetization axis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilevskaya, Tatiana M.; Sementsov, Dmitriy I.; Shutyi, Anatoliy M.

2012-01-01

We study low-frequency ferromagnetic resonance in a thin film magnetized along the hard magnetization axis performing an analysis of magnetization precession dynamics equations and numerical simulation. Two types of films are considered: polycrystalline uniaxial films and single-crystal films with cubic magnetic anisotropy. An additional (bifurcation) resonance initiated by the bistability, i.e. appearance of two closely spaced equilibrium magnetization states is registered. The modification of dynamic modes provoked by variation of the frequency, amplitude, and magnetic bias value of the ac field is studied. Both steady and chaotic magnetization precession modes are registered in the bifurcation resonance range. - Highlights: ► An additional bifurcation resonance arises in a case of a thin film magnetized along HMA. ► Bifurcation resonance occurs due to the presence of two closely spaced equilibrium magnetization states. ► Both regular and chaotic precession modes are realized within bifurcation resonance range. ► Appearance of dynamic bistability is typical for bifurcation resonance.

Coaxial carbon plasma gun deposition of amorphous carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Sater, D. M.; Gulino, D. A.; Rutledge, S. K.

1984-01-01

A unique plasma gun employing coaxial carbon electrodes was used in an attempt to deposit thin films of amorphous diamond-like carbon. A number of different structural, compositional, and electrical characterization techniques were used to characterize these films. These included scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X ray diffraction and absorption, spectrographic analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were also performed. The films were determined to be primarily amorphous, with poor adhesion to fused silica substrates. Many inclusions of particulates were found to be present as well. Analysis of these particulates revealed the presence of trace impurities, such as Fe and Cu, which were also found in the graphite electrode material. The electrodes were the source of these impurities. No evidence of diamond-like crystallite structure was found in any of the film samples. Details of the apparatus, experimental procedure, and film characteristics are presented.

Coaxial carbon plasma gun deposition of amorphous carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sater, D.M.; Gulino, D.A.

1984-03-01

A unique plasma gun employing coaxial carbon electrodes was used in an attempt to deposit thin films of amorphous diamond-like carbon. A number of different structural, compositional, and electrical characterization techniques were used to characterize these films. These included scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X ray diffraction and absorption, spectrographic analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were also performed. The films were determined to be primarily amorphous, with poor adhesion to fused silica substrates. Many inclusions of particulates were found to be present as well. Analysis of these particulates revealed the presence of trace impurities, such as Fe and Cu, which were also found in the graphite electrode material. The electrodes were the source of these impurities. No evidence of diamond-like crystallite structure was found in any of the film samples. Details of the apparatus, experimental procedure, and film characteristics are presented

Improvement of the Surface Hardness of Stainless Steel with the TitaniumCarbonitride Ti(CN) Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agus-Purwadi; Tri-Mardji Atmono; Widdi-Usada; Lely-Susita; Yunanto

2000-01-01

Fabrication of the T i (CN) thin films with methods of implantation and RFsputtering for improving the surfaces hardness of stainless steel (SS) hasbeen done. Some kinds of T i C thin films which made individually by varyingof RF sputtering power from 0 up to 160 watt are implanted by the nitrogenion beams on the doses and energy ion optimum of 6.107 x 10 17 ion/cm 2 and100 keV, also fabrication of T i (CN) thin films use RF sputtering method withT i target and reaction gases as argon, silene and nitrogen on the optimum ofsputtering parameter condition. The thin films yields are characterized byusing Microhardness Tester MX 170, obtained SS hardness which layered T i (CN)as 402.5 KHN from its initial of 215.54 KHN and 371.74 KHN (layered T i C), itmeans that the SS surface hardness improve 1.867 times cumulatively. From theX-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis yield showed that the microstructure ofT i (CN) films on the SS substrates are dominated by characteristic cubiccrystal structure with Miller plane orientation (111) on the scattering angleof 2 θ = 44 o . Morphology visualization of T i (CN) thin films crosssection on the SS substrate is realized by Spectroscopy Electron Microscope(SEM). (author)

Characterization of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, Paul K.; Li Liuhe

2006-01-01

Amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films possess special chemical and physical properties such as high chemical inertness, diamond-like properties, and favorable tribological proprieties. The materials usually consist of graphite and diamond microstructures and thus possess properties that lie between the two. Amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films can exist in different kinds of matrices and are usually doped with a large amount of hydrogen. Thus, carbon films can be classified as polymer-like, diamond-like, or graphite-like based on the main binding framework. In order to characterize the structure, either direct bonding characterization methods or the indirect bonding characterization methods are employed. Examples of techniques utilized to identify the chemical bonds and microstructure of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films include optical characterization methods such as Raman spectroscopy, Ultra-violet (UV) Raman spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy, electron spectroscopic and microscopic methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, surface morphology characterization techniques such as scanning probe microscopy (SPM) as well as other characterization methods such as X-ray reflectivity and nuclear magnetic resonance. In this review, the structures of various types of amorphous carbon films and common characterization techniques are described

Effect of sulfur and Nano- carbon black on the mechanical properties of hard rubber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Hamza Al-Maamori

2018-01-01

Full Text Available To improve the properties of hard rubber(Ebonite from natural rubber, added Nano-Carbon black, where measured the properties of tensile, density, hardness and the properties of the vulcanization of a group of samples with different amount of sulfur from 18-36 pphr and different of carbon black (18-26-30 pphr. The results showed that the best carbon black ratio is 30 pphr, where it gives a balance between tensile properties of hand and toughness and flexibility of on the other hand and reduce brittleness in hard rubber.

Synthesis and characterization of boron carbon nitride films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Z.F.; Bello, I.; Lei, M.K.; Lee, C.S.; Lee, S.T. [City Univ. of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong). Dept. of Physics and Materials Science; Li, K.Y. [Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong)

2000-06-01

Boron carbon nitride (BCN) films were deposited on silicon substrates by radio frequency (r.f.) (13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering from hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphite targets in an Ar-N{sub 2} gas mixture of a constant pressure of 1.0 Pa. During deposition, the substrates were maintained at a temperature of 400 C and negatively biased using a pulsed voltage with a frequency of 330 kHz. Different analysis techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning Auger electron microscopy (SAM) were used for characterization. In addition, the mechanical and tribological properties of the films were investigated by nano-indentation and micro-scratching. The carbon concentration in the films could be adjusted by the coverage area of a graphite sheet on the h-BN target, and decreased with increasing bias voltage. It was found that the ternary compound films within the B-C-N composition triangle possessed a less ordered structure. B--N, B--C and C--N chemical bonds were established in the films, and no phase separation of graphite and h-BN occurred. At zero bias voltage, amorphous BC{sub 2}N films with atomically smooth surface could be obtained, and the microfriction coefficient was 0.11 under a normal load of 1000 {mu}N. Hardness as determined by nano-indentation was usually in the range of 10-30 GPa, whereas the Young's modulus was within 100-200 GPa. (orig.)

Gettering of carbon dioxide by erbium thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrhoff, T.K.

1980-01-01

The interaction of carbon dioxide and erbium thin films is characterized for temperatures in the region of 300 to 900 0 C and partial pressure of carbon dioxide near 5 x 10 -7 Torr. Dynamic film pumping speeds were measured against a mercury diffusion pump of known pumping speed and conductance. A quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to monitor the carbon dioxide flow which originated from a calibrated leak in the 10 -6 standard cm 3 /s range. Data reduction was via a dedicated minicomputer with associated printer/plotter. Temperature ramp experiments with thin erbium films indicated a significant reaction above 300 0 C. The reaction was preceded by the desorption of water vapor, hydrogen and nitrogen and/or carbon monoxide from the film surface

Exchange-coupled hard magnetic Fe-Co/CoPt nanocomposite films fabricated by electro-infiltration

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Xiao Wen

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a potentially scalable electro-infiltration process to produce exchange-coupled hard magnetic nanocomposite thin films. Fe-Co/CoPt nanocomposite films are fabricated by deposition of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles onto Si substrate, followed by electroplating of CoPt. Samples are subsequently annealed under H2 to reduce the CoFe2O4 to magnetically soft Fe-Co and also induce L10 ordering in the CoPt. Resultant films exhibit 0.97 T saturation magnetization, 0.70 T remanent magnetization, 127 kA/m coercivity and 21.8 kJ/m3 maximum energy density. First order reversal curve (FORC analysis and δM plot are used to prove the exchange coupling between soft and hard magnetic phases.

Effect of deposition temperature and thermal annealing on the dry etch rate of a-C: H films for the dry etch hard process of semiconductor devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Moo; Won, Jaihyung; Yim, Soyoung; Park, Se Jun; Choi, Jongsik; Kim, Jeongtae; Lee, Hyeondeok; Byun, Dongjin

2012-01-01

thermal annealing of the high density, as-deposited a-C:H films. Furthermore, not only the density itself but also the variation of density with thermal annealing need to be elucidated in order to understand the dry etch properties of annealed a-C:H films. - Highlights: ► A-C:H(amorphous carbon) films are grown for using hard mask in dry etch process by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and annealed. ► Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of grown amorphous carbon films are changed by hydrogen and hydrocarbon contents, be determined by deposition and annealing temperature. ► Dry etch rate of a-C:H films is decreased and the film density increased through thermal annealing with high density, low hydrogen content, as-deposited film.

Hardness and adhesion performances of nanocoating on carbon steel

Science.gov (United States)

Hasnidawani, J. N.; Azlina, H. N.; Norita, H.; Bonnia, N. N.

2018-01-01

Nanocoatings industry has been aggressive in searching for cost-effective alternatives and environmental friendly approaches to manufacture products. Nanocoatings represent an engineering solution to prevent corrosion of the structural parts of ships, insulation and pipelines industries. The adhesion and hardness properties of coating affect material properties. This paper reviews ZnO-SiO2 as nanopowder in nano coating formulation as the agent for new and improved coating performances. Carbon steel on type S50C used as common substrate in nanocoating industry. 3wt% ZnO and 2wt% SiO2 addition of nanoparticles into nanocoating showed the best formulation since hardness and adhesion of nanocoating was good on carbon steel substrate. Incorporation of nanoparticles into coating increased the performances of coating.

Research Update: Hard carbon with closed pores from pectin-free apple pomace waste for Na-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Xinwei; Geng, Chenxi; Buchholz, Daniel; Passerini, Stefano

2018-04-01

Herein, we report a hard carbon derived from industrial bio-waste, i.e., pectin-free apple pomace. The structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the hard carbon are reported. The impact of the bio-waste on the closed porosity is discussed, providing valuable insights into the sodium storage mechanism in hard carbons. Most importantly, the hard carbon delivers good electrochemical performance, high specific capacities of 285 mAh g-1, and a very good capacity retention of 96% after 230 cycles at 0.1 C.

Relationship between thin-film bond strength as measured by a scratch test, and indentation hardness for bonding agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusakabe, Shusuke; Rawls, H Ralph; Hotta, Masato

2016-03-01

To evaluate thin-film bond strength between a bonding agent and human dentin, using a scratch test, and the characteristics and accuracy of measurement. One-step bonding agents (BeautiBond; Bond Force; Adper Easy Bond; Clearfil tri-S Bond) and two-step bonding agents (Cleafil SE Bond; FL-Bond II) were investigated in this study. Flat dentin surfaces were prepared for extracted human molars. The dentin surfaces were ground and bonding agents were applied and light cured. The thin-film bond strength test of the specimens was evaluated by the critical load at which the coated bonding agent failed and dentin appeared. The scratch mark sections were then observed under a scanning electron microscope. Indentation hardness was evaluated by the variation in depth under an applied load of 10gf. Data were compared by one-way ANOVA with the Scheffé's post hoc multiple comparison test (pstrength and indentation hardness were analyzed using analysis of correlation and covariance. The thin-film bond strength of two-step bonding agents were found to be significantly higher than that of one-step bonding agents with small standard deviations. Scratch marks consistently showed adhesive failure in the vicinity of the bonding agent/dentin interface. The indentation hardness showed a trend that two-step bonding agents have greater hardness than one-step bonding agents. A moderately significant correlation (r(2)=0.31) was found between thin-film bond strength and indentation hardness. Thin-film bond strength test is a valid and reliable means of evaluating bond strength in the vicinity of the adhesive interface and is more accurate than other methods currently in use. Further, the thin-film bond strength is influenced by the hardness of the cued bonding agent. Copyright © 2015 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tuning the Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Selective Li- and Na-Ion Storage in Hard Carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soto, Fernando A. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Yan, Pengfei [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Engelhard, Mark H. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Marzouk, Asma [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Wang, Chongmin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Xu, Guiliang [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Chen, Zonghai [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Amine, Khalil [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Liu, Jun [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Sprenkle, Vincent L. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; El-Mellouhi, Fedwa [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Balbuena, Perla B. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Li, Xiaolin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA

2017-03-07

Solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) films with controllable properties are highly desirable for improving battery performance. In this paper, a combined experimental and theoretical approach is used to study SEI films formed on hard carbon in Li- and Na-ion batteries. It is shown that a stable SEI layer can be designed by precycling an electrode in a desired Li- or Na-based electrolyte, and that ionic transport can be kinetically controlled. Selective Li- and Na-based SEI membranes are produced using Li- or Na-based electrolytes, respectively. The Na-based SEI allows easy transport of Li ions, while the Li-based SEI shuts off Na-ion transport. Na-ion storage can be manipulated by tuning the SEI layer with film-forming electrolyte additives, or by preforming an SEI layer on the electrode surface. The Na specific capacity can be controlled to < 25 mAh g(-1); approximate to 1/10 of the normal capacity (250 mAh g(-1)). Unusual selective/ preferential transport of Li ions is demonstrated by preforming an SEI layer on the electrode surface and corroborated with a mixed electrolyte. This work may provide new guidance for preparing good ion-selective conductors using electrochemical approaches.

Microstructure and property of diamond-like carbon films with Al and Cr co-doping deposited using a hybrid beams system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Wei; Liu, Jingmao; Geng, Dongsen; Guo, Peng; Zheng, Jun; Wang, Qimin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Diamond-like carbon films with Al and Cr doping were deposited. • Alternate multilayered structure consisted of Al-poor layer and Al-rich layer was formed. • The periodic Al-rich layers can greatly improve the residual stress and elastic resilience of the films. - Abstract: DLC films with weak carbide former Al and carbide former Cr co-doping (Al:Cr-DLC) were deposited by a hybrid beams system comprising an anode-layer linear ion beam source (LIS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering using a gas mixture of C 2 H 2 and Ar as the precursor. The doped Al and Cr contents were controlled via adjusting the C 2 H 2 fraction in the gas mixture. The composition, microstructure, compressive stress, mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of the Al:Cr-DLC films were researched carefully using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, stress-tester, nanoindentation and ball-on-plate tribometer as function of the C 2 H 2 fraction. The results show that the Al and Cr contents in the films increased continuously as the C 2 H 2 fraction decreased. The doped Cr atoms preferred to bond with the carbon while the Al atoms mainly existed in metallic state. Structure modulation with alternate multilayer consisted of Al-poor DLC layer and Al-rich DLC layer was found in the films. Those periodic Al-rich DLC layers can effectively release the residual stress of the films. On the other hand, the formation of the carbide component due to Cr incorporation can help to increase the film hardness. Accordingly, the residual stress of the DLC films can be reduced without sacrificing the film hardness though co-doping Al and Cr atoms. Furthermore, it was found that the periodic Al-rich layer can greatly improve the elastic resilience of the DLC films and thus decreases the film friction coefficient and wear rate significantly. However, the existence of the carbide component would cause abrasive wear and thus

Structure-phase composition and nano hardness of chrome-fullerite-chrome films irradiated by boron ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baran, L.V.

2015-01-01

By methods of atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nano indentation the research of change of structure phase composition and nano hardness of the chrome - fullerite - chrome films, subjected to implantation by B + ions (E = 80 keV, F = 5*10 17 ions/cm 2 ) are submitted. It is established, that as a result of Boron ion implantation of the chrome - fullerite - chrome films, chrome and fullerite inter fusion on sues, that is the solid-phase interaction and as a result of which forms the heterophase with increased nano hardness. (authors)

Nanostructured thin films and coatings mechanical properties

CERN Document Server

2010-01-01

The first volume in "The Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings" set, this book concentrates on the mechanical properties, such as hardness, toughness, and adhesion, of thin films and coatings. It discusses processing, properties, and performance and provides a detailed analysis of theories and size effects. The book presents the fundamentals of hard and superhard nanocomposites and heterostructures, assesses fracture toughness and interfacial adhesion strength of thin films and hard nanocomposite coatings, and covers the processing and mechanical properties of hybrid sol-gel-derived nanocomposite coatings. It also uses nanomechanics to optimize coatings for cutting tools and explores various other coatings, such as diamond, metal-containing amorphous carbon nanostructured, and transition metal nitride-based nanolayered multilayer coatings.

Pathways to Mesoporous Resin/Carbon Thin Films with Alternating Gyroid Morphology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Qi [Department; Matsuoka, Fumiaki [Department; Suh, Hyo Seon [Institute; Materials; Beaucage, Peter A. [Department; Xiong, Shisheng [Institute; Materials; Smilgies, Detlef-M. [Cornell; Tan, Kwan Wee [Department; School; Werner, Jörg G. [Department; Nealey, Paul F. [Institute; Materials; Wiesner, Ulrich B. [Department

2017-12-19

Three-dimensional (3D) mesoporous thin films with sub-100 nm periodic lattices are of increasing interest as templates for a number of nanotechnology applications, yet are hard to achieve with conventional top-down fabrication methods. Block copolymer self-assembly derived mesoscale structures provide a toolbox for such 3D template formation. In this work, single (alternating) gyroidal and double gyroidal mesoporous thin-film structures are achieved via solvent vapor annealing assisted co-assembly of poly(isoprene-block-styrene-block-ethylene oxide) (PI-b-PS-b-PEO, ISO) and resorcinol/phenol formaldehyde resols. In particular, the alternating gyroid thin-film morphology is highly desirable for potential template backfilling processes as a result of the large pore volume fraction. In situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering during solvent annealing is employed as a tool to elucidate and navigate the pathway complexity of the structure formation processes. The resulting network structures are resistant to high temperatures provided an inert atmosphere. The thin films have tunable hydrophilicity from pyrolysis at different temperatures, while pore sizes can be tailored by varying ISO molar mass. A transfer technique between substrates is demonstrated for alternating gyroidal mesoporous thin films, circumventing the need to re-optimize film formation protocols for different substrates. Increased conductivity after pyrolysis at high temperatures demonstrates that these gyroidal mesoporous resin/carbon thin films have potential as functional 3D templates for a number of nanomaterials applications.

Microstructure and high-temperature tribological properties of Si-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Teng Fei; Wan, Zhi Xin; Ding, Ji Cheng; Zhang, Shihong; Wang, Qi Min; Kim, Kwang Ho

2018-03-01

Si-doped DLC films have attracted great attention for use in tribological applications. However, their high-temperature tribological properties remain less investigated, especially in harsh oxidative working conditions. In this study, Si-doped hydrogenated DLC films with various Si content were synthesized and the effects of the addition of Si on the microstructural, mechanical and high-temperature tribological properties of the films were investigated. The results indicate that Si doping leads to an obvious increase in the sp3/sp2 ratio of DLC films, likely due to the silicon atoms preferentially substitute the sp2-hybridized carbon atoms and augment the number of sp3 sites. With Si doping, the mechanical properties, including hardness and adhesion strength, were improved, while the residual stress of the DLC films was reduced. The addition of Si leads to higher thermal and mechanical stability of DLC films because the Si atoms inhibit the graphitization of the films at an elevated temperature. Better high-temperature tribological properties of the Si-DLC films under oxidative conditions were observed, which can be attributed to the enhanced thermal stability and formation of a Si-containing lubricant layer on the surfaces of the wear tracks. The nano-wear resistance of the DLC films was also improved by Si doping.

Gettering of carbon dioxide by erbium thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrhoff, T.K.

1980-01-01

The interaction of carbon dioxide and erbium thin films is characterized at 300 to 900 0 C and 5 x 10 -7 torr. Temperature ramp experiments with thin erbium films indicated a significant reaction above 300 0 C, preceded by desorption of water vapor, hydrogen and nitrogen and/or carbon monoxide from the film surface. The sticking coefficients were plotted as a function of Langmuirs of carbon dioxide exposure. Between 400 and 600 0 C, the length of the exposure was found to be more important than the temperature of the exposure in determining the sticking coefficient. Some evolution of carbon monoxide was noted particularly in the 400 to 500 0 C region. An 80% conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide was measured at 500 0 C. The film pumping speeds were compared with published vapor pressure data for erbium. This comparison indicated that a significant portion of the pumping action observed at temperatures of 800 0 C and above was due to evaporation of erbium metal

Nanoporous-carbon films for microsensor preconcentrators

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, M. P.; Overmyer, D. L.; Kottenstette, R. J.; Tallant, D. R.; Yelton, W. G.

2002-05-01

Nanoporous-carbon (NPC) films are grown using physical processes such as low-power pulsed-laser deposition with attenuation of the ablated carbon species kinetic energy attained by using an inert background gas. With room-temperature growth and negligible residual stress, NPC can coat nearly any substrate to any desired thickness. Control of the deposition energetics yields precise morphology, density, and hence, porosity, with no discernable variation in chemical bonding. We produce NPC films 8 μm thick with density <0.2 g/cm3. The well-controlled porosity, i.e., available surface area, is demonstrated by using films with different thicknesses as a preconcentrator for a nerve-gas simulant.

Tribological properties of nitrogen-containing amorphous carbon film produced by dc plasma chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wei; Wazumi, Koichiro; Tanaka, Akihiro; Koga, Yoshinori

2003-01-01

The nitrogen-contained amorphous carbon (a-C:N) films were deposited in a dc plasma chemical vapor deposition system with different substrate bias voltages. The structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of the a-C:N films were investigated. The influence of the bias voltage on the tribological behaviors of the a-C:N films was evaluated under various environments (dry air, O 2 , N 2 , and vacuum) using a ball-on-disk friction tester. It showed that the sp 3 C and hydrogen concentration of the a-C:N films decreases with increasing the bias voltage. However, the nitrogen concentration increases with increasing the bias voltage. As a result, the hardness and internal stress decrease and the critical load for fracturing increases as the substrate bias increases. For the tribological properties of the a-C:N films, the friction coefficient of the films slightly decreases in the environments of N 2 , O 2 , or dry air, but increases slightly in the vacuum environment by increasing the bias voltage. It indicates that the incorporated nitrogen in the a-C:N films would decrease the friction coefficient of the films in N 2 or O 2 environments, but slightly increases the friction coefficient of the films in a vacuum. The excellent wear resistance of the a-C:N films, in the level of 10 -9 -10 -8 mm 3 /Nm, can be observed in N 2 , vacuum, and dry air environments. In addition, the effect of the bias voltage on the wear rate of the a-C:N films becomes less obvious by nitrogen incorporation. So, we suggest the incorporated nitrogen, which bonded to carbon and restrained the increase of the fraction of sp 2 C-C, would restrain the wear of the a-C:N films in different environments, especially in dry air

Growth of graphene films from non-gaseous carbon sources

Science.gov (United States)

Tour, James; Sun, Zhengzong; Yan, Zheng; Ruan, Gedeng; Peng, Zhiwei

2015-08-04

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides methods of forming graphene films by: (1) depositing a non-gaseous carbon source onto a catalyst surface; (2) exposing the non-gaseous carbon source to at least one gas with a flow rate; and (3) initiating the conversion of the non-gaseous carbon source to the graphene film, where the thickness of the graphene film is controllable by the gas flow rate. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to graphene films made in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

Tuning the Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Selective Li- and Na-Ion Storage in Hard Carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soto, Fernando A. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Yan, Pengfei [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Engelhard, Mark H. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Marzouk, Asma [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Wang, Chongmin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Xu, Guiliang [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Chen, Zonghai [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Amine, Khalil [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Liu, Jun [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Sprenkle, Vincent L. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; El-Mellouhi, Fedwa [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Balbuena, Perla B. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Li, Xiaolin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA

2017-03-07

Solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) with controllable properties are highly desirable to improve battery performance. In this paper, we use a combined experimental and simulation approach to study the SEI formation on hard carbon in Li and Na-ion batteries. We show that with proper additives, stable SEI can be formed on hard carbon by pre-cycling the electrode materials in Li or Na-ion electrolyte. Detailed mechanistic studies suggest that the ion transport in the SEI layer is kinetically controlled and can be tuned by the applied voltage. Selective Na and Li-ion SEI membranes are produced using the Na or Li-ion based electrolytes respectively. The large Na ion SEI allows easy transport of Li ions, while the small Li ion SEI shuts off the Na-ion transport. Na-ion storage can be manipulated by tuning the SEI with film-forming electrolyte additives or preforming a SEI on the electrodes’ surface. The Na specific capacity can be controlled to <25 mAh/g, ~1/10 of the normal capacity (250 mAh/g). Unusual selective/preferential transport of Li-ion is demonstrated by preforming a SEI on the electrode’s surface and corroborated with a mixed electrolyte. This work may provide new guidance for preparing good ion selective conductors using electrochemical approaches in the future.

Influence of residual Ar+ in Ar cluster ion beam for DLC film formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitagawa, Teruyuki; Miyauchi, Kazuya; Toyoda, Noriaki; Kanda, Kazuhiro; Ikeda, Tokumi; Tsubakino, Harushige; Matsuo, Jiro; Matsui, Shinji; Yamada, Isao

2003-01-01

In order to study the influences of residual Ar monomer ion (Ar + ) on sp 2 content and hardness of diamond like carbon (DLC) films formed by Ar cluster ion beam assisted deposition, Ar cluster ion, Ar + and their mixed ions (Ar cluster ion and Ar + ) bombardments were performed during evaporation of C 60 . From near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and Raman spectroscopy measurements, lower sp 2 content in the carbon films was obtained with Ar cluster ion bombardment than that with Ar + and mixed ion. Furthermore higher hardness and smooth surface were shown with Ar cluster ion bombardments. Therefore it was important to reduce Ar + in Ar cluster ion beams to obtain hard DLC films with flat surface

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline composites Mo-C-N hard films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Q. [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, POB 1129, 230031 Hefei (China); Liu, T. [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, POB 1129, 230031 Hefei (China); Fang, Q.F. [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, POB 1129, 230031 Hefei (China)]. E-mail: qffang@issp.ac.cn; Liang, F.J. [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, POB 1129, 230031 Hefei (China); Wang, J.X. [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, POB 1129, 230031 Hefei (China)

2006-05-01

Molybdenum carbonitride (MoCN) films were deposited on Si (001) and stainless steel substrates by reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering with a molybdenum and graphite composite target. By changing the substrate temperature and the N{sub 2} / Ar ratio in the sputtering gas, it is found that good quality MoCN films can be deposited at substrate temperature of 300-400 deg. C under N{sub 2} partial pressure of 0.25-0.5 Pa with a total working pressure of 1 Pa. The structures of the films deposited at such conditions were determined by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis as nanocrystalline molybdenum carbonitride with a grain size of several ten nanometers was embedded in the amorphous matrix of C and CN {sub x}. The hardness of the MoCN films can reach 28 GPa, much higher than the value of MoC and MoN films alone.

Etching processes of transparent carbon nanotube thin films using laser technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, H.K.; Lin, R.C.; Li, C.H.

2010-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential as a transparent conductive material with good mechanical and electrical properties. However, carbon nanotube thin film deposition and etching processes are very difficult to pattern the electrode. In this study, transparent CNT film with a binder is coated on a PET flexible substrate. The transmittance and sheet resistance of carbon nanotube film are 84% and 1000 Ω/□, respectively. The etching process of carbon nanotube film on flexible substrates was investigated using 355 nm and 1064 nm laser sources. Experimental results show that carbon nanotube film can be ablated using laser technology. With the 355 nm UV laser, the minimum etched line width was 20 μm with a low amount of recast material of the ablated sections. The optimal conditions of laser ablation were determined for carbon nanotube film.

A study of the chemical, mechanical, and surface properties of thin films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandentop, G.J.

1990-07-01

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films were studied with the objective of elucidating the nucleation and growth mechanisms, and the origin of their unique physical properties. The films were deposited onto Si(100) substrates both on the powered (negatively self-biased) and on the grounded electrodes from methane in an rf plasma (13.56 MHz) at 65 mTorr and 300 to 370 K. The films produced at the powered electrode exhibited superior mechanical properties, such as high hardness. A mass spectrometer was used to identify neutral species and positive ions incident on the electrodes from the plasma, and also to measure ion energies. The effect of varying ion energy flux on the properties of a-C:H films was investigated using a novel pulsed biasing technique. It was demonstrated that ions were not the dominant deposition species as the total ion flux measured was insufficient to account for the observed deposition rate. The interface between thin films of a-C:H and silicon substrates was investigated using angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A silicon carbide layer was detected at the interface of a hard a-C:H film formed at the powered electrode. At the grounded electrode, where the kinetic energy is low, no interfacial carbide layer was observed. Scanning tunneling microscopy and high energy electron energy loss spectroscopy was used to investigate the initial stages of growth of a-C:H films. On graphite substrates, films formed at the powered electrode were observed to nucleate in clusters approximately 50 {Angstrom} in diameter, while at the grounded electrode no cluster formation was observed. 58 figs.

Single walled carbon nanotube network—Tetrahedral amorphous carbon composite film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyer, Ajai, E-mail: ajai.iyer@aalto.fi; Liu, Xuwen; Koskinen, Jari [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16200, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Kaskela, Antti; Kauppinen, Esko I. [NanoMaterials Group, Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, POB 15100, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Johansson, Leena-Sisko [Department of Forest Products Technology, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16400, 00076 Espoo (Finland)

2015-06-14

Single walled carbon nanotube network (SWCNTN) was coated by tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) using a pulsed Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc system to form a SWCNTN—ta-C composite film. The effects of SWCNTN areal coverage density and ta-C coating thickness on the composite film properties were investigated. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements prove the presence of high quality sp{sup 3} bonded ta-C coating on the SWCNTN. Raman spectroscopy suggests that the single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) forming the network survived encapsulation in the ta-C coating. Nano-mechanical testing suggests that the ta-C coated SWCNTN has superior wear performance compared to uncoated SWCNTN.

Structural Analysis of Planar sp3 and sp2 Films: Diamond-Like Carbon and Graphene Overlayers

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Ahmed

2011-07-07

The special electronic configuration of carbon enables the existence of wide ranging allotropes taking all possible dimensionalities. The allotropes of carbon are characterized by the type of hybridized bonding forming its structure, ranging from pure sp2 as in graphene, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes, to pure sp3 as in diamond. Amorphous and diamond-like carbon consists of a mixture of both hybridizations. This variation in hybridization in carbon materials enables a wide spectrum of properties, ranging from high bulk mechanical hardness, tribological properties and chemical inertness made possible by moving towards pure sp3 bonding to the extraordinary electrical conductivity, optical properties and in-plane mechanical strength resulting from pure sp2 bonding. Two allotropes at the extremes of this spectrum, diamond like carbon (DLC) and graphene, are investigated in this thesis; the former is investigated as a protective coating in hard drive applications, while the latter is investigated in the context of chemically derived graphene as material for transparent conducting electrode applications. DLC thin films are a main component in computer hard drives, acting as a protective coating against corrosion and mechanical wear of the magnetic layer and read-write head. The thickness of DLC films greatly affects the storage density in such devices, as larger separation between the read/write head and the magnetic layer decreases the storage density. A targeted DLC thickness of 2 nm would increase the storage density towards 1 Tbits/inch2. However, difficulty achieving continuous films at such thicknesses by commonly used sputtering methods challenges the industry to investigate alternative methods. Filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) has been proposed as an efficient technique to provide continuous, smooth and ultra-thin DLC films. We investigate the influence of deposition angle, deposition time, and substrate biasing to define the optimum process window to obtain

Low-Surface-Area Hard Carbon Anode for Na-Ion Batteries via Graphene Oxide as a Dehydration Agent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, W; Bommier, C; Jian, ZL; Li, X; Carter, R; Vail, S; Lu, YH; Lee, JJ; Ji, XL

2015-02-04

Na-ion batteries are emerging as one of the most promising energy storage technologies, particularly for grid-level applications. Among anode candidate materials, hard carbon is very attractive due to its high capacity and low cost. However, hard carbon anodes often suffer a low first-cycle Coulombic efficiency and fast capacity fading. In this study, we discover that doping graphene oxide into sucrose, the precursor for hard carbon, can effectively reduce the specific surface area of hard carbon to as low as 5.4 m(2)/g. We further reveal that such doping can effectively prevent foaming during caramelization of sucrose and extend the pyrolysis burnoff of sucrose caramel over a wider temperature range. The obtained low-surface-area hard carbon greatly improves the first-cycle Coulombic efficiency from 74% to 83% and delivers a very stable cyclic life with 95% of capacity retention after 200 cycles.

Low Molecular Weight Z-Tetraol Boundary Lubricant Films in Hard Disk Drives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. J. Waltman

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Lower molecular weight Z-Tetraol films exhibit increased mechanical spacing in the slider-disk interface due to a lower z-profile. An increased resistance to lubricant disturbance on the disk surface (e.g., lube moguls with decreasing film thickness is attributed to an increasing contribution from the polar component of the disjoining pressure. Evaporative loss at temperatures typically encountered in a hard-disk drive also increases with decreasing molecular weight but is strongly dependent on the initial bonded fraction.

Films of Carbon Nanomaterials for Transparent Conductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Wei

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The demand for transparent conductors is expected to grow rapidly as electronic devices, such as touch screens, displays, solid state lighting and photovoltaics become ubiquitous in our lives. Doped metal oxides, especially indium tin oxide, are the commonly used materials for transparent conductors. As there are some drawbacks to this class of materials, exploration of alternative materials has been conducted. There is an interest in films of carbon nanomaterials such as, carbon nanotubes and graphene as they exhibit outstanding properties. This article reviews the synthesis and assembly of these films and their post-treatment. These processes determine the film performance and understanding of this platform will be useful for future work to improve the film performance.

INFLUENCE OF THE SILICON INTERLAYER ON DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON FILMS DEPOSITED ON GLASS SUBSTRATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deiler Antonio Lima Oliveira

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Diamond-like carbon (DLC films as a hard protective coating have achieved great success in a diversity of technological applications. However, adhesion of DLC films to substrates can restrict their applications. The influence of a silicon interlayer in order to improve DLC adhesion on glass substrates was investigated. Amorphous silicon interlayer and DLC films were deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from silane and methane, respectively. The bonding structure, transmittance, refraction index, and adherence of the films were also evaluated regarding the thickness of the silicon interlayer. Raman scattering spectroscopy did not show any substantial difference in DLC structure due to the interlayer thickness of the silicon. Optical measurements showed a sharp decrease of transmittance in the ultra-violet region caused by the fundamental absorption of the light. In addition, the absorption edge of transmittance shifted toward longer wavelength side in the ultra-violet region as the thickness of the silicon interlayer increased. The tribological results showed an increase of DLC adherence as the silicon interlayer increased, which was characterized by less cracks around the grooves.

Catalytic effect of Al and AlN interlayer on the growth and properties of containing carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Bing; Liu, Zhubo; Tang, Bin; Rogachev, A.V.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • DLC and CN x bilayers with Al (AlN) interlayer were fabricated by cathode arc technique. • Complete diffusion of Al and C atoms occurs at the interface of Al/DLC (CN x ) bilayer. • Al/CN x bilayer presents a higher content of Csp 3 /Csp 2 bonds. • The hardness of Al/DLC bilayer decreases but increases for the other bilayers. • Morphology of the bilayers was explained by growth mechanism of DLC and surface state of substrate. - Abstract: Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and carbon nitride (CN x ) bilayer films with Al and AlN interlayer were fabricated by pulse cathode arc technique. The structure, composition, morphology and mechanical properties of the films were investigated by Raman, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Knoop sclerometer and surface profilometer. The results indicated that the complete diffusion between C and Al atoms occurs in the Al/DLC and Al/CN x bilayer. Al interlayer induces the increase of the size and ordering of Csp 2 clusters in the films but AlN interlayer increases the disordering degree of Csp 2 clusters. XPS results showed that a higher content of Csp 3 /Csp 2 bonds presents in the Al/CN x bilayer, and Al and AlN interlayer decreases the atomic ratio of N/C. AFM with phase contrast mode illustrated the morphologic characteristics of the bilayer films. All the bilayers show a nano-structural surface. The morphology changes of the bilayer were well explained by the surface state of the substrate and the growth mechanism of DLC films. The hardness of Al/DLC bilayer decreases but it increases for the other bilayers compared to the corresponding DLC (CN x ) monolayer. The internal stress of the bilayer is significantly lower than that of the monolayer except for the AlN/CN x bilayer. These studies could make the difference at the time of choosing a suitable functional film for certain application

Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S.; Muhl, S.

2006-01-01

Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm 2 . The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

Hard TiCx/SiC/a-C:H nanocomposite thin films using pulsed high energy density plasma focus device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umar, Z.A.; Rawat, R.S.; Tan, K.S.; Kumar, A.K.; Ahmad, R.; Hussain, T.; Kloc, C.; Chen, Z.; Shen, L.; Zhang, Z.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •The energetic ions and electron beams are used to synthesize TiC x /SiC/a-C:H films. •As-deposited crystalline and hard nanocomposite TiC x /SiC/a-C:H films are synthesized. •Very high average deposition rates of 68 nm/shot are achieved using dense plasma focus. •The maximum hardness of 22 GPa is achieved at the surface of the film. -- Abstract: Thin films of TiC x /SiC/a-C:H were synthesized on Si substrates using a complex mix of high energy density plasmas and instability accelerated energetic ions of filling gas species, emanated from hot and dense pinched plasma column, in dense plasma focus device. The conventional hollow copper anode of Mather type plasma focus device was replaced by solid titanium anode for synthesis of TiC x /SiC/a-C:H nanocomposite thin films using CH 4 :Ar admixture of (1:9, 3:7 and 5:5) for fixed 20 focus shots as well as with different number of focus shots with fixed CH 4 :Ar admixture ratio 3:7. XRD results showed the formation of crystalline TiC x /SiC phases for thin film synthesized using different number of focus shots with CH 4 :Ar admixture ratio fixed at 3:7. SEM results showed that the synthesized thin films consist of nanoparticle agglomerates and the size of agglomerates depended on the CH 4 :Ar admixture ratio as well as on the number of focus shots. Raman analysis showed the formation of polycrystalline/amorphous Si, SiC and a-C for different CH 4 :Ar ratio as well as for different number of focus shots. The XPS analysis confirmed the formation of TiC x /SiC/a-C:H composite thin film. Nanoindentation results showed that the hardness and elastic modulus values of composite thin films increased with increasing number of focus shots. Maximum values of hardness and elastic modulus at the surface of the composite thin film were found to be about 22 and 305 GPa, respectively for 30 focus shots confirming the successful synthesis of hard composite TiC x /SiC/a-C:H coatings

Microstructure and property of diamond-like carbon films with Al and Cr co-doping deposited using a hybrid beams system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Wei, E-mail: popdw@126.com [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Liu, Jingmao; Geng, Dongsen [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Guo, Peng [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Zheng, Jun [Science and Technology on Surface Engineering Laboratory, Lanzhou Institute of Physics, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Wang, Qimin, E-mail: qmwang@gdut.edu.cn [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China)

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Diamond-like carbon films with Al and Cr doping were deposited. • Alternate multilayered structure consisted of Al-poor layer and Al-rich layer was formed. • The periodic Al-rich layers can greatly improve the residual stress and elastic resilience of the films. - Abstract: DLC films with weak carbide former Al and carbide former Cr co-doping (Al:Cr-DLC) were deposited by a hybrid beams system comprising an anode-layer linear ion beam source (LIS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering using a gas mixture of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} and Ar as the precursor. The doped Al and Cr contents were controlled via adjusting the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} fraction in the gas mixture. The composition, microstructure, compressive stress, mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of the Al:Cr-DLC films were researched carefully using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, stress-tester, nanoindentation and ball-on-plate tribometer as function of the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} fraction. The results show that the Al and Cr contents in the films increased continuously as the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} fraction decreased. The doped Cr atoms preferred to bond with the carbon while the Al atoms mainly existed in metallic state. Structure modulation with alternate multilayer consisted of Al-poor DLC layer and Al-rich DLC layer was found in the films. Those periodic Al-rich DLC layers can effectively release the residual stress of the films. On the other hand, the formation of the carbide component due to Cr incorporation can help to increase the film hardness. Accordingly, the residual stress of the DLC films can be reduced without sacrificing the film hardness though co-doping Al and Cr atoms. Furthermore, it was found that the periodic Al-rich layer can greatly improve the elastic resilience of the DLC films and thus decreases the film friction coefficient and wear rate significantly. However, the existence of the carbide component would

Effect of Radio-Frequency and Low-Frequency Bias Voltage on the Formation of Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manis-Levy, Hadar; Mintz, Moshe H.; Livneh, Tsachi; Zukerman Ido; Raveh, Avi

2014-01-01

The effect of radio-frequency (RF) or low-frequency (LF) bias voltage on the formation of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films was studied on silicon substrates with a low methane (CH 4 ) concentration (2–10 vol.%) in CH 4 +Ar mixtures. The bias substrate was applied either by RF (13.56 MHz) or by LF (150 kHz) power supply. The highest hardness values (∼18–22 GPa) with lower hydrogen content in the films (∼20 at.%) deposited at 10 vol.% CH 4 , was achieved by using the RF bias. However, the films deposited using the LF bias, under similar RF plasma generation power and CH 4 concentration (50 W and 10 vol.%, respectively), displayed lower hardness (∼6–12 GPa) with high hydrogen content (∼40 at.%). The structures analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman scattering measurements provide an indication of trans-polyacetylene structure formation. However, its excessive formation in the films deposited by the LF bias method is consistent with its higher bonded hydrogen concentration and low level of hardness, as compared to the film prepared by the RF bias method. It was found that the effect of RF bias on the film structure and properties is stronger than the effect of the low-frequency (LF) bias under identical radio-frequency (RF) powered electrode and identical PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) system configuration. (plasma technology)

Rapid growth of diamond-like-carbon films by copper vapor laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLean, W.; Warner, B.E.; Havstad, M.A.

1995-04-01

Visible light from a copper vapor laser (CVL) operating with 510 and 578 nm radiation (intensity ratio approximately 2:1), an average power of 100 W, a pulse duration of 50 ns, and a repetition frequency of 4.4 kHz has been shown to produce high quality diamond-like-carbon (DLC) films at fluences between 2x10 8 and 5x10 10 W/cm 2 . Maximum deposition rates of 2000 μm·cm 2 /h were obtained at 5x10 8 W/cm 2 . DLC films with hardness values of approximately 60 GPa were characterized by a variety of techniques to confirm DLC character, hydrogen content, and surface morphology. The presence of C 2 in the vapor plume was confirmed by the presence of the C 2 Swan bands in emission spectra obtained during the process. Economic implications of process scale-up to industrially meaningful component sizes are presented

Measurement of hydrogen in BCN films by nuclear reaction analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yasui, Haruyuki; Hirose, Yukio; Sasaki, Toshihiko [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan); Awazu, Kaoru [Industrial Research Inst., of Ishikawa, Kanazawa (Japan); Naramoto, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

2001-07-01

Hydrogen is a very common contaminant in carbon films. It can strongly influence on mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the films. The analysis of hydrogen is therefore a crucial problem produce the films with the properties required. Ion beam techniques using nuclear reactions are effective for the quantitative determination of hydrogen concentration. A specially designed spectrometer is employed for the detailed determination of hydrogen concentrations by detecting 4.43MeV {gamma}-rays from the resonant nuclear reactions {sup 1}H({sup 15}N, {alpha}{gamma}){sup 12}C at the 6.385MeV. In this study, the BCN films were formed on silicon substrate by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD), in which boron and carbon were deposited by electron beam heating of B{sub 4}C solid and nitrogen was supplied by ion implantation simultaneously. The concentrations of hydrogen in BCN films were measured using RNRA. The mechanical properties of BCN films were evaluated using an ultra-micro-hardness tester. It was confirmed that the hardness of BCN films increased with increasing the concentration of hydrogen. (author)

Low energy electron irradiation induced carbon etching: Triggering carbon film reacting with oxygen from SiO{sub 2} substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Cheng [Institute of Nanosurface Science and Engineering (INSE), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Wang, Chao, E-mail: cwang367@szu.edu.cn, E-mail: dfdiao@szu.edu.cn; Diao, Dongfeng, E-mail: cwang367@szu.edu.cn, E-mail: dfdiao@szu.edu.cn [Institute of Nanosurface Science and Engineering (INSE), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China)

2016-08-01

We report low-energy (50–200 eV) electron irradiation induced etching of thin carbon films on a SiO{sub 2} substrate. The etching mechanism was interpreted that electron irradiation stimulated the dissociation of the carbon film and SiO{sub 2}, and then triggered the carbon film reacting with oxygen from the SiO{sub 2} substrate. A requirement for triggering the etching of the carbon film is that the incident electron penetrates through the whole carbon film, which is related to both irradiation energy and film thickness. This study provides a convenient electron-assisted etching with the precursor substrate, which sheds light on an efficient pathway to the fabrication of nanodevices and nanosurfaces.

Effect of graphite target power density on tribological properties of graphite-like carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Dan; Jiang, Bailing; Li, Hongtao; Du, Yuzhou; Yang, Chao

2018-05-01

In order to improve the tribological performance, a series of graphite-like carbon (GLC) films with different graphite target power densities were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The valence bond and microstructure of films were characterized by AFM, TEM, XPS and Raman spectra. The variation of mechanical and tribological properties with graphite target power density was analyzed. The results showed that with the increase of graphite target power density, the deposition rate and the ratio of sp2 bond increased obviously. The hardness firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of graphite target power density, whilst the friction coefficient and the specific wear rate increased slightly after a decrease with the increasing graphite target power density. The friction coefficient and the specific wear rate were the lowest when the graphite target power density was 23.3 W/cm2.

Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D.; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars

2015-01-01

The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN x ) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN x films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N 2 /Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V s , was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V s  ≥ 60 V, V s  ≥ 100 V, and V s  = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V s for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V s , while CN x films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2 GPa. Nanoindentation showed a significant

Fabrication of periodical surface structures by picosecond laser irradiation of carbon thin films: transformation of amorphous carbon in nanographite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popescu, C.; Dorcioman, G. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Bita, B. [National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, Voluntari RO-077190 (Romania); Faculty of Physics, 405 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Besleaga, C.; Zgura, I. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 105bis Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Himcinschi, C. [Institute of Theoretical Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg D-09596 (Germany); Popescu, A.C., E-mail: andrei.popescu@inflpr.ro [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Ripples obtained on carbon films after irradiation with visible ps laser pulses. • Amorphous carbon was transformed in nanographite following irradiation. • Ripples had a complex morphology, being made of islands of smaller ripples. • Hydrophilic carbon films became hydrophobic after surface structuring. - Abstract: Thin films of carbon were synthesized by ns pulsed laser deposition in vacuum on silicon substrates, starting from graphite targets. Further on, the films were irradiated with a picosecond laser source emitting in visible at 532 nm. After tuning of laser parameters, we obtained a film surface covered by laser induced periodical surface structures (LIPSS). They were investigated by optical, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. It was observed that changing the irradiation angle influences the LIPSS covered area. At high magnification it was revealed that the LIPSS pattern was quite complex, being composed of other small LIPSS islands, interconnected by bridges of nanoparticles. Raman spectra for the non-irradiated carbon films were typical for a-C type of diamond-like carbon, while the LIPSS spectra were characteristic to nano-graphite. The pristine carbon film was hydrophilic, while the LIPSS covered film surface was hydrophobic.

Structure and giant magnetoresistance of carbon-based amorphous films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, L.; He, M.F.; Liu, Z.W.; Zeng, D.C.; Gu, Z.F.; Cheng, G.

2014-01-01

Pure amorphous carbon (a-C) and Co-doped Co x C 1−x films were prepared on n-Si(100) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. In Co–C films, the nano-sized amorphous Co particles were homogeneously dispersed in the amorphous cross-linked carbon matrix. The structures of a-C and Co x C 1−x films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the a-C films were diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. After doping cobalt into DLC film, the sp 3 -hybridized carbon content in DLC composite films almost had no change. The as-deposited Co x C 1−x granular films had larger value of magnetoresistance (MR) than the amorphous carbon film. A very high positive MR, up to 15.5% at magnetic field B = 0.8 T and x = 2.5 at.% was observed in a Co x C 1−x granular film with thickness of 80 nm at room temperature when the external magnetic field was perpendicular to the electric current and the film surface. With increase of the film thickness and Co-doped content, the MR decreased gradually. It remains a challenge to well explain the observed MR effect in the Co x C 1−x granular films. - Highlights: • The amorphous carbon films were diamond-like carbon films. • No carbide appearing, the Co–C composite films form a good metal/insulator system. • A high positive magnetoresistance, up to 15.5% at B = 0.8 T was observed in Co–C films

Structural and mechanical properties of diamond-like carbon films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broitman, E.; Hellgren, N.; Czigany, Zs.; Twesten, R.D.; Luning, J.; Petrov, I.; Hultman, L.; Holloway, B.C.

2003-01-01

The microstructure, morphology, and mechanical properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering were investigated for microelectromechanical systems applications. Film properties were found to vary markedly with the ion energy (E ion ) and ion-to-carbon flux ratio (J ion /J C ). Cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed an amorphous microstructure. However, the presence of nanometer-sized domains at E ion ∼85 eV was detected. Film stresses, σ, which were compressive in all cases, ranged from 0.5 to 3.5 GPa and depended on the flux ratio as well as ion energy. The hardness (H), Young's moduli (ε), and elastic recovery (R) increased with E ion to maximum values of H=27 GPa, ε=250 GPa, and R=68% at E ion =85 eV and J ion /J C =4.4. However, near edge x-ray absorption fine structure and electron energy-loss spectrum analysis showed that the sp 2 /sp 3 content of the films does not change with E ion or J ion /J C . The measured change in mechanical properties without a corresponding change in sp 2 /sp 3 ratio is not consistent with any previously published models. We suggest that, in the ranges 5 eV ≤E ion ≤85 eV and 1.1 ≤J ion /J C ≤6.8, the presence of defective graphite formed by subplanted C and Ar atoms has the dominant influence on the mechanical properties of DLC films

Epitaxial Growth of Hard Ferrimagnetic Mn3Ge Film on Rhodium Buffer Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Sugihara

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Mn\\(_3\\Ge has a tetragonal Heusler-like D0\\(_{22}\\ crystal structure, exhibiting a large uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and small saturation magnetization due to its ferrimagnetic spin structure; thus, it is a hard ferrimagnet. In this report, epitaxial growth of a Mn\\(_3\\Ge film on a Rh buffer layer was investigated for comparison with that of a film on a Cr buffer layer in terms of the lattice mismatch between Mn\\(_3\\Ge and the buffer layer. The film grown on Rh had much better crystalline quality than that grown on Cr, which can be attributed to the small lattice mismatch. Epitaxial films of Mn\\(_3\\Ge on Rh show somewhat small coercivity (\\(H_{\\rm c}\\ = 12.6 kOe and a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (\\(K_{\\rm u}\\ = 11.6 Merg/cm\\(^3\\, comparable to that of the film grown on Cr.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of multilayer diamond-like carbon films with different modulation ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Zhaoying; Zheng, Y.J.; Jiang, F.; Leng, Y.X.; Sun Hong; Huang Nan

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The multilayer DLC films with different modulation ratios have been fabricated by FCVA. ► The multilayer DLC films can effectively decrease the residual stress of the DLC films. ► The multilayer DLC film with modulation ratio of 1:1 shows the best wear resistance. - Abstract: The multilayer DLC films consisting of sp 2 -rich DLC layers (soft DLC) and sp 3 -rich DLC layers (hard DLC) with different modulation ratios (thickness ratio of the hard DLC to soft DLC) ranging from 2:1, 1:1 to 1:2 had been deposited on Si (1 0 0) wafer and Ti–6Al–4V alloy substrates by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition. The effect of modulation ratio on the microstructure and properties of the multilayer DLC films including sp 3 content, residual stress, mechanical properties, adhesion strength and wear resistance were studied by Raman spectroscopy, profilometry technique, nanoindenter, Vickers indentation test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ball-on-disc reciprocating friction test. The results showed that the sp 3 content and the hardness of the multilayer DLC films decreased with modulation ratios decreasing. The stress of the multilayer DLC films could be effectively reduced and the stress decreased with the modulation ratio decreasing. The multilayer DLC film with modulation ratio of 1:1 had the best wear resistance due to a balance between hardness and residual stress.

LARGE AREA FILTERED ARC DEPOSITION OF CARBON AND BORON BASED HARD COATINGS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhattacharya, Rabi S.

2003-12-05

This document is a final report covering work performed under Contract No. DE-FG02-99ER82911 from the Department of Energy under a SBIR Phase II Program. Wear resistant, hard coatings can play a vital role in many engineering applications. The primary goal of this project was to develop coatings containing boron and carbon with hardness greater than 30 GPa and evaluate these coatings for machining applications. UES has developed a number of carbon and boron containing coatings with hardness in the range of 34 to 65 GPa using a combination of filtered cathodic arc and magnetron sputtering. The boron containing coatings were based on TiB2, TiBN, and TiBCN, while the carbon containing coatings ere TiC+C and hydrogen free diamond-like-carbon. Machining tests were performed with single and multilayer coated tools. The turning and milling tests were run at TechSolve Inc., under a subcontract at Ohio State University. Significant increases in tool lives were realized in end milling of H-13 die steel (8X) and titanium alloy (80%) using the TiBN coating. A multilayer TiBN/TiN performed the best in end-milling of highly abrasive Al-Si alloys. A 40% increase in life over the TiAlN benchmark coating was found. Further evaluations of these coatings with commercialization partners are currently in progress.

Fabrication of High Transparency Diamond-Like Carbon Film Coating on D263T Glass at Room Temperature as an Antireflection Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chii-Ruey Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study intends to deposit high transmittance diamond-like carbon (DLC thin films on D263T glass substrate at room temperature via a diamond powder target using the radio frequency (RF magnetron sputtering technique. Moreover, various process parameters were used to tune the properties of the thin films by using the Taguchi method. Experimental results show that the content of sp3 bonded carbon decreases in accordance with the effect of the substrate temperature. In addition, the hardness of all as-deposited single-layer DLC films ranges from 13.2 to 22.5 GPa, and the RMS surface roughness was improved significantly with the decrease in sputtering pressure. The water repellent of the deposited DLC films improved significantly with the increase of the sp3 content, and its contact angle was larger than that of the noncoated one by 1.45 times. Furthermore, the refraction index (n of all as-deposited DLC films ranges from 1.95 to 2.1 at λ = 600 nm. These results demonstrate that the thickness increased as the reflectance increased. DLC film under an RF power of 150 W possesses high transmissive ability (>81% and low average reflectance ability (<9.5% in the visible wavelengths (at λ = 400–700 nm.

Tribological behavior and film formation mechanisms of carbon nanopearls

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Chad Nicholas

Carbon nanopearls (CNPs) are amorphous carbon spheres that contain concentrically-oriented nanometer-sized graphitic flakes. Because of their spherical shape, size (˜150 nm), and structure consisting of concentrically oriented nano-sized sp2 flakes, CNPs are of interest for tribological applications, in particular for use in solid lubricant coatings. These studies were focused on investigating mechanisms of CNP lubrication, development of methods to deposit CNP onto substrates, synthesizing CNP-gold hybrid films using Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) and magnetron sputtering, and studying plasmas and other species present during film deposition using an Electrostatic Quadrupole Plasma (EQP) analyzer. CNPs deposited onto silicon using drop casting with methanol showed good lubricating properties in sliding contacts under dry conditions, where a transfer film was created in which morphology changed from nano-sized spheres to micron-sized agglomerates consisting of many highly deformed CNPs in which the nano-sized graphene flakes are sheared from the wrapped layer structure of the CNPs. The morphology of carbon nanopearl films deposited using a MAPLE system equipped with a 248 nm KrF excimer laser source was found to be influenced by multiple factors, including composition of the matrix solvent, laser energy and repetition rate, background pressure, and substrate temperature. The best parameters for depositing CNP films that are disperse, droplet-free and have the maximum amount of material deposited are as follows: toluene matrix, 700 mJ, 1 Hz, 100°C substrate temperature, and unregulated vacuum pressure. During depositions using MAPLE and sputtering in argon, electron ionization of toluene vapor generated from the MAPLE target and charge exchange reactions between toluene vapor and the argon plasma generated by the magnetron caused carbon to be deposited onto the gold sputter target. Thin films deposited under these conditions contained high

High Capacity of Hard Carbon Anode in Na-Ion Batteries Unlocked by PO _x Doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Zhifei; Ma, Lu; Surta, Todd Wesley; Bommier, Clement; Jian, Zelang; Xing, Zhenyu; Stickle, William F.; Dolgos, Michelle; Amine, Khalil; Lu, Jun; Wu, Tianpin; Ji, Xiulei

2016-08-12

The capacity of hard carbon anodes in Na-ion batteries 2.5 rarely reaches values beyond 300 mAh/g. We report that doping POx into local structures of hard carbon increases its reversible capacity from 283 to 359 mAh/g. We confirm that the doped POx is redox inactive by X-ray adsorption near edge structure measurements, thus not contributing to the higher capacity. We observe two significant changes of hard carbon's local structures caused by doping. First, the (002) d-spacing inside the turbostratic nanodomains is increased, revealed by both laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Second, doping turns turbostratic nanodomains more defective along ab planes, indicated by neutron total scattering and the associated pair distribution function studies. The local structural changes of hard carbon are correlated to the higher capacity, where both the plateau and slope regions in the potential profiles are enhanced. Our study demonstrates that Na-ion storage in hard carbon heavily depends on carbon local structures, where such structures, despite being disordered, can be tuned toward unusually high capacities.

Unusual Passivation Ability of Superconcentrated Electrolytes toward Hard Carbon Negative Electrodes in Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Takada, Koji; Yamada, Yuki; Watanabe, Eriko; Wang, Jianhui; Sodeyama, Keitaro; Tateyama, Yoshitaka; Hirata, Kazuhisa; Kawase, Takeo; Yamada, Atsuo

2017-10-04

The passivation of negative electrodes is key to achieving prolonged charge-discharge cycling with Na-ion batteries. Here, we report the unusual passivation ability of superconcentrated Na-salt electrolytes. For example, a 50 mol % sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (NaFSA)/succinonitrile (SN) electrolyte enables highly reversible Na + insertion into a hard carbon negative electrode without any electrolyte additive, functional binder, or electrode pretreatment. Importantly, an anion-derived passivation film is formed via preferential reduction of the anion upon charging, which can effectively suppress further electrolyte reduction. As a structural characteristic of the electrolyte, most anions are coordinated to multiple Na + cations at high concentration, which shifts the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of the anions downward, resulting in preferential anion reduction. The present work provides a new understanding of the passivation mechanism with respect to the coordination state of the anion.

Hardness of high-pressure high-temperature treated single-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, S.; Nojima, Y.; Yokomae, T.; Okino, F.; Touhara, H.

2007-01-01

We have performed high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) treatments of high quality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) over a wide pressure-temperature range up to 13 GPa-873 K and have investigated the hardness of the HPHT-treated SWCNTs using a nanoindentation technique. It was found that the hardness of the SWCNTs treated at pressures greater than 11 GPa and at temperatures higher than 773 K is about 10 times greater than that of the SWCNTs treated at low temperature. It was also found that the hardness change of the SWCNTs is related to the structural change by the HPHT treatments which was based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements

Effects of substrate material on carbon films grown by laser molecular beam epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, M.; Xu, X.Y.; Man, B.Y.; Kong, D.M.; Xu, S.C.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We prepared tri-layers by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) on sapphire substrate. ► We found that the formation of the graphene film has a strong relation to the structure and properties of the substrate. ► The different carbon film formation mechanism of the buffer layers can affect the morphology of the film. - Abstract: The carbon thin films were grown on different substrates with different buffer layers by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) with a high purity graphite carbon target. A UV pulsed KrF excimer laser with a wavelength of 248 nm was used as laser source. The structure, surface morphology and other properties of the carbon thin films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the properties of the carbon thin films and the formation of the graphene film have a strong relation to the structure and properties of the substrate. The substrate with a hexagonal wurtzite structure which is similar to the hexagonal honeycomb structure of the carbon atoms arranged in the graphene is more beneficial for the formation of the graphene thin film. In our experiment conditions, the carbon films grown on sapphire substrates with different buffer layers have an ordered structure and a smooth surface, and form high quality tri-layer graphene films.

Comment on "Scrutinizing the carbon cycle and CO2residence time in the atmosphere" by H. Harde

Science.gov (United States)

Köhler, Peter; Hauck, Judith; Völker, Christoph; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter A.; Butzin, Martin; Halpern, Joshua B.; Rice, Ken; Zeebe, Richard E.

2018-05-01

Harde (2017) proposes an alternative accounting scheme for the modern carbon cycle and concludes that only 4.3% of today's atmospheric CO2 is a result of anthropogenic emissions. As we will show, this alternative scheme is too simple, is based on invalid assumptions, and does not address many of the key processes involved in the global carbon cycle that are important on the timescale of interest. Harde (2017) therefore reaches an incorrect conclusion about the role of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Harde (2017) tries to explain changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration with a single equation, while the most simple model of the carbon cycle must at minimum contain equations of at least two reservoirs (the atmosphere and the surface ocean), which are solved simultaneously. A single equation is fundamentally at odds with basic theory and observations. In the following we will (i) clarify the difference between CO2 atmospheric residence time and adjustment time, (ii) present recently published information about anthropogenic carbon, (iii) present details about the processes that are missing in Harde (2017), (iv) briefly discuss shortcoming in Harde's generalization to paleo timescales, (v) and comment on deficiencies in some of the literature cited in Harde (2017).

Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D., E-mail: konba@ifm.liu.se; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

2015-09-15

The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN{sub x}) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN{sub x} films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N{sub 2}/Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V{sub s}, was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V{sub s} ≥ 60 V, V{sub s} ≥ 100 V, and V{sub s} = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V{sub s} for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V{sub s}, while CN{sub x} films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2�

Deuterium retention properties of co-deposited carbon films produced at wall gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobuta, Yuji; Kanazawa, Jun; Yamauchi, Yuji; Hino, Tomoaki; Yokoyama, Kenji; Suzuki, Satoshi; Ezato, Koichiro; Enoeda, Mikio; Akiba, Masato; Akamaru, Satoshi; Hatano, Yuji

2013-01-01

Deuterium retention properties in co-deposited carbon film produced in gap and the relationship between this retention behavior and the crystal structure of carbon film were investigated. In the case of a wide gap, the atomic ratio of deuterium to carbon (D/C) in the film was almost constant at any depth in the gap, while in the case of a narrow gap the D/C ratio decreased with increasing distance from the gap entrance. The micro structure of carbon film tended to be more amorphous for the film produced at locations deeper in the gap. Thermal desorption spectra of D 2 in the film produced near the gap entrance showed one broad main peak at around 1100 K, while that in the film produced near the bottom showed very sharp peaks at around 950 K. This difference in desorption behavior was related with the differences of micro structure. (author)

Pulsed laser deposition and characterization of multilayer metal-carbon thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siraj, K., E-mail: khurram.uet@gmail.com [Advance Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (Pakistan); Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, M.; Rafique, M.S.; Munawar, M.Z. [Advance Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (Pakistan); Naseem, S.; Riaz, S. [Center for Solid State Physics, University of Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan)

2011-05-15

Cobalt-DLC multilayer films were deposited with increasing content of cobalt, keeping carbon content constant by pulsed laser deposition technique. A cobalt free carbon film was also deposited for comparison. Excimer laser was employed to ablate the materials onto silicon substrate, kept at 250 deg. C, while post-deposition annealing at 400 deg. C was also performed in situ. The formation of cobalt grains within the carbon matrix in Co-DLC films can be seen through scanning electron and atomic force micrographs while no grains on the surface of the cobalt-free DLC film were observed. Raman spectra of all the films show D- and G-bands, which is a confirmation that the films are DLC in nature. According to Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements, the DLC films with cobalt revealed ferromagnetic behaviour whereas the cobalt free DLC film exhibited diamagnetic behaviour. The pure DLC film also shows ferromagnetic nature when diamagnetic background is subtracted. Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) analysis showed that the optical band gaps, refractive indices and extinction coefficients of Co-DLC films can be effectively tuned with increasing content of cobalt.

Pulsed laser deposition and characterization of multilayer metal-carbon thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siraj, K.; Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, M.; Rafique, M.S.; Munawar, M.Z.; Naseem, S.; Riaz, S.

2011-01-01

Cobalt-DLC multilayer films were deposited with increasing content of cobalt, keeping carbon content constant by pulsed laser deposition technique. A cobalt free carbon film was also deposited for comparison. Excimer laser was employed to ablate the materials onto silicon substrate, kept at 250 deg. C, while post-deposition annealing at 400 deg. C was also performed in situ. The formation of cobalt grains within the carbon matrix in Co-DLC films can be seen through scanning electron and atomic force micrographs while no grains on the surface of the cobalt-free DLC film were observed. Raman spectra of all the films show D- and G-bands, which is a confirmation that the films are DLC in nature. According to Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements, the DLC films with cobalt revealed ferromagnetic behaviour whereas the cobalt free DLC film exhibited diamagnetic behaviour. The pure DLC film also shows ferromagnetic nature when diamagnetic background is subtracted. Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) analysis showed that the optical band gaps, refractive indices and extinction coefficients of Co-DLC films can be effectively tuned with increasing content of cobalt.

Ultrahigh hardness and high electrical resistivity in nano-twinned, nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy films

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Wenyi; Liu, Xiaodong; Tan, Shuyong; Fang, Feng; Xie, Zonghan; Shang, Jianku; Jiang, Jianqing

2018-05-01

Nano-twinned, nanocrystalline CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy films were produced by magnetron sputtering. The films exhibit a high hardness of 8.5 GPa, the elastic modulus of 161.9 GPa and the resistivity as high as 135.1 μΩ·cm. The outstanding mechanical properties were found to result from the resistance of deformation created by nanocrystalline grains and nano-twins, while the electrical resistivity was attributed to the strong blockage effect induced by grain boundaries and lattice distortions. The results lay a solid foundation for the development of advanced films with structural and functional properties combined in micro-/nano-electronic devices.

Highly stable carbon-doped Cu films on barrierless Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, X.Y.; Li, X.N.; Nie, L.F.; Chu, J.P.; Wang, Q.; Lin, C.H.; Dong, C.

2011-01-01

Electrical resistivities and thermal stabilities of carbon-doped Cu films on silicon have been investigated. The films were prepared by magnetron sputtering using a Cu-C alloy target. After annealing at 400 deg. C for 1 h, the resistivity maintains a low level at 2.7 μΩ-cm and no Cu-Si reaction is detected in the film by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. According to the secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) results, carbon is enriched near the interfacial region of Cu(C)/Si, and is considered responsible for the growth of an amorphous Cu(C)/Si interlayer that inhibits the Cu-Si inter-diffusion. Fine Cu grains, less than 100 nm, were present in the Cu(C) films after long-term and high-temperature annealings. The effect of C shows a combination of forming a self-passivated interface barrier layer and maintaining a fine-grained structure of Cu. A low current leakage measured on this Cu(C) film also provides further evidence for the carbon-induced diffusion barrier interlayer performance.

Plasma synthesis of hard materials with energetic ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monteiro, Othon R.

1999-01-01

Recent developments in plasma synthesis of hard materials using metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition are described. We have produced and characterized a variety of films including doped and undoped DLC (diamond-like carbon) and metal carbides. By using multiple plasma sources operated either synchronously or asynchronously, different metal plasma species can be either blended or linked so as to form mixed-composition films or multilayer structures, and by control of the depositing ion energy, interfaces can be made sharp or graded and the film morphology and microstructure can be widely tailored. Plasma compositional uniformity is important to produce homogeneous films, and therefore effective mixing of plasma streams produced by the filtered cathodic vacuum arcs is very important. Specific systems described here include amorphic diamond, and TiC. We outline the deposition technique employed in this investigation, and summarize the results of the characterization of the films

Surface treatment of diamond-like carbon films by reactive Ar/CF{sub 4} high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimura, Takashi, E-mail: t-kimura@nitech.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Nishimura, Ryotaro [Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Azuma, Kingo [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of Hyogo, 2167 Shosha, Himeji, Hyogo 671-2280 (Japan); Nakao, Setsuo; Sonoda, Tsutomu; Kusumori, Takeshi; Ozaki, Kimihiro [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) - Chubu, 2266-98 Anagahora, Moriyama, Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan)

2015-12-15

Surface modification of diamond-like carbon films deposited by a high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) of Ar was carried out by a HPPMS of Ar/CF{sub 4} mixture, changing a CF{sub 4} fraction from 2.5% to 20%. The hardness of the modified films markedly decreased from about 13 to about 3.5 GPa with increasing CF{sub 4} fraction, whereas the water contact angle of the modified films increased from 68° to 109° owing to the increase in the CF{sub x} content on the film surface. C 1s spectra in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that a graphitic structure of modified films was formed at CF{sub 4} fractions less than 5%, above which the modified films possessed a polymer-like structure. Influence of treatment time on the properties of the modified films was also investigated in the range of treatment time from 5 to 30 min. The properties of the modified films did not depend on the treatment time in the range of treatment time longer than 10 min, whereas the water contact angle was not sensitive to the treatment time at any treatment time.

TiCN thin films grown by reactive crossed beam pulsed laser deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Escobar-Alarcón, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S.; Muhl, S.; Camps, I.; Haro-Poniatowski, E.

2010-12-01

In this work, we used a crossed plasma configuration where the ablation of two different targets in a reactive atmosphere was performed to prepare nanocrystalline thin films of ternary compounds. In order to assess this alternative deposition configuration, titanium carbonitride (TiCN) thin films were deposited. Two crossed plasmas were produced by simultaneously ablating titanium and graphite targets in an Ar/N2 atmosphere. Films were deposited at room temperature onto Si (100) and AISI 4140 steel substrates whilst keeping the ablation conditions of the Ti target constant. By varying the laser fluence on the carbon target it was possible to study the effect of the carbon plasma on the characteristics of the deposited TiCN films. The structure and composition of the films were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and non-Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films was also measured by nanoindentation. In general, the experimental results showed that the TiCN thin films were highly oriented in the (111) crystallographic direction with crystallite sizes as small as 6.0 nm. It was found that the hardness increased as the laser fluence was increased, reaching a maximum value of about 33 GPa and an elastic modulus of 244 GPa. With the proposed configuration, the carbon content could be easily varied from 42 to 5 at.% by changing the laser fluence on the carbon target.

Hard electronics; Hard electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

Hard material technologies were surveyed to establish the hard electronic technology which offers superior characteristics under hard operational or environmental conditions as compared with conventional Si devices. The following technologies were separately surveyed: (1) The device and integration technologies of wide gap hard semiconductors such as SiC, diamond and nitride, (2) The technology of hard semiconductor devices for vacuum micro- electronics technology, and (3) The technology of hard new material devices for oxides. The formation technology of oxide thin films made remarkable progress after discovery of oxide superconductor materials, resulting in development of an atomic layer growth method and mist deposition method. This leading research is expected to solve such issues difficult to be easily realized by current Si technology as high-power, high-frequency and low-loss devices in power electronics, high temperature-proof and radiation-proof devices in ultimate electronics, and high-speed and dense- integrated devices in information electronics. 432 refs., 136 figs., 15 tabs.

Laser plasma generation of hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon thin films on Zr-2.5Nb CANDU pressure tube materials and silicon wafers with a pulsed high-power CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebrahim, N.A.; Mouris, J.F.; Hoffmann, C.R.J.; Davis, R.W.

1995-06-01

We report the first experiments on the laser plasma deposition of hydrogen-free, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on Zr-2.5Nb CANDU pressure-tube materials and silicon substrates, using the short-pulse, high-power, CO 2 laser in the High-Power Laser Laboratory at Chalk River Laboratories. The films were (AFM). The thin films show the characteristic signature of DLC films in the Raman spectra obtained using a krypton-ion (Kr + ) laser. The Vickers ultra-low-load microhardness tests show hardness of the coated surface of approximately 7000 Kg force mm -2 , which is consistent with the hardness associated with DLC films. AFM examination of the film morphology shows diamond-like crystals distributed throughout the film, with film thicknesses of up to 0.5 μm generated with 50 laser pulses. With significantly more laser pulses, it is expected that very uniform diamond-like films would be produced. These experiments suggest that it should be possible to deposit hydrogen-free, diamond-like films of relevance to nuclear reactor components with a high-power and high-repetition-rate laser facility. (author). 7 refs., 2 tabs., 15 figs

Mechanical and electrical properties of diamond-like carbon films deposited by plasma source ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, K.; Hatada, R.; Flege, S.; Ensinger, W.

2009-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared by a plasma source ion implantation method with superposed negative pulse and negative DC voltage. Acetylene gas was used as working gas for plasma formation. A negative DC voltage and a negative pulse voltage were superposed and applied to the substrate holder. The DC voltage was changed in the range from 0 to -4.8 kV and the pulse voltage was changed from -18 to -13.2 kV. The films were annealed in the range of 200-450 deg. C for 1 h. The surface morphology of the films and the film thickness were observed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The film structure was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The hardness of DLC films was evaluated by an indentation method. Measurement of the electrical resistivity was performed using a four-point probe station. Furthermore, a ball-on-disc test with 2 N load was employed to obtain information about the friction properties and sliding wear resistance of the films. The surface of the DLC films was very smooth and featureless. The deposition rate was changed with the DC voltage and pulse conditions. Integrated intensity ratios I D /I G of Raman spectroscopy and electrical resistivity of the DLC films changed with DC voltage. The electrical resistivity decreased with increasing I D /I G ratio. The I D /I G ratio was increased and the electrical resistivity was decreased with annealing temperature owing to graphitization. Very low friction coefficients around 0.05 were obtained for as-deposited films.

On indentation and scratching of thin films on hard substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, Per-Lennart; Wredenberg, Fredrik

2008-01-01

Indentation and scratching of thin film/substrate structures, using sharp conical indenters, are studied theoretically and numerically and discussed in particular with material characterization in mind. For simplicity, but not out of necessity, the material behaviour is described by classical elastoplasticity accounting for large deformations. Explicit material parameters are chosen in order to arrive at representative results as regards material behaviour and indenter geometry. The main efforts are devoted towards an understanding of the influence from the film/substrate boundary on global indentation (scratching) properties at different material combinations. Global quantities to be investigated include indentation and scratching hardness, contact area and apparent coefficient of friction at scratching. A comparison of the mechanical behaviour at normal indentation and at scratching is also included. In addition, the behaviour of different field variables is studied and in this case the discussion is focused on fracture initiation governed by a critical stress criterion. The numerical investigation is performed using the finite element method and the numerical strategy is discussed in some detail. Throughout the analysis it is assumed that the substrate is considerably harder than the indented film and consequently the deformation of the substrate is neglected

Preparation and characterization of electrochemically deposited carbon nitride films on silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Xingbin; Xu Tao; Chen Gang; Yang Shengrong; Liu Huiwen; Xue Qunji

2004-01-01

Carbon nitride films (CN x films) were deposited on Si(100) substrates by the electrolysis of methanol-urea solution at high voltage, atmospheric pressure, and low temperature. The microstructure and morphology of the resulting CN x films were analysed by means of Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy. The tribological properties of the CN x films were examined on an UMT-2MT friction and wear test rig. The Raman spectrum showed two characteristic bands: a graphite G band and a disordered D band of carbon, which suggested the presence of an amorphous carbon matrix. XPS and FTIR measurements suggested the existence of both single and double carbon-nitride bonds in the film and the hydrogenation of the carbon nitride phase. The XRD spectrum showed various peaks of different d values, which could confirm the existence of the polycrystalline carbon nitride phase. The hydrogenated CN x films were compact and uniform, with a root mean square roughness of about 18 nm. The films showed excellent friction-reduction and wear-resistance, with the friction coefficient in the stable phase being about 0.08. In addition, the growth mechanism of the CN x films in liquid phase electro-deposition was discussed as well. It was assumed that the molecules of CH 3 OH and CO(NH 2 ) 2 were polarized under high electric field, and the CN x film was formed on the substrate through the reaction of the -CH 3 and -NH 2 groups on the cathode

Opto-electrical properties of amorphous carbon thin film deposited from natural precursor camphor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradhan, Debabrata [Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076 (India)]. E-mail: dpradhan@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca; Sharon, Maheshwar [Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076 (India)

2007-06-30

A simple thermal chemical vapor deposition technique is employed for the pyrolysis of a natural precursor 'camphor' and deposition of carbon films on alumina substrate at higher temperatures (600-900 deg. C). X-ray diffraction measurement reveals the amorphous structure of these films. The carbon films properties are found to significantly vary with the deposition temperatures. At higher deposition temperature, films have shown predominately sp{sup 2}-bonded carbon and therefore, higher conductivity and lower optical band gap (Tauc gap). These amorphous carbon (a-C) films are also characterized with Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, electrical and optical properties are measured. The thermoelectric measurement shows these as-grown a-C films are p-type in nature.

High resolution hard X-ray photoemission using synchrotron radiation as an essential tool for characterization of thin solid films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.J.; Ikenaga, E.; Kobata, M.; Takeuchi, A.; Awaji, M.; Makino, H.; Chen, P.P.; Yamamoto, A.; Matsuoka, T.; Miwa, D.; Nishino, Y.; Yamamoto, T.; Yao, T.; Kobayashi, K.

2006-01-01

Recently, we have shown that hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy using undulator X-rays at SPring-8 is quite feasible with both high resolution and high throughput. Here we report an application of hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy to the characterization of electronic and chemical states of thin solid films, for which conventional PES is not applicable. As a typical example, we focus on the problem of the scatter in the reported band-gap values for InN. We show that oxygen incorporation into the InN film strongly modifies the valence and plays a crucial role in the band gap problem. The present results demonstrate the powerful applicability of high resolution photoemission spectroscopy with hard X-rays from a synchrotron source

Microwave plasma induced surface modification of diamond-like carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Rao Polaki, Shyamala; Kumar, Niranjan; Gopala Krishna, Nanda; Madapu, Kishore; Kamruddin, Mohamed; Dash, Sitaram; Tyagi, Ashok Kumar

2017-12-01

Tailoring the surface of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film is technically relevant for altering the physical and chemical properties, desirable for useful applications. A physically smooth and sp3 dominated DLC film with tetrahedral coordination was prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The surface of the DLC film was exposed to hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen plasma for physical and chemical modifications. The surface modification was based on the concept of adsorption-desorption of plasma species and surface entities of films. Energetic chemical species of microwave plasma are adsorbed, leading to desorbtion of the surface carbon atoms due to energy and momentum exchange. The interaction of such reactive species with DLC films enhanced the roughness, surface defects and dangling bonds of carbon atoms. Adsorbed hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen formed a covalent network while saturating the dangling carbon bonds around the tetrahedral sp3 valency. The modified surface chemical affinity depends upon the charge carriers and electron covalency of the adsorbed atoms. The contact angle of chemically reconstructed surface increases when a water droplet interacts either through hydrogen or van dear Waals bonding. These weak interactions influenced the wetting property of the DLC surface to a great extent.

Increased field-emission site density from regrown carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.Y.; Gupta, S.; Liang, M.; Nemanich, R.J.

2005-01-01

Electron field-emission properties of as-grown, etched, and regrown carbon nanotube thin films were investigated. The aligned carbon nanotube films were deposited by the microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. The surface of the as-grown film contained a carbon nanotube mat of amorphous carbon and entangled nanotubes with some tubes protruding from the surface. Hydrogen plasma etching resulted in the removal of the surface layer, and regrowth on the etched surface displayed the formation of a new carbon nanotube mat. The emission site density and the current-voltage dependence of the field emission from all of the samples were analyzed. The results showed that the as-grown sample had a few strong emission spots and a relatively high emission current density (∼20 μA/cm 2 at 1 V/μm), while the regrown sample exhibited a significantly increased emission site density

Nanocomposite fibers and film containing polyolefin and surface-modified carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Chu,Benjamin; Hsiao, Benjamin S.

2010-01-26

Methods for modifying carbon nanotubes with organic compounds are disclosed. The modified carbon nanotubes have enhanced compatibility with polyolefins. Nanocomposites of the organo-modified carbon nanotubes and polyolefins can be used to produce both fibers and films having enhanced mechanical and electrical properties, especially the elongation-to-break ratio and the toughness of the fibers and/or films.

Role of carbon atoms in the remote plasma deposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedikt, J.; Wisse, M.; Woen, R.V.; Engeln, R.; Sanden, M.C.M. van de

2003-01-01

The aim of this article is to determine the role of carbon atoms in the growth of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films by means of an argon/acetylene expanding thermal plasma. Cavity ring down absorption spectroscopy is used to detect metastable carbon atoms by probing the 1s 2 2s 2 2p 3s 1 P 1 2 2s 2 2p 2 1 S 0 electronic transition. In addition to absorption measurements, the emission of the same transition is monitored by means of optical emission spectroscopy. These two measurements provide information about the local production of the C atoms and about their reactivity in the gas phase. It will be shown that under growth conditions in an Ar/C 2 H 2 expanding thermal plasma, the metastable carbon density is also representative for the ground state carbon density. From obtained results it is concluded that the carbon atoms react rapidly with acetylene in the gas phase and therefore their contribution to the growth of hard diamond-like a-C:H films can be neglected. Only at low acetylene flows, the condition when soft polymer-like films are deposited, carbon atoms are detected close to the substrate and can possibly contribute to the film growth

Tritium retention properties of tungsten, graphite and co-deposited carbon film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobuta, Y.; Hatano, Y.; Matsuyama, M.; Abe, S.; Akamaru, S.; Yamauchi, Y.; Hino, T.; Suzuki, S.; Akiba, M.

2014-01-01

DT + ion irradiation was performed on polycrystalline tungsten, graphite and carbon film and both the amount of retained tritium and the reduction of retained tritium after preservation in vacuum were investigated using an IP technique and BIXS. In addition, the relationship between the retention properties of tritium and the microstructure of graphite and carbon film were studied with Raman spectroscopy. The amount of retained tritium in tungsten was smaller than in both graphite and carbon film. After 1 keV of DT + irradiation, graphite showed no reduction of the amount of retained tritium after six months preservation while that of carbon film decreased by approximately 20% after 40 days preservation. It was suggested that this difference might be associated with differences in the microstructure between graphite and carbon film. In tungsten, the amount of retained tritium decreased to approximately half after 18 days preservation. As the incident energy of implanted tritium to tungsten increased, the decrease in tritium retention during preservation became slower. Tungsten's properties of releasing tritium while preserved in vacuum would be a useful tool for the reduction/removal of retained tritium

A dense and strong bonding collagen film for carbon/carbon composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao, Sheng; Li, Hejun, E-mail: lihejun@nwpu.edu.cn; Li, Kezhi; Lu, Jinhua; Zhang, Leilei

2015-08-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Significantly enhancement of biocompatibility on C/C composites by preparing a collagen film. • The dense and continuous collagen film had a strong bonding strength with C/C composites after dehydrathermal treatment (DHT) crosslink. • Numerous oxygen-containing functional groups formed on the surface of C/C composites without matrix damage. - Abstract: A strong bonding collagen film was successfully prepared on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. The surface conditions of the modified C/C composites were detected by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectra. The roughness, optical morphology, bonding strength and biocompatibility of collagen films at different pH values were detected by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), universal test machine and cytology tests in vitro. After a 4-h modification in 30% H{sub 2}O{sub 2} solution at 100 °C, the contact angle on the surface of C/C composites was decreased from 92.3° to 65.3°. Large quantities of hydroxyl, carboxyl and carbonyl functional groups were formed on the surface of the modified C/C composites. Then a dense and continuous collagen film was prepared on the modified C/C substrate. Bonding strength between collagen film and C/C substrate was reached to 8 MPa level when the pH value of this collagen film was 2.5 after the preparing process. With 2-day dehydrathermal treatment (DHT) crosslinking at 105 °C, the bonding strength was increased to 12 MPa level. At last, the results of in vitro cytological test showed that this collagen film made a great improvement on the biocompatibility on C/C composites.

A dense and strong bonding collagen film for carbon/carbon composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Sheng; Li, Hejun; Li, Kezhi; Lu, Jinhua; Zhang, Leilei

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Significantly enhancement of biocompatibility on C/C composites by preparing a collagen film. • The dense and continuous collagen film had a strong bonding strength with C/C composites after dehydrathermal treatment (DHT) crosslink. • Numerous oxygen-containing functional groups formed on the surface of C/C composites without matrix damage. - Abstract: A strong bonding collagen film was successfully prepared on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. The surface conditions of the modified C/C composites were detected by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectra. The roughness, optical morphology, bonding strength and biocompatibility of collagen films at different pH values were detected by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), universal test machine and cytology tests in vitro. After a 4-h modification in 30% H 2 O 2 solution at 100 °C, the contact angle on the surface of C/C composites was decreased from 92.3° to 65.3°. Large quantities of hydroxyl, carboxyl and carbonyl functional groups were formed on the surface of the modified C/C composites. Then a dense and continuous collagen film was prepared on the modified C/C substrate. Bonding strength between collagen film and C/C substrate was reached to 8 MPa level when the pH value of this collagen film was 2.5 after the preparing process. With 2-day dehydrathermal treatment (DHT) crosslinking at 105 °C, the bonding strength was increased to 12 MPa level. At last, the results of in vitro cytological test showed that this collagen film made a great improvement on the biocompatibility on C/C composites

Production, Characterization And Tribological Properties Of Molybdenum Doped Diamond-like Carbon Films

OpenAIRE

Alp, Emre

2012-01-01

Thin films whose thickness is typically less than several microns are produced by the deposition of individual atoms on any substrate. Historically, thin films have been used for about half a century in producing instrument hard coatings, optical coatings, thin-film batteries, electronic devices, photovoltaic devices, memory devices and decorative parts. Thin film technology is still being developed by a technological advancement since it is a key factor in the twenty-first century developmen...

Thin-film-based scintillators for hard x-ray microimaging detectors: the ScinTAX Project

Science.gov (United States)

Rack, A.; Cecilia, A.; Douissard, P.-A.; Dupré, K.; Wesemann, V.; Baumbach, T.; Couchaud, M.; Rochet, X.; Riesemeier, H.; Radtke, M.; Martin, T.

2014-09-01

The project ScinTAX developed novel thin scintillating films for the application in high performance X-ray imaging and subsequent introduced new X-ray detectors to the market. To achieve this aim lutetium orthosilicate (LSO) scintillators doped with different activators were grown successfully by liquid phase epitaxy. The high density of LSO (7.4 g/cm3), the effective atomic number (65.2) and the high light yield make this scintillator highly applicable for indirect X-ray detection in which the ionizing radiation is converted into visible light and then registered by a digital detector. A modular indirect detection system has been developed to fully exploit the potential of this thin film scintillator for radiographic and tomographic imaging. The system is compatible for high-resolution imaging with moderate dose as well as adaptable to intense high-dose applications where radiation hard microimaging detectors are required. This proceedings article shall review the achieved performances and technical details on this high-resolution detector system which is now available. A selected example application demonstrates the great potential of the optimized detector system for hard X-ray microimaging, i.e. either to improve image contrast due to the availability of efficient thin crystal films or to reduce the dose to the sample.

Role of carbon in boron suboxide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Music, Denis; Kugler, Veronika M.; Czigany, Zsolt; Flink, Axel; Werner, Oskar; Schneider, Jochen M.; Hultman, Lars; Helmersson, Ulf

2003-01-01

Boron suboxide thin films, with controlled carbon content, were grown by rf dual magnetron sputtering of boron and carbon targets in an argon-oxygen atmosphere. Film composition, structure, mechanical, and electrical properties were evaluated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and high-frequency capacitance-voltage measurements. X-ray amorphous B-O-C films (O/B=0.02) showed an increase in density from 2.0 to 2.4 g/cm 3 as C content was increased from 0 to 0.6 at. % and the film with the highest density had nanocrystalline inclusions. The density increase occurred most likely due to the formation of B-C bonds, which are shorter than B-B bonds. All measured material properties were found to depend strongly on the C content and thus film density. The elastic modulus increased from 188 to 281 GPa with the increasing C content, while the relative dielectric constant decreased from 19.2 to 0.9. Hence, B-O-C films show a potential for protective coatings and even for application in electronic and optical devices

Intrinsic graphene field effect transistor on amorphous carbon films

OpenAIRE

Tinchev, Savcho

2013-01-01

Fabrication of graphene field effect transistor is described which uses an intrinsic graphene on the surface of as deposited hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Ambipolar characteristic has been demonstrated typical for graphene devices, which changes to unipolar characteristic if the surface graphene was etched in oxygen plasma. Because amorphous carbon films can be growth easily, with unlimited dimensions and no transfer of graphene is necessary, this can open new perspective for graphene ...

Chemical structural analysis of diamondlike carbon films: I. Surface growth model

Science.gov (United States)

Takabayashi, Susumu; Ješko, Radek; Shinohara, Masanori; Hayashi, Hiroyuki; Sugimoto, Rintaro; Ogawa, Shuichi; Takakuwa, Yuji

2018-02-01

The surface growth mechanisms of diamondlike carbon (DLC) films has been clarified. DLC films were synthesized in atmospheres with a fixed methane-to-argon ratio at different temperatures up to 700 °C by the photoemission-assisted glow discharge of photoemission-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The electrical resistivity of the films decreased logarithmically as the synthesis temperature was increased. Conversely, the dielectric constant of the films increased and became divergent at high temperature. However, the very high electrical resistivity of the film synthesized at 150 °C was retained even after post-annealing treatments at temperatures up to 500 °C, and divergence of the dielectric constant was not observed. Such films exhibited excellent thermal stability and retained large amounts of hydrogen, even after post-annealing treatments. These results suggest that numerous hydrogen atoms were incorporated into the DLC films during synthesis at low temperatures. Hydrogen atoms terminate carbon dangling bonds in the films to restrict π-conjugated growth. During synthesis at high temperature, hydrogen was desorbed from the interior of the growing films and π-conjugated conductive films were formed. Moreover, hydrogen radicals were chemisorbed by carbon atoms at the growing DLC surface, leading to removal of carbon atoms from the surface as methane gas. The methane molecules decomposed into hydrocarbons and hydrogen radicals through the attack of electrons above the surface. Hydrogen radicals contributed to the etching reaction cycle of the film; the hydrocarbon radicals were polymerized by reacting with other radicals and the methane source. The polymer radicals remained above the film, preventing the supply of the methane source and disrupting the action of argon ions. At high temperatures, the resultant DLC films were rough and thin.

Plastic properties of thin films on substrates as measured by submicron indentation hardness and substrate curvature techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doerner, M.F.; Gardner, D.S.; Nix, W.D.

1986-01-01

Substrate curvature and submicron indentation measurements have been used recently to study plastic deformation in thin films on substrates. In the present work both of these techniques have been employed to study the strength of aluminum and tungsten thin films on silicon substrates. In the case of aluminum films on silicon substrates, the film strength is found to increase with decreasing thickness. Grain size variations with film thickness do not account for the variations in strength. Wafer curvature measurements give strengths higher than those predicted from hardness measurements suggesting the substrate plays a role in strengthening the film. The observed strengthening effect with decreased thickness may be due to image forces on dislocations in the film due to the elastically stiffer silicon substrate. For sputtered tungsten films, where the substrate is less stiff than the film, the film strength decreases with decreasing film thickness

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of tetragonal Mn72Ge28 epitaxial thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jinhyeok; Mizuguchi, Masaki; Inami, Nobuhito; Ueno, Tetsuro; Ueda, Shigenori; Takanashi, Koki

2018-04-01

An epitaxially grown Mn72Ge28 film with a tetragonal crystal structure was fabricated. It was clarified that the film had a perpendicular magnetization and a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy of 14.3 Merg/cm3. The electronic structure was investigated by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The obtained X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectrum revealed that the Mn orbital magnetic moment governed the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the Mn72Ge28 film. A doublet structure was observed for the Mn 2p3/2 peak of hard X-ray photoelectron spectrum, indicating the spin exchange interaction between the 2p core-hole and 3d valence electrons.

Deposition of organosilicone thin film from hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) with 50 kHz/33 MHz dual-frequency atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiaojiao; Yuan, Qianghua; Chang, Xiaowei; Wang, Yong; Yin, Guiqin; Dong, Chenzhong

2017-04-01

The deposition of organosilicone thin films from hexamethyldisiloxane(HMDSO) by using a dual-frequency (50 kHz/33 MHz) atmospheric-pressure micro-plasma jet with an admixture of a small volume of HMDSO and Ar was investigated. The topography was measured by using scanning electron microscopy. The chemical bond and composition of these films were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the as-deposited film was constituted by silicon, carbon, and oxygen elements, and FTIR suggested the films are organosilicon with the organic component (-CH x ) and hydroxyl functional group(-OH) connected to the Si-O-Si backbone. Thin-film hardness was recorded by an MH-5-VM Digital Micro-Hardness Tester. Radio frequency power had a strong impact on film hardness and the hardness increased with increasing power.

Alignment enhanced photoconductivity in single wall carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Ye; Lu Shaoxin; Panchapakesan, Balaji

2009-01-01

In this paper we report, for the first time, the alignment enhanced photoconductivity of single wall carbon nanotube films upon laser illumination. The photoconductivity exhibited an increase, decrease or even 'negative' values when the laser spot was on different positions between contact electrodes, showing a 'position' dependent photoconductivity of partially aligned films of carbon nanotubes. Photon induced charge carrier generation in single wall carbon nanotubes and subsequent charge separation across the metal-carbon nanotube contacts is believed to cause the photoconductivity changes. A net photovoltage of ∼4 mV and a photocurrent of ∼10 μA were produced under the laser intensity of ∼273 mW with a quantum efficiency of ∼7.8% in vacuum. The photocurrent was observed to be in the direction of nanotube alignment. Finally, there was a strong dependence of the polarization of the incident light on the photocurrent and the orientation of the films influenced the dynamics of the rise and fall of the photocurrent. All of these phenomena clearly have significance in the area of design and fabrication of solar cells, micro-opto-mechanical systems and photodetectors based on carbon nanotubes.

Temperature Dependence on Structural, Tribological, and Electrical Properties of Sputtered Conductive Carbon Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Yong Seob; Hong, Byung You; Cho, Sang Jin; Boo, Jin Hyo

2011-01-01

Conductive carbon films were prepared at room temperature by unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBMS) on silicon substrates using argon (Ar) gas, and the effects of post-annealing temperature on the structural, tribological, and electrical properties of carbon films were investigated. Films were annealed at temperatures ranging from 400 .deg. C to 700 .deg. C in increments of 100 .deg. C using a rapid thermal annealing method by vacuum furnace in vacuum ambient. The increase of annealing temperature contributed to the increase of the ordering and formation of aromatic rings in the carbon film. Consequently, with increasing annealing temperature the tribological properties of sputtered carbon films are deteriorated while the resistivity of carbon films significantly decreased from 4.5 x 10 -3 to 1.0 x 10 -6 Ω-cm and carrier concentration as well as mobility increased, respectively. This behavior can be explained by the increase of sp 2 bonding fraction and ordering sp 2 clusters in the carbon networks caused by increasing annealing temperature

Low-energy electron irradiation induced top-surface nanocrystallization of amorphous carbon film

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cheng; Fan, Xue; Diao, Dongfeng

2016-10-01

We report a low-energy electron irradiation method to nanocrystallize the top-surface of amorphous carbon film in electron cyclotron resonance plasma system. The nanostructure evolution of the carbon film as a function of electron irradiation density and time was examined by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the electron irradiation gave rise to the formation of sp2 nanocrystallites in the film top-surface within 4 nm thickness. The formation of sp2 nanocrystallite was ascribed to the inelastic electron scattering in the top-surface of carbon film. The frictional property of low-energy electron irradiated film was measured by a pin-on-disk tribometer. The sp2 nanocrystallized top-surface induced a lower friction coefficient than that of the original pure amorphous film. This method enables a convenient nanocrystallization of amorphous surface.

Mechanical design of thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus for coherence preservation hard x-ray optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, Deming; Shvyd’ko, Yuri V.; Stoupin, Stanislav; Kim, Kwang-Je

2016-01-01

A new thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus has been designed at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) for coherence preservation hard x-ray optics with optimized thermal contact and minimized crystal strain. This novel mechanical design can be applied to new development in the field of: x-ray optics cavities for hard x-ray free-electron laser oscillators (XFELOs), self-seeding monochromators for hard x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) with high average thermal loading, high heat load diamond crystal monochromators and beam-sharing/beam-split-and-delay devices for XFEL facilities and future upgraded high-brightness coherent x-ray source in the MBA lattice configuration at the APS.

Mechanical design of thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus for coherence preservation hard x-ray optics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Deming, E-mail: shu@aps.anl.gov; Shvyd’ko, Yuri V.; Stoupin, Stanislav; Kim, Kwang-Je [Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, U.S.A (United States)

2016-07-27

A new thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus has been designed at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) for coherence preservation hard x-ray optics with optimized thermal contact and minimized crystal strain. This novel mechanical design can be applied to new development in the field of: x-ray optics cavities for hard x-ray free-electron laser oscillators (XFELOs), self-seeding monochromators for hard x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) with high average thermal loading, high heat load diamond crystal monochromators and beam-sharing/beam-split-and-delay devices for XFEL facilities and future upgraded high-brightness coherent x-ray source in the MBA lattice configuration at the APS.

Microwave plasma chemical synthesis of nanocrystalline carbon film structures and study their properties

Science.gov (United States)

Bushuev, N.; Yafarov, R.; Timoshenkov, V.; Orlov, S.; Starykh, D.

2015-08-01

The self-organization effect of diamond nanocrystals in polymer-graphite and carbon films is detected. The carbon materials deposition was carried from ethanol vapors out at low pressure using a highly non-equilibrium microwave plasma. Deposition processes of carbon film structures (diamond, graphite, graphene) is defined. Deposition processes of nanocrystalline structures containing diamond and graphite phases in different volume ratios is identified. The solid film was obtained under different conditions of microwave plasma chemical synthesis. We investigated the electrical properties of the nanocrystalline carbon films and identified it's from various factors. Influence of diamond-graphite film deposition mode in non-equilibrium microwave plasma at low pressure on emission characteristics was established. This effect is justified using the cluster model of the structure of amorphous carbon. It was shown that the reduction of bound hydrogen in carbon structures leads to a decrease in the threshold electric field of emission from 20-30 V/m to 5 V/m. Reducing the operating voltage field emission can improve mechanical stability of the synthesized film diamond-graphite emitters. Current density emission at least 20 A/cm2 was obtained. Nanocrystalline carbon film materials can be used to create a variety of functional elements in micro- and nanoelectronics and photonics such as cold electron source for emission in vacuum devices, photonic devices, cathodoluminescent flat display, highly efficient white light sources. The obtained graphene carbon net structure (with a net size about 6 μm) may be used for the manufacture of large-area transparent electrode for solar cells and cathodoluminescent light sources

Carbon nitride films synthesized by NH3-ion-beam-assisted deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, H.W.; Cui, F.Z.; He, X.M.; Li, W.Z.; Li, H.D.

1994-01-01

Carbon nitride thin film films have been prepared by NH 3 -ion-beam-assisted deposition with bombardment energies of 200-800 eV at room temperature. These films have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. It was found that the structure of the films varied with the bombardment energy. In the case of 400 eV bombardment, the tiny crystallites immersed on an amorphous matrix were identified to be β-C 3 N 4 . X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that some carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms form unpolarized covalent bonds in these films. (Author)

Aligned carbon nanotube, graphene and graphite oxide thin films via substrate-directed rapid interfacial deposition

Science.gov (United States)

D'Arcy, Julio M.; Tran, Henry D.; Stieg, Adam Z.; Gimzewski, James K.; Kaner, Richard B.

2012-05-01

A procedure for depositing thin films of carbon nanostructures is described that overcomes the limitations typically associated with solution based methods. Transparent and conductively continuous carbon coatings can be grown on virtually any type of substrate within seconds. Interfacial surface tension gradients result in directional fluid flow and film spreading at the water/oil interface. Transparent films of carbon nanostructures are produced including aligned ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes and assemblies of single sheets of chemically converted graphene and graphite oxide. Process scale-up, layer-by-layer deposition, and a simple method for coating non-activated hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated.A procedure for depositing thin films of carbon nanostructures is described that overcomes the limitations typically associated with solution based methods. Transparent and conductively continuous carbon coatings can be grown on virtually any type of substrate within seconds. Interfacial surface tension gradients result in directional fluid flow and film spreading at the water/oil interface. Transparent films of carbon nanostructures are produced including aligned ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes and assemblies of single sheets of chemically converted graphene and graphite oxide. Process scale-up, layer-by-layer deposition, and a simple method for coating non-activated hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Droplet coalescence, catenoid formation, mechanism of film growth, scanning electron micrographs showing carbon nanotube alignment, flexible transparent films of SWCNTs, AFM images of a chemically converted graphene film, and SEM images of SWCNT free-standing thin films. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr00010e

Silicon and aluminum doping effects on the microstructure and properties of polymeric amorphous carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Xiaoqiang, E-mail: lxq_suse@sina.com [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China); Hao, Junying, E-mail: jyhao@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xie, Yuntao [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Evolution of nanostructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were firstly studied. • Si doping enhanced polymerization of the hydrocarbon chains and Al doping resulted in increase in the ordered carbon clusters of polymeric amorphous carbon films. • Soft polymeric amorphous carbon films exhibited an unconventional frictional behaviors with a superior wear resistance. • The mechanical and vacuum tribological properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were significantly improved by Si and Al co-doping. - Abstract: Polymeric amorphous carbon films were prepared by radio frequency (R.F. 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering deposition. The microstructure evolution of the deposited polymeric films induced by silicon (Si) and aluminum(Al) doping were scrutinized through infrared spectroscopy, multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The comparative results show that Si doping can enhance polymerization and Al doping results in an increase in the ordered carbon clusters. Si and Al co-doping into polymeric films leads to the formation of an unusual dual nanostructure consisting of cross-linked polymer-like hydrocarbon chains and fullerene-like carbon clusters. The super-high elasticity and super-low friction coefficients (<0.002) under a high vacuum were obtained through Si and Al co-doping into the films. Unconventionally, the co-doped polymeric films exhibited a superior wear resistance even though they were very soft. The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films with different elements doping are also discussed in detail.

The Influence of Calcium Carbonate Composition and Activated Carbon in Pack Carburizing Low Carbon Steel Process in The Review of Hardness and Micro Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Hafni; Hadi, Syafrul; Edison

2017-12-01

Carburizing is a way of hardening the surface by heating the metal (steel) above the critical temperature in an environment containing carbon. Steel at a temperature of the critical temperature of affinity to carbon. Carbon is absorbed into the metal form a solid solution of carbon-iron and the outer layer has high carbon content. When the composition of the activator and the activated charcoal is right, it will perfect the carbon atoms to diffuse into the test material to low carbon steels. Thick layer of carbon Depending on the time and temperature are used. Pack carburizing process in this study, using 1 kg of solid carbon derived from coconut shell charcoal with a variation of 20%, 10% and 5% calcium carbonate activator, burner temperature of 950 0C, holding time 4 hours. The test material is low carbon steel has 9 pieces. Each composition has three specimens. Furnace used in this study is a pack carburizing furnace which has a designed burner box with a volume of 1000 x 600 x 400 (mm3) of coal-fired. Equipped with a circulation of oxygen from the blower 2 inches and has a wall of refractory bricks. From the variation of composition CaCO3, microstructure formed on the specimen with 20% CaCO3, better diffusion of carbon into the carbon steel, it is seen by the form marten site structure after quenching, and this indicates that there has been an increase of or adding carbon to in the specimen. This led to the formation of marten site specimen into hard surfaces, where the average value of hardness at one point side (side edge) 31.7 HRC

Investigate of analysis for hydrogen contents in carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasui, Haruyuki; Hirose, Yukio; Sasaki, Toshihiko; Awazu, Kaoru; Naramoto, Hiroshi

2001-01-01

Hydrogen is a very common contaminant in carbon films. It can strongly influences on mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the films. The analysis of hydrogen is therefore a crucial problem to prepare the films with the reproducible property. We were measured two kinds of methods. Ion beam techniques using nuclear reactions are established methods for the quantitative determination of hydrogen concentration. A spectrometer has been constructed for the determination of hydrogen concentrations by detecting 4.43 MeV γ-rays from the resonant nuclear reactions 1 H( 15 N, α γ) 12 C at the 6.385 MeV. And the other measurement of hydrogen is GDOES (Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy), with its high sputtering rates, had been used previously for depth profiling analysis of thin films. The depth profiling analysis was carried out at an argon atmosphere by applying an RF of 13.56 MHz. The sampling time interval was 0.1 sec. The detailed hydrogen analysis was made on BCN (Boron Carbonitride) and DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) thin films. The BCN films were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition, in which boron and carbon were deposited by electron beam heating of B 4 C solid and nitrogen was supplied by implantation simultaneously. The DLC films were prepared by HPPC (Hybrid-pulse plasma coating) system. It was a new coating system that we developed which consists fundamentally of plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) and ion-mixing. In this paper, we reported the comparison of analysis for hydrogen contents between RNRA and GDOES. (author)

Investigate of analysis for hydrogen contents in carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yasui, Haruyuki; Hirose, Yukio; Sasaki, Toshihiko [Kanazawa Univ., Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Awazu, Kaoru [Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Naramoto, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

2001-07-01

Hydrogen is a very common contaminant in carbon films. It can strongly influences on mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the films. The analysis of hydrogen is therefore a crucial problem to prepare the films with the reproducible property. We were measured two kinds of methods. Ion beam techniques using nuclear reactions are established methods for the quantitative determination of hydrogen concentration. A spectrometer has been constructed for the determination of hydrogen concentrations by detecting 4.43 MeV {gamma}-rays from the resonant nuclear reactions {sup 1}H({sup 15}N, {alpha} {gamma}){sup 12}C at the 6.385 MeV. And the other measurement of hydrogen is GDOES (Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy), with its high sputtering rates, had been used previously for depth profiling analysis of thin films. The depth profiling analysis was carried out at an argon atmosphere by applying an RF of 13.56 MHz. The sampling time interval was 0.1 sec. The detailed hydrogen analysis was made on BCN (Boron Carbonitride) and DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) thin films. The BCN films were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition, in which boron and carbon were deposited by electron beam heating of B{sub 4}C solid and nitrogen was supplied by implantation simultaneously. The DLC films were prepared by HPPC (Hybrid-pulse plasma coating) system. It was a new coating system that we developed which consists fundamentally of plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) and ion-mixing. In this paper, we reported the comparison of analysis for hydrogen contents between RNRA and GDOES. (author)

Surface energy of amorphous carbon films containing iron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J. S.; Lau, S. P.; Tay, B. K.; Chen, G. Y.; Sun, Z.; Tan, Y. Y.; Tan, G.; Chai, J. W.

2001-01-01

Iron containing diamond-like amorphous carbon (a-C:Fe) films were deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique. The influences of Fe content and substrate bias on the surface energy of the films were investigated. The surface energy of a-C:Fe films was determined by the contact angle measurement. Atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to analyze the origin of the variation of surface energy with various Fe content and substrate bias. It is found that the contact angle for water increases significantly after incorporating Fe into the films and the films become hydrophobic. The roughness of these films has no effect on the contact angle. The surface energy is reduced from 42.8 to 25 dyne/cm after incorporating Fe into the a-C film (10% Fe in the target), which is due to the reduction of both dispersive and polar component. The reduction in dispersive component is ascribed to the decrease of atomic density of the a-C:Fe films due to the increase in sp 2 bonded carbon. When sp 2 content increases to some extent, the atomic density remains constant and hence dispersive component does not change. The absorption of oxygen on the surface plays an important role in the reduction of the polar component for the a-C:Fe films. It is proposed that such network as (C n - O - Fe) - O - (Fe - O - C n ) may be formed and responsible for the reduction of polar component. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

TRIBOLOGY OF BIO-INSPIRED NANOWRINKLED FILMS ON ULTRASOFT SUBSTRATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juergen M. Lackner

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Biomimetic design of new materials uses nature as antetype, learning from billions of years of evolution. This work emphasizes the mechanical and tribological properties of skin, combining both hardness and wear resistance of its surface (the stratum corneum with high elasticity of the bulk (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis. The key for combination of such opposite properties is wrinkling, being consequence of intrinsic stresses in the bulk (soft tissue: Tribological contact to counterparts below the stress threshold for tissue trauma occurs on the thick hard stratum corneum layer pads, while tensile loads smooth out wrinkles in between these pads. Similar mechanism offers high tribological resistance to hard films on soft, flexible polymers, which is shown for diamond-like carbon (DLC and titanium nitride thin films on ultrasoft polyurethane and harder polycarbonate substrates. The choice of these two compared substrate materials will show that ultra-soft substrate materials are decisive for the distinct tribological material. Hierarchical wrinkled structures of films on these substrates are due to high intrinsic compressive stress, which evolves during high energetic film growth. Incremental relaxation of these stresses occurs by compound deformation of film and elastic substrate surface, appearing in hierarchical nano-wrinkles. Nano-wrinkled topographies enable high elastic deformability of thin hard films, while overstressing results in zigzag film fracture along larger hierarchical wrinkle structures. Tribologically, these fracture mechanisms are highly important for ploughing and sliding of sharp and flat counterparts on hard-coated ultra-soft substrates like polyurethane. Concentration of polyurethane deformation under the applied normal loads occurs below these zigzag cracks. Unloading closes these cracks again. Even cyclic testing do not lead to film delamination and retain low friction behavior, if the adhesion to the substrate is high

Tribology of bio-inspired nanowrinkled films on ultrasoft substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lackner, Juergen M; Waldhauser, Wolfgang; Major, Lukasz; Teichert, Christian; Hartmann, Paul

2013-01-01

Biomimetic design of new materials uses nature as antetype, learning from billions of years of evolution. This work emphasizes the mechanical and tribological properties of skin, combining both hardness and wear resistance of its surface (the stratum corneum) with high elasticity of the bulk (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis). The key for combination of such opposite properties is wrinkling, being consequence of intrinsic stresses in the bulk (soft tissue): Tribological contact to counterparts below the stress threshold for tissue trauma occurs on the thick hard stratum corneum layer pads, while tensile loads smooth out wrinkles in between these pads. Similar mechanism offers high tribological resistance to hard films on soft, flexible polymers, which is shown for diamond-like carbon (DLC) and titanium nitride thin films on ultrasoft polyurethane and harder polycarbonate substrates. The choice of these two compared substrate materials will show that ultra-soft substrate materials are decisive for the distinct tribological material. Hierarchical wrinkled structures of films on these substrates are due to high intrinsic compressive stress, which evolves during high energetic film growth. Incremental relaxation of these stresses occurs by compound deformation of film and elastic substrate surface, appearing in hierarchical nano-wrinkles. Nano-wrinkled topographies enable high elastic deformability of thin hard films, while overstressing results in zigzag film fracture along larger hierarchical wrinkle structures. Tribologically, these fracture mechanisms are highly important for ploughing and sliding of sharp and flat counterparts on hard-coated ultra-soft substrates like polyurethane. Concentration of polyurethane deformation under the applied normal loads occurs below these zigzag cracks. Unloading closes these cracks again. Even cyclic testing do not lead to film delamination and retain low friction behavior, if the adhesion to the substrate is high and the initial

Enhancement of sp3 hybridized C in amorphous carbon films by Ar ion bombardment and Si incorporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Hae-Suk; Park, Hyung-Ho; Mendieta, I.R.; Smith, D.A.

2003-01-01

We report an effective method of increasing the sp 3 hybridization fraction in sputtered amorphous carbon (a-C) film by the combination of Ar ion bombardment and Si incorporation. In the deposition of an a-C film, Ar ion bombardment by controlling the applied bias voltage plays a role in creating high stress in film and causes the local bonding configuration to change to a sp 3 hybridized bond. Simultaneously, the incorporated Si in an a-C network breaks the sp 2 hybridized bonded ring and promotes the formation of a sp 3 hybridized bond. This enhancement of the sp 3 hybridized bonding characteristic is maximized for an a-C film with 23 at. % of Si and 100-150 V of applied bias voltage. In this region, the increase of resistivity, optical band gap, and mechanical hardness of a-C is attributed to the reduction of the sp 2 hybridized bonded ring and increased fraction of the sp 3 hybridized bond. However, at a higher bias voltage above 150 V, the enhancement effect is reduced due to the resputtering and thermally activated reconversion of a sp 3 to a sp 2 hybridized bond

Nitrogen doping for adhesion improvement of DLC film deposited on Si substrate by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bootkul, D., E-mail: mo_duangkhae@hotmail.com [Department of General Science, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok 10110 (Thailand); Supsermpol, B.; Saenphinit, N. [Western Digital Company, Ayutthaya 13160 (Thailand); Aramwit, C. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50202 (Thailand); Intarasiri, S., E-mail: saweat@gmail.com [Science and Technology Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50202 (Thailand)

2014-08-15

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been used in many applications due to their attractive combination of properties including chemical inertness, corrosion protection, biocompatibility, high hardness, and low wear rates. However, they still have some limitations such as high internal stresses and low toughness which lead to poor adhesion of films. Synthesis of nitrogen-doped DLC (N-DLC) offers the possibility of overcoming these limitations. In this study, DLC films, namely tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) and nitrogen doped tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:N) were deposited on single crystalline Si wafer substrates using the Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) technique. Film characterizations were carried out by Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), triboindenter tester and nano-scratch tester. Measurement results showed that intentionally doping with nitrogen reduced the carbon sp{sup 3} content and increased the surface roughness in comparison with that of pure ta-C films. The hardness measurement confirmed the Raman and AFM analyses that adding nitrogen in ta-C films decreased the hardness, especially with high nitrogen content. However, the nano-scratch test revealed the increasing of the critical load with nitrogen. This work, then, extended its scope to investigate the properties of double-layer ta-C films which were composed of ta-C:N interlayer of various thickness around 10–30 nm and ta-C top-layer with thickness of around 80 nm. Microstructure characterization demonstrated that a ta-C:N interlayer gradually decreased the sp{sup 3} fraction in the films and increased film roughness whenever the ta-C:N interlayer thickness increased. In this structure, the tribological property in terms of adhesion to the Si substrate was significantly improved by about 20–90%, but the mechanical property in terms of hardness was gradually degraded by about 2–10%, compared to pure ta-C film, when the ta

Hard nanocrystalline Zr-B-C-N films with high electrical conductivity prepared by pulsed magnetron sputtering

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vlček, J.; Steidl, P.; Kohout, J.; Čerstvý, R.; Zeman, P.; Prokšová, S.; Peřina, Vratislav

2013-01-01

Roč. 215, JAN 25 (2013), s. 186-191 ISSN 0257-8972. [39th International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMTF). San Diego, California, 23.04.2012-27.04.2012] Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : Zr-B-C-N films * nanocomposite materials * pulsed magnetron sputtering * hard ness * high electrical conductivity * osidation resistance Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders Impact factor: 2.199, year: 2013 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0257897212010584

Room-temperature low-voltage electroluminescence in amorphous carbon nitride thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, R.; Legnani, C.; Ribeiro Pinto, P. M.; Cremona, M.; de Araújo, P. J. G.; Achete, C. A.

2003-06-01

White-blue electroluminescent emission with a voltage bias less than 10 V was achieved in rf sputter-deposited amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN) and amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiCN) thin-film-based devices. The heterojunction structures of these devices consist of: Indium tin oxide (ITO), used as a transparent anode; amorphous carbon film as an emission layer, and aluminum as a cathode. The thickness of the carbon films was about 250 Å. In all of the produced diodes, a stable visible emission peaked around 475 nm is observed at room temperature and the emission intensity increases with the current density. For an applied voltage of 14 V, the luminance was about 3 mCd/m2. The electroluminescent properties of the two devices are discussed and compared.

Microstructure and chemical bond evolution of diamond-like carbon films machined by femtosecond laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jing; Wang, Chunhui [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Liu, Yongsheng, E-mail: yongshengliu@nwpu.edu.cn [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Cheng, Laifei [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Li, Weinan [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 10068 (China); Zhang, Qing [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Yang, Xiaojun [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 10068 (China)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • The machining depth was essentially proportional to the laser power. • The well patterned microgrooves and ripple structures with nanoparticles were formed distinctly in the channels. And the number of nanoparticles increased with the processing power as well. • It revealed a conversion from amorphous carbon to nanocrystalline graphite after laser treated with increasing laser power. • It showed that a great decrease of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} after laser treatment. - Abstract: Femtosecond laser is of great interest for machining high melting point and hardness materials such as diamond-like carbon, SiC ceramic, et al. In present work, the microstructural and chemical bond evolution of diamond-like carbon films were investigated using electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques after machined by diverse femtosecond laser power in air. The results showed the machining depth was essentially proportional to the laser power. The well patterned microgrooves and ripple structures with nanoparticles were formed distinctly in the channels. Considering the D and G Raman band parameters on the laser irradiation, it revealed a conversion from amorphous carbon to nanocrystalline graphite after laser treated with increasing laser power. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a great decrease of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} after laser treatment.

Annealing effect on the microstructure modification and tribological properties of amorphous carbon nitride films

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhou; Wang, Chengbing; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Junyan

2008-10-01

The influences of thermal annealing on the microstructural and tribological properties of amorphous carbon nitride films were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer were utilized to characterize bond configuration and chemical state of the films. The results indicated that at low annealing temperatures (200 and 300 °C), the volatile species and surface contamination are easily dissociated without obvious bulk modification; while at high annealing temperatures (400 and 500 °C), the microstructure of carbon nitride films changed and favored a graphitization process, which indicated the growth of more graphitic film structures. The faint Raman signal of C≡N decreased with annealing temperature (TA) and completely disappeared at TA of 500 °C, indicating that nitrile bonds were thermal unstable under high temperature. Surprisingly, the tribological properties of the films showed a remarkably decreasing in friction coefficient as the TA increased; it is attributed to the graphitization of carbon nitride films during thermal annealing, which favored transfer film formation between the carbon nitride films and counterface materials. The transfer films benefit the decrease in coefficient of friction.

Modifying surface properties of diamond-like carbon films via nanotexturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corbella, C; Portal-Marco, S; Rubio-Roy, M; Bertran, E; Andujar, J L [FEMAN Group, IN2UB, Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Oncins, G [Serveis CientIfico-Tecnics, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Marti i Franques s/n, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Vallve, M A; Ignes-Mullol, J, E-mail: corberoc@hotmail.com [SOC and SAM Group, IN2UB, Departament de Quimica Fisica, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2011-10-05

Diamond-like amorphous carbon (DLC) films have been grown by pulsed-dc plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on silicon wafers, which were previously patterned by means of colloidal lithography. The substrate conditioning comprised two steps: first, deposition of a self-assembled monolayer of silica sub-micrometre spheres ({approx}300 nm) on monocrystalline silicon ({approx}5 cm{sup 2}) by Langmuir-Blodgett technique, which acted as lithography template; second, substrate patterning via ion beam etching (argon) of the colloid samples (550 eV) at different incidence angles. The plasma deposition of a DLC thin film on the nanotextured substrates resulted in hard coatings with distinctly different surface properties compared with planar DLC. Also, in-plane anisotropy was generated depending on the etching angle. The samples were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The anisotropy introduced by the texture was evidenced in the surface properties, as shown by the directional dependences of wettability (water contact angle) and friction coefficient. The latter was measured using a nanotribometer and a lateral force microscope. These two techniques showed how the nanopatterns influenced the tribological properties at different scales of load and contact area. This fabrication technique finds applications in the industry of microelectromechanical systems, anisotropic tribological coatings, nanoimprint lithography, microfluidics, photonic crystals, and patterned surfaces for biomedicine.

Coercivity in SmCo hard magnetic films for MEMS applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pina, E. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, RENFE-UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: epina@renfe.es; Palomares, F.J. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid-CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz s/n, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Garcia, M.A. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, RENFE-UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain); Cebollada, F. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada a las Telecomunicaciones, EUITT-UPM, Crtra. De Valencia km 7, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Hoyos, A. de [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, RENFE-UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain); Romero, J.J. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, RENFE-UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain); Hernando, A. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, RENFE-UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain); Unidad asociada ICMM-IMA. P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez, J.M. [Unidad asociada ICMM-IMA. P.O. Box 155, 28230 Las Rozas Madrid (Spain)

2005-04-15

In this work we have investigated the thermal dependence of coercivity in 1.5 {mu}m thick SmCo{sub 5} films fabricated by sputtering technique. Samples were deposited onto Si substrates kept at different temperatures. Samples grown below 450 deg. C are amorphous, present low coercivity and require further crystallization processes in order to obtain the 1:5 SmCo hard phase. Samples grown at 450 deg. C are nanocrystalline in the as-deposited state and exhibit high room temperature in-plane coercivity. Correlation between the thermal dependence of coercivity and the nanostructure has been analyzed in the frame of the so-called micromagnetic model.

Coercivity in SmCo hard magnetic films for MEMS applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pina, E.; Palomares, F.J.; Garcia, M.A.; Cebollada, F.; Hoyos, A. de; Romero, J.J.; Hernando, A.; Gonzalez, J.M.

2005-01-01

In this work we have investigated the thermal dependence of coercivity in 1.5 μm thick SmCo 5 films fabricated by sputtering technique. Samples were deposited onto Si substrates kept at different temperatures. Samples grown below 450 deg. C are amorphous, present low coercivity and require further crystallization processes in order to obtain the 1:5 SmCo hard phase. Samples grown at 450 deg. C are nanocrystalline in the as-deposited state and exhibit high room temperature in-plane coercivity. Correlation between the thermal dependence of coercivity and the nanostructure has been analyzed in the frame of the so-called micromagnetic model

Deposit of thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon using the laser ablation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebollo, P.B.; Escobar A, L.; Camps C, E.; Haro P, E.; Camacho L, M.A.; Muhl S, S.

2000-01-01

It is reported the synthesis and characterization of thin films of amorphous carbon (a-C) nitrided, deposited by laser ablation in a nitrogen atmosphere at pressures which are from 4.5 x 10 -4 Torr until 7.5 x 10 -2 Torr. The structural properties of the films are studied by Raman spectroscopy obtaining similar spectra at the reported for carbon films type diamond. The study of behavior of the energy gap and the ratio nitrogen/carbon (N/C) in the films, shows that the energy gap is reduced when the nitrogen incorporation is increased. It is showed that the refraction index of the thin films diminish as nitrogen pressure is increased, indicating the formation of graphitic material. (Author)

Diamond-like carbon films deposited on polycarbonates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, C.T. [Department of Computer and Communication, Diwan College of Management, 72141 Taiwan (China)], E-mail: ctguo@dwu.edu.tw

2008-04-30

Diamond-like carbon films were coated on optical polycarbonate using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. A mixture of SiH{sub 4} and CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2} gases was utilized to reduce the internal compressive stress of the deposited films. The structure of the DLC films was characterized as a function of film thickness using Raman spectroscopy. The dependence of G peak positions and the intensity ratio of I{sub D}/I{sub G} on the DLC film thicknesses was analyzed in detail. Other studies involving atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet visible spectrometry, and three adhesion tests were conducted. Good transparency in the visible region, and good adhesion between diamond-like carbon films and polycarbonate were demonstrated. One-time recordings before and after a DLC film was coated on compact rewritable disc substrates were analyzed as a case study. The results reveal that the diamond-like carbon film overcoating the optical polycarbonates effectively protects the storage media.

Electrochemical and surface characterisation of carbon-film-coated piezoelectric quartz crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, Edilson M.; Gouveia-Caridade, Carla; Soares, David M.; Brett, Christopher M.A.

2009-01-01

The electrochemical properties of carbon films, of thickness between 200 and 500 nm, sputter-coated on gold- and platinum-coated 6 MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal oscillators, as new electrode materials have been investigated. Comparative studies under the same experimental conditions were performed on bulk electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry was carried out in 0.1 M KCl electrolyte solution, and kinetic parameters of the model redox systems Fe(CN) 6 3-/4- and [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ] 3+/2+ as well as the electroactive area of the electrodes were obtained. Atomic force microscopy was used in order to examine the surface morphology of the films, and the properties of the carbon films and the electrode-solution interface were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of the preparation and development of nanometer thick carbon film modified quartz crystals. Such modified crystals should open up new opportunities for the investigation of electrode processes at carbon electrodes and for the application of electrochemical sensing associated with the EQCM.

Tribological properties of SiC-based MCD films synthesized using different carbon sources when sliding against Si3N4

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinchang; Shen, Xiaotian; Zhao, Tianqi; Sun, Fanghong; Shen, Bin

2016-04-01

Micro-crystalline diamond (MCD) films are deposited on reactive sintering SiC substrates by the bias enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition (BE-HFCVD) method, respectively using the methane, acetone, methanol and ethanol as the carbon source. Two sets of standard tribotests are conducted, adopting Si3N4 balls as the counterpart balls, respectively with the purpose of clarifying differences among tribological properties of different MCD films, and studying detailed effects of the carbon source C, normal load Fn and sliding velocity v based on orthogonal analyses. It is clarified that the methane-MCD film presents the lowest growth rate, the highest film quality, the highest hardness and the best adhesion, in consequence, it also performs the best tribological properties, including the lowest coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate Id, while the opposite is the methanol-MCD film. Under a normal load Fn of 7 N and at a sliding velocity v of 0.4183 m/s, for the methane-MCD film, the maximum COF (MCOF) is 0.524, the average COF during the relatively steady-state regime (ACOF) is 0.144, and the Id is about 1.016 × 10-7 mm3/N m; and for the methanol-MCD film, the MCOF is 0.667, the ACOF is 0.151, and the Id is 1.448 × 10-7 mm3/N m. Moreover, the MCOF, ACOF, Id and the wear rate of the Si3N4 ball Ib will all increase with the Fn, while the v only has significant effect on the ACOF, which shows a monotone increasing trend with the v.

Grain boundaries and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline diamond films.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busmann, H.-G.; Pageler, A.; Gruen, D. M.

1999-08-06

Phase-pure nanocrystalline diamond thin films grown from plasmas of a hydrogen-poor carbon argon gas mixture have been analyzed regarding their hardness and elastic moduli by means of a microindentor and a scanning acoustic microscope.The films are superhard and the moduli rival single crystal diamond. In addition, Raman spectroscopy with an excitation wavelength of 1064 nm shows a peak at 1438 l/cm and no peak above 1500 l/cm, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy a shake-up loss at 4.2 eV. This gives strong evidence for the existence of solitary double bonds in the films. The hardness and elasticity of the films then are explained by the assumption, that the solitary double bonds interconnect the nanocrystals in the films, leading to an intergrain boundary adhesion of similar strength as the intragrain diamond cohesion. The results are in good agreement with recent simulations of high-energy grain boundaries.

Low hydrogen containing amorphous carbon films - Growth and electrochemical properties as lithium battery anodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subramanian, V.; Masarapu, Charan; Wei, Bingqing [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, 130 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Karabacak, Tansel [Department of Applied Science, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 South University Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72204 (United States); Teki, Ranganath [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 (United States); Lu, Toh-Ming [Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 (United States)

2010-04-02

Amorphous carbon films were deposited successfully on Cu foils by DC magnetron sputtering technique. Electrochemical performance of the film as lithium battery anode was evaluated across Li metal at 0.2 C rate in a non-aqueous electrolyte. The discharge curves showed unusually low irreversible capacity in the first cycle with a reversible capacity of {proportional_to}810 mAh g{sup -1}, which is at least 2 times higher than that of graphitic carbon. For the first time we report here an amorphous carbon showing such a high reversibility in the first cycle, which is very much limited to the graphitic carbon. The deposited films were extensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and step profilometer for the structural and surface properties. The hydrogen content of the synthesized films was studied using residual gas analysis (RGA). The low hydrogen content and the low specific surface area of the synthesized amorphous carbon film are considered responsible for such a high first cycle columbic efficiency. The growth mechanism and the reasons for enhanced electrochemical performance of the carbon films are discussed. (author)

Low hydrogen containing amorphous carbon films-Growth and electrochemical properties as lithium battery anodes

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, V.; Karabacak, Tansel; Masarapu, Charan; Teki, Ranganath; Lu, Toh-Ming; Wei, Bingqing

Amorphous carbon films were deposited successfully on Cu foils by DC magnetron sputtering technique. Electrochemical performance of the film as lithium battery anode was evaluated across Li metal at 0.2 C rate in a non-aqueous electrolyte. The discharge curves showed unusually low irreversible capacity in the first cycle with a reversible capacity of ∼810 mAh g -1, which is at least 2 times higher than that of graphitic carbon. For the first time we report here an amorphous carbon showing such a high reversibility in the first cycle, which is very much limited to the graphitic carbon. The deposited films were extensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and step profilometer for the structural and surface properties. The hydrogen content of the synthesized films was studied using residual gas analysis (RGA). The low hydrogen content and the low specific surface area of the synthesized amorphous carbon film are considered responsible for such a high first cycle columbic efficiency. The growth mechanism and the reasons for enhanced electrochemical performance of the carbon films are discussed.

Carbon 1s photoelectron spectroscopy of halomethanes. Effects of electronegativity, hardness, charge distribution, and relaxation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saethre, L.J.; Borve, K.J.; Thomas, T.D.; Bozek, J.D.; Huttula, M.; Kukk, E.

2004-01-01

Full text: The concept of electronegativity - the ability of an atom (or functional group) to attract electrons to itself - plays an important role in chemistry. A related concept is the hardness, which has been defined to be half the derivative of electronegativity with respect to charge. It is inversely related to polarizibility. A number of quantitative definitions of electronegativity have been given and a number of tables of electronegativity and hardness have been presented. In spite of this extensive activity the quantitative nature of both of these remains elusive. Inner-shell ionization energies reflect both the charge distribution in a molecule (and, hence, the electronegativity of its component atoms) and the polarizibility of the molecule (and, hence, the hardness of the component atoms). It is not surprising, therefore, that the core-ionization energies of a central atom correlate with the electronegativities of the substituents attached to the atom. It has been our goal to use these correlations to obtain a better insight into the nature of electronegativity and to develop a method for assigning group electronegativities on the basis of core-ionization energies. Carbon 1s ionization energies have been measured for 12 halomethanes. These together with earlier measurements provide 27 compounds for investigating the relationship between core-ionization energies and the electronegativity and hardness of the halogens. The ionization energies correlate nearly linearly with the sum of the electronegativities of the halogens attached to the central carbon. Both electronegativity and hardness play important roles in determining the ionization energy, and it is found that the linear relationship between ionization energy and electronegativity arises from an interplay of the electronegativity and hardness of the halogens and the length and ionicity of the carbon-halogen bond

Nanostructured thin film coatings with different strengthening effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panfilov Yury

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A number of articles on strengthening thin film coatings were analyzed and a lot of unusual strengthening effects, such as super high hardness and plasticity simultaneously, ultra low friction coefficient, high wear-resistance, curve rigidity increasing of drills with small diameter, associated with process formation of nanostructured coatings by the different thin film deposition methods were detected. Vacuum coater with RF magnetron sputtering system and ion-beam source and arc evaporator for nanostructured thin film coating manufacture are represented. Diamond Like Carbon and MoS2 thin film coatings, Ti, Al, Nb, Cr, nitride, carbide, and carbo-nitride thin film materials are described as strengthening coatings.

Patterning of diamond like carbon films for sensor applications using silicon containing thermoplastic resist (SiPol) as a hard mask

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Virganavičius, D. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Materials Science, 51423 Kaunas (Lithuania); Cadarso, V.J.; Kirchner, R. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Stankevičius, L.; Tamulevičius, T.; Tamulevičius, S. [Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Materials Science, 51423 Kaunas (Lithuania); Schift, H., E-mail: helmut.schift@psi.ch [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Nanopatterning of thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) films and silver containing DLC composites. • Nanoimprint lithography with thermoplastic silicon containing resist. • Zero-residual layer imprinting and pattern transfer by reactive ion etching. • Robust leaky waveguide sensors with sensitivity up to 319 nm/RIU. - Abstract: Patterning of diamond-like carbon (DLC) and DLC:metal nanocomposites is of interest for an increasing number of applications. We demonstrate a nanoimprint lithography process based on silicon containing thermoplastic resist combined with plasma etching for straightforward patterning of such films. A variety of different structures with few hundred nanometer feature size and moderate aspect ratios were successfully realized. The quality of produced patterns was directly investigated by the means of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Such structures were further assessed by employing them in the development of gratings for guided mode resonance (GMR) effect. Optical characterization of such leaky waveguide was compared with numerical simulations based on rigorous coupled wave analysis method with good agreement. The use of such structures as refractive index variation sensors is demonstrated with sensitivity up to 319 nm/RIU, achieving an improvement close to 450% in sensitivity compared to previously reported similar sensors. This pronounced GMR signal fully validates the employed DLC material, the technology to pattern it and the possibility to develop DLC based gratings as corrosion and wear resistant refractometry sensors that are able to operate under harsh conditions providing great value and versatility.

Improvement of orthodontic friction by coating archwire with carbon nitride film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Songbo; Shao Tianmin; Ding Peng

2011-01-01

In order to reduce frictional resistance between archwire and bracket during orthodontic tooth movement, carbon nitride (CNx) thin films were deposited on the surface of archwires with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) analysis showed that the CNx film was successfully deposited on the surface of the orthodontic wires. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that the deposited CNx film was sp 2 carbon dominated structures, and diversiform bonds (N-C, N≡C, et al.) coexisted in the film. The friction tests indicated that the CNx film significantly reduced the wire-bracket friction both in ambient air and in artificial saliva. The sp 2 C rich structure of the CNx film as well as its protection function for the archwire was responsible for the low friction of the wire-bracket sliding system.

Improvement of orthodontic friction by coating archwire with carbon nitride film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wei Songbo [State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Shao Tianmin, E-mail: shaotm@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Ding Peng [Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081 (China)

2011-10-01

In order to reduce frictional resistance between archwire and bracket during orthodontic tooth movement, carbon nitride (CNx) thin films were deposited on the surface of archwires with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) analysis showed that the CNx film was successfully deposited on the surface of the orthodontic wires. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that the deposited CNx film was sp{sup 2} carbon dominated structures, and diversiform bonds (N-C, N{identical_to}C, et al.) coexisted in the film. The friction tests indicated that the CNx film significantly reduced the wire-bracket friction both in ambient air and in artificial saliva. The sp{sup 2}C rich structure of the CNx film as well as its protection function for the archwire was responsible for the low friction of the wire-bracket sliding system.

An easily accessible carbon material derived from carbonization of polyacrylonitrile ultrathin films: ambipolar transport properties and application in a CMOS-like inverter.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Fei; Zhang, Fengjiao; Zang, Yaping; Zou, Ye; Di, Chong'an; Xu, Wei; Zhu, Daoben

2014-03-04

Ultrathin carbon films were prepared by carbonization of a solution processed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) film in a moderate temperature range (500-700 °C). The films displayed balanced hole (0.50 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) and electron mobilities (0.20 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) under ambient conditions. Spectral characterization revealed that the electrical transport is due to the formation of sp(2) hybridized carbon during the carbonization process. A CMOS-like inverter demonstrated the potential application of this material in the area of carbon electronics, considering its processability and low-cost.

Tribological Behaviour of Ti:Ta-DLC Films Under Different Tribo-Test Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Efeoglu, İhsan; Keleş, Ayşenur; Totik, Yaşar; Çiçek, Hikmet; Emine Süküroglu, Ebru

2018-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are suitable applicants for cutting tools due to their high hardness, low friction coefficient and wear rate. Doping metals in DLC films have been improved its tribological properties. In this study, titanium and tantalum doped hydrogenated DLC films were deposited by closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system onto M2 high speed steels in Ar/N2/C2H2 atmosphere. The friction and wear properties of Ti:Ta-DLC film were investigated under different tribo-test conditions including in atmospheric pressure, distilled water, commercial oil and Ar atmosphere. The coated specimens were characterized by SEM and X-ray diffraction techniques. The bonding state of C-C (sp3) and C=C (sp2) were obtained with XPS. The tribological properties of Ti:Ta-DLC were investigated with pin-on-disc wear test. Hardness measurements performed by micro-indentation. Our results suggest that Ti:Ta-doped DLC film shows very dense columnar microstructure, high hardness (38.2 GPa) with low CoF (µ≈0.02) and high wear resistance (0.5E-6 mm3/Nm).

Fluorine and boron co-doped diamond-like carbon films deposited by pulsed glow discharge plasma immersion ion processing

CERN Document Server

He, X M; Peters, A M; Taylor, B; Nastasi, M

2002-01-01

Fluorine (F) and boron (B) co-doped diamond-like carbon (FB-DLC) films were prepared on different substrates by the plasma immersion ion processing (PIIP) technique. A pulse glow discharge plasma was used for the PIIP deposition and was produced at a pressure of 1.33 Pa from acetylene (C sub 2 H sub 2), diborane (B sub 2 H sub 6), and hexafluoroethane (C sub 2 F sub 6) gas. Films of FB-DLC were deposited with different chemical compositions by varying the flow ratios of the C sub 2 H sub 2 , B sub 2 H sub 6 , and C sub 2 F sub 6 source gases. The incorporation of B sub 2 H sub 6 and C sub 2 F sub 6 into PIIP deposited DLC resulted in the formation of F-C and B-C hybridized bonding structures. The levels of the F and B concentrations effected the chemical bonding and the physical properties as was evident from the changes observed in density, hardness, stress, friction coefficient, and contact angle of water on films. Compared to B-doped or F-doped DLC films, the F and B co-doping of DLC during PIIP deposition...

Assembling of carbon nanotubes film responding to significant reduction wear and friction on steel surface

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bin; Xue, Yong; Qiang, Li; Gao, Kaixong; Liu, Qiao; Yang, Baoping; Liang, Aiming; Zhang, Junyan

2017-11-01

Friction properties of carbon nanotubes have been widely studied and reported, however, the friction properties of carbon nanotubes related on state of itself. It is showing superlubricity under nanoscale, but indicates high shear adhesion as aligned carbon nanotube film. However, friction properties under high load (which is commonly in industry) of carbon nanotube films are seldom reported. In this paper, carbon nanotube films, via mechanical rubbing method, were obtained and its tribology properties were investigated at high load of 5 to 15 N. Though different couple pairs were employed, the friction coefficients of carbon nanotube films are nearly the same. Compared with bare stainless steel, friction coefficients and wear rates under carbon nanotube films lubrication reduced to, at least, 1/5 and 1/(4.3-14.5), respectively. Friction test as well as structure study were carried out to reveal the mechanism of the significant reduction wear and friction on steel surface. One can conclude that sliding and densifying of carbon nanotubes at sliding interface contribute to the sufficient decrease of friction coefficients and wear rates.

Ternary graphene/amorphous carbon/nickel nanocomposite film for outstanding superhydrophobicity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xiaobo; Zhou, Shengguo; Yan, Qingqing

2018-04-01

A novel superhydrophobic ternary graphene/amorphous carbon/nickel (G-Ni/a-C:H) carbon-based film was fabricated by a green approach of high-voltage electrochemical deposition without using aqueous solution, which was systematically investigated including the structure and relating applications on self-cleaning and corrosion resistance. Graphene and nickel nano-particle inserts were effective to tailor the feature of nanocrystallite/amorphous microstructure as well as micro-nanoscale hierarchical rose-petal-like surface for G-Ni/a-C:H carbon-based film. Surprisingly, this deposit could present outstanding superhydrophobicity with the contact angle of 158.98 deg and sliding angle of 2.75 deg without any further surface modification meanwhile it could possess fairly well adhesion. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic G-Ni/a-C:H carbon-based film could exhibit excellent corrosion resistance and self-cleaning performances compared to no graphene incorporated deposit. The procedure of fabricating deposit might be simple, scalable, and environmental friendly, indicating a promising prospect for industrial applications in the field of anti-fouling, anti-corrosion and drag resistance.

Investigation of the Emissivity and Suitability of a Carbon Thin Film for Terahertz Absorbers

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

however, the understanding that the introduction of a carbon thin film could reduce signal loss and will result in a change in thermal fluctuations is...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS INVESTIGATION OF THE EMISSIVITY AND SUITABILITY OF A CARBON THIN FILM FOR TERAHERTZ ABSORBERS...TITLE AND SUBTITLE INVESTIGATION OF THE EMISSIVITY AND SUITABILITY OF A CARBON THIN FILM FOR TERAHERTZ ABSORBERS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Naomi C

Amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon layered structures resulting from film growth energetics

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, M. P.; Barbour, J. C.; Provencio, P. N.; Tallant, D. R.; Friedmann, T. A.

1998-08-01

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows that amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon (a-tC) films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on Si(100) consist of three-to-four layers, depending on the growth energetics. We estimate the density of each layer using both HRTEM image contrast and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The first carbon layer and final surface layer have relatively low density. The bulk of the film between these two layers has higher density. For films grown under the most energetic conditions, there exists a superdense a-tC layer between the interface and bulk layers. The density of all four layers, and the thickness of the surface and interfacial layers, correlate well with the energetics of the depositing carbon species.

Characterization of electron beam evaporated carbon films and compound formation on titanium and silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luthin, J.; Linsmeier, C.

2001-01-01

The formation of carbon-based mixed materials is unavoidable on the plasma-facing components (e.g. first wall and divertor) of fusion devices when carbon is used together with other materials. On the surfaces of these components very different conditions with respect to particle and energy impact occur. To predict the mixed material formation under these conditions the precise knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms governing these interactions is essential. In this paper we present the results of carbon interaction with titanium and silicon, as model substances for metallic and covalent carbides, during thermal treatment. To perform basic studies of the reactions of carbon with different elements, thin carbon films are produced by electron beam evaporation on the different substrates under UHV conditions. All measurements for chemical analysis are performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We discuss first the properties of the deposited carbon films. The carbon films are characterized on inert gold surfaces and are compared to bulk graphite. Annealing of the carbon films up to 970 K leads to a transition from a disordered carbon network into a graphitic structure. Preparation of carbon films at room temperature on titanium or silicon leads to a limited carbide formation at the carbon/substrate interface. Carbon deposited in excess of several monolayers is present in elementary form. Annealing of the samples leads to complete carbidization consuming the available carbon in both cases. Titanium reacts to TiC and additional substoichiometric carbide, silicon forms SiC with exact stoichiometry. (orig.)

Electrochemical deposition of carbon films on titanium in molten LiCl–KCl–K2CO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Qiushi; Xu, Qian; Wang, Yang; Shang, Xujing; Li, Zaiyuan

2012-01-01

Electrodeposition of carbon films on the oxide-scale-coated titanium has been performed in a LiCl–KCl–K 2 CO 3 melt, which are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The electrochemical process of carbon deposition is investigated by cyclic voltammetry on the graphite, titanium and oxide-scale-coated titanium electrodes. The particle-size-gradient carbon films over the oxide-scale-coated titanium can be achieved by electrodeposition under the controlled potentials for avoiding codeposition of lithium carbide. The deposited carbon films are comprised of micron-sized ‘quasi-spherical’ carbon particles with graphitized and amorphous phases. The cyclic voltammetry behavior on the graphite, titanium and oxide-scale-coated titanium electrodes shows that CO 3 2− ions are reduced most favorably on the graphite for the three electrodes. Lithium ions can discharge under the less negative potential on the electrode containing carbon compared with titanium electrode because of the formation of lithium carbide from the reaction between lithium and carbon. - Highlights: ► Carbon films are prepared on oxide-scale-coated titanium in a LiCl–KCl–K 2 CO 3 melt. ► The films comprise micron-size ‘quasi-spherical’ carbon particles. ► The films present particle-size-gradient. ► The particles contain graphitized and amorphous phases. ► The prepared carbon films are more electrochemically active than graphite.

Practical chemical analysis of Pt and Pd based heterogeneous catalysts with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshikawa, H., E-mail: YOSHIKAWA.Hideki@nims.go.jp [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Matolínová, I.; Matolín, V. [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)

2013-10-15

Highlights: •Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) enables interface analysis of catalyst. •HAXPES enables overall analysis of porous film of Pt-doped CeO{sub 2} and related catalyst. •HAXPES enables analysis of trace elements for Pd and Pt{sub 3}Ni nanoparticle catalysts. -- Abstract: Interfacial properties including configuration, porosity, chemical states, and atomic diffusion greatly affect the performance of supported heterogeneous catalysts. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) can be used to analyze the interfaces of heterogeneous catalysts because of its large information depth of more than 20 nm. We use HAXPES to examine Pt-doped CeO{sub 2} and related thin film catalysts evaporated on Si, carbon, and carbon nanotube substrates, because Pt-doped CeO{sub 2} has great potential as a noble metal-based heterogeneous catalyst for fuel cells. The HAXPES measurements clarify that the dopant material, substrate material, and surface pretreatment of substrate are important parameters that affect the interfacial properties of Pt-doped CeO{sub 2} and related thin film catalysts. Another advantage of HAXPES measurement of heterogeneous catalysts is that it can be used for chemical analysis of trace elements by detecting photoelectrons from deep core levels, which have large photoionization cross-sections in the hard X-ray region. We use HAXPES for chemical analysis of trace elements in Pd nanoparticle catalysts immobilized on sulfur-terminated substrates and Pt{sub 3}Ni nanoparticle catalysts enveloped by dendrimer molecules.

Electrochemical performances and capacity fading behaviors of activated carbon/hard carbon lithium ion capacitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Xianzhong; Zhang, Xiong; Liu, Wenjie; Wang, Kai; Li, Chen; Li, Zhao; Ma, Yanwei

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Three-electrode pouch cell is used to investigate the capacity fading of AC/HC LIC. • the electrode potential swing is critical for the cycleability of a LIC cell. • Different capacity fading behaviors are discussed. • A large-capacity LIC pouch cell has been assembled with a specific energy of 18.1 Wh kg −1 based on the total weight. - Abstract: Lithium ion capacitor (LIC) is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices, which offers rapid charging-discharging capability and long cycle life. We have fabricated LIC pouch cells using an electrochemically-driven lithium pre-doping method through a three-electrode pouch cell structure. The active materials of cathode and anode of LIC cell are activated carbon and pre-lithiated hard carbon, respectively. The electrochemical performances and the capacity fading behaviors of LICs in the voltage range of 2.0 − 4.0 V have been studied. The specific energy and specific power reach 73.6 Wh kg −1 and 11.9 kW kg −1 based on the weight of the active materials in both cathode and anode, respectively. Since the cycling performance is actually determined by hard carbon anode, the anode potential swings are emphasized. The capacity fading of LIC upon cycling is proposed to be caused by the increases of internal resistance and the consumption of lithium stored in anode. Finally, a large-capacity LIC pouch cell has been assembled with a maximum specific energy of 18.1 Wh kg −1 and a maximum specific power of 3.7 kW kg −1 based on the weight of the whole cell.

X-ray and neutron scattering from amorphous diamondlike carbon and hydrocarbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Findeisen, E.

1994-10-01

In this report amorphous, diamondlike, carbon and hydrocarbon films are investigated by two different methods, namely, X-ray scattering and a combination of X-ray and neutron reflectivity. As specular reflectivity probes the scattering length density profile of a sample perpendicular to its surface, the combination of X-ray and neutron reflectivity reveals the nuclei density of both carbon and hydrogen separately. This allows to calculate the concentration of hydrogen in the films, which varies in the presented experiments between 0 and 36 atomic %. This method is a new and nondestructive technique to determine the concentration of hydrogen within an error of about ±1 at. % in samples with sharp interfaces. It is well suited for thin diamondlike carbon films. X-ray scattering is used to obtain structural information on the atomic scale, especially the average carbon-carbon distance and the average coordination number of the carbon atoms. As grazing incidence diffraction experiments were not successful, free-standing films are used for the scattering experiments with synchrotron light. However, the scattered intensity for large scattering vectors is, in spite of the intense primary beam, very weak, and therefore the accuracy of the obtained structural parameter is not sufficient to prove the diamondlike properties also on the atomic scale. (au) (10 tabs., 76 ills., 102 refs.)

Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation; Deposito de peliculas delgadas de TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C por ablacion laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de mexico (Mexico); Muhl, S. [IIM, UNAM, A.P. 364, 01000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

2006-07-01

Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm{sup 2}. The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

Carbonized tantalum catalysts for catalytic chemical vapor deposition of silicon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng Shimin [State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023 (China); Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian 116023 (China); Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Gao Huiping; Ren Tong; Ying Pinliang [State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023 (China); Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian 116023 (China); Li Can, E-mail: canli@dicp.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023 (China); Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian 116023 (China)

2012-06-01

Catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) has been demonstrated as a promising way to prepare device-quality silicon films. However, catalyst ageing due to Si contamination is an urgency to be solved for the practical application of the technique. In this study, the effect of carbonization of tantalum catalyst on its structure and performance was investigated. The carbonized Ta catalyst has a TaC surface layer which is preserved over the temperature range between 1450 and 1750 Degree-Sign C and no Si contamination occurs on the catalyst after long-term use. Si film prepared using the carbonized Ta catalyst has a similar crystal structure to that prepared by uncarbonized Ta catalyst. Formation of the TaC surface layer can alleviate the ageing problem of the catalyst, which shows great potential as a stable catalyst for Cat-CVD of Si films. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Si films prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbonized Ta with a TaC surface layer used as catalyst. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TaC surface structure preserved after long-term use in a wide temperature range. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Help to solve the ageing problem of metal catalysts. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Si film obtained has a similar crystal structure to that prepared by Ta catalyst.

Transparent, flexible supercapacitors from nano-engineered carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Hyun Young; Karimi, Majid B.; Hahm, Myung Gwan; Ajayan, Pulickel M.; Jung, Yung Joon

2012-10-01

Here we construct mechanically flexible and optically transparent thin film solid state supercapacitors by assembling nano-engineered carbon electrodes, prepared in porous templates, with morphology of interconnected arrays of complex shapes and porosity. The highly textured graphitic films act as electrode and current collector and integrated with solid polymer electrolyte, function as thin film supercapacitors. The nanostructured electrode morphology and the conformal electrolyte packaging provide enough energy and power density for the devices in addition to excellent mechanical flexibility and optical transparency, making it a unique design in various power delivery applications.

Electromagnetic characteristics of carbon nanotube film materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Wei

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotube (CNT possesses remarkable electrical conductivity, which shows great potential for the application as electromagnetic shielding material. This paper aims to characterize the electromagnetic parameters of a high CNT loading film by using waveguide method. The effects of layer number of CNT laminate, CNT alignment and resin impregnation on the electromagnetic characteristics were analyzed. It is shown that CNT film exhibits anisotropic electromagnetic characteristic. Pristine CNT film shows higher real part of complex permittivity, conductivity and shielding effectiveness when the polarized direction of incident wave is perpendicular to the winding direction of CNT film. For the CNT film laminates, complex permittivity increases with increasing layer number, and correspondingly, shielding effectiveness decreases. The five-layer CNT film shows extraordinary shielding performance with shielding effectiveness ranging from 67 dB to 78 dB in X-band. Stretching process induces the alignment of CNTs. When aligned direction of CNTs is parallel to the electric field, CNT film shows negative permittivity and higher conductivity. Moreover, resin impregnation into CNT film leads to the decrease of conductivity and shielding effectiveness. This research will contribute to the structural design for the application of CNT film as electromagnetic shielding materials.

Nanoindentation of ultra-hard cBN films: A molecular dynamics study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Cheng [College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Peng, Xianghe, E-mail: xhpeng@cqu.edu.cn [College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Heterogeneous Material Mechanics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Fu, Tao, E-mail: futaocqu@163.com [College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Zhao, Yinbo; Feng, Chao; Lin, Zijun [College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Li, Qibin [College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Heterogeneous Material Mechanics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • We optimize tersoff potential to better simulate the BN. • We perform respectively the nanoindentations on the (001) and (111) surface of cBN. • The main slip system of cBN under nanoindentation is {111}<110>. • Temperature has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of cBN. - Abstract: Cubic Boron nitride (cBN) exhibits excellent mechanical properties including high strength, hardness and thermal resistance, etc. We optimized the parameters in the Tersoff interatomic potential for cBN based on its cohesive energy, lattice parameter, elastic constants, surface energy and stacking fault energy. We performed with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations the nanoindentation on the (001) and (111) surface of monocrystalline cBN thin films to study the deformation mechanisms and the effects of temperature and substrate orientation. It was found that during the indentation plastic deformation is mainly stress-induced slips of dislocations along {111}<110> orientations. It was also found that the hardness of cBN depends strongly on temperature, and the capability of plastic deformation is enhanced with the increase of temperature.

Deposition and Tribological Properties of Sulfur-Doped DLC Films Deposited by PBII Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nutthanun Moolsradoo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Sulfur-doped diamond-like carbon films (S-DLC fabricated from C2H2 and SF6 mixtures were used to study the effects of sulfur content and negative pulse bias voltage on the deposition and tribological properties of films prepared by plasma-based ion implantation (PBII. The structure and relative concentration of the films were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. Hardness and elastic modulus of films were measured by nanoindentation hardness testing. Tribological characteristics of films were performed using a ball-on-disk friction tester. The results indicate that with the increasing sulfur content, the hardness and elastic modulus decrease. Additionally, by changing the negative pulse bias voltage from 0 kV to −5 kV, the hardness and elastic modulus increase, while the friction coefficient and specific wear rate tends to decrease. Moreover, at a negative pulse bias voltage of −5 kV and flow-rate ratio of 1 : 2, there is considerable improvement in friction coefficient of 0.05 under ambient air is due to the formation of a transfer films on the interface. The decrease in the friction coefficient of films doped with 4.9 at.% sulfur is greater under high vacuum (0.03 than under ambient air (>0.1.

Quantifying clustering in disordered carbon thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carey, J.D.

2006-01-01

The quantification of disorder and the effects of clustering in the sp 2 phase of amorphous carbon thin films are discussed. The sp 2 phase is described in terms of disordered nanometer-sized conductive sp 2 clusters embedded in a less conductive sp 3 matrix. Quantification of the clustering of the sp 2 phase is estimated from optical as well as from electron and nuclear magnetic resonance methods. Unlike in other disordered group IV thin film semiconductors, we show that care must be exercised in attributing a meaning to the Urbach energy extracted from absorption measurements in the disordered carbon system. The influence of structural disorder, associated with sp 2 clusters of similar size, and topological disorder due to undistorted clusters of different sizes is also discussed. Extensions of this description to other systems are also presented

Excellent durability of DLC film on carburized steel (JIS-SCr420) under a stress of 3.0 GPa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakabe, F; Kumagai, M; Kuwahara, H; Ochiai, S; Jinbo, Y; Horiuchi, T

2008-01-01

To improve durability of transmission gears, Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) film coated on roller was estimated as well as TiN film. These films were coated on JIS-SCr420 steel, which was carburized, quenched, and tempered. DLC and TiN films were deposited by PCVD and PVD process, respectively. These surface modified rollers were estimated by usual metallurgical methods (observation of microstructure by optical microscope, SEM, and TEM, measurement of hardness by Vickers hardness tester and nano-indentator), measurement of friction coefficient by ball-on-disk in dry atmosphere, analysis of carbon by Raman spectroscopy and hydrogen by EDRA, and lifetime of pitting by the roller-pitting test. The hardness values were 21 GPa and 26 GPa, the elasticity coefficients were 192 GPa and 336 GPa, the friction coefficients were 0.1∼0.15 and 0.5∼0.6 for DLC and TiN films, respectively. The present DLC was a typical DLC called as hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C: H). The hydrogen content was about 20%. The surface fatigue resistance of DLC-coated specimen had 100 times longer life than that the carburized and quenched one even under Hertzian contact stress of 3.0 GPa. TiN coated specimen was failed at 3.0 GPa by 5.17·10 5 cycles despite that the strength of the surface of the substrate was reduced due to the exposure at higher temperature in the coating process than the temperature for tempering

Stretchable transistors with buckled carbon nanotube films as conducting channels

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Michael S; Xu, Feng

2015-03-24

Thin-film transistors comprising buckled films comprising carbon nanotubes as the conductive channel are provided. Also provided are methods of fabricating the transistors. The transistors, which are highly stretchable and bendable, exhibit stable performance even when operated under high tensile strains.

Film-Screen Mammography versus digital storage plate mammography: Hard copy and monitor display of microcalcifications and focal findings - A retrospective clinical and histologic analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Wenkel, E.; Aichinger, U.; Tartsch, M.; Kuchar, I.; Bautz, W.

2003-01-01

Purpose: A retrospective clinical-histological study to determine the diagnostic accuracy of mammography using conventional screen-film cassettes (hard copy), high-resolution digital phosphor storage plates (hard copy) and monitor display (soft copy) for microcalcifications and focal lesions (BI-RADS TM category 4 or 5). Materials and methods: From April to November 2001, 76 patients underwent conventional film-screen mammography and, after diagnosis and preoperative wire localization, digital mammography with the same exposure parameters. Five investigators retrospectively determined the diagnosis after the operation from randomly distributed mediolateral views (hard-copy reading) and from the monitor display (soft-copy reading). These results were correlated with the final histology. Results: The accuracy of conventional screen-film mammography, digital mammography and monitor-displayed mammography was 67%, 65% and 68% for all findings, (n = 76), 59%, 59% and 68% for microcalcifications (n = 44) and 75%, 72% and 63% for focal lesions (n = 32). The overall results showed no difference. Conclusions: Our findings indicate equivalence of conventional screen-film mammography, high-resolution digital phosphor storage plate mammography and monitor-displayed mammography. (orig.) [de

Charging of carbon thin films in scanning and phase-plate transmission electron microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hettler, Simon; Kano, Emi; Dries, Manuel

2018-01-01

A systematic study on charging of carbon thin films under intense electron-beam irradiation was performed in a transmission electron microscope to identify the underlying physics for the functionality of hole-free phase plates. Thin amorphous carbon films fabricated by different deposition techni...

He+ irradiation temperature influence on the structure and nanohardness of hydrocarbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Hongyu; Yang, Deming; Sun, Li; Yang, Qi; Niu, Jinhai; Guo, Liping; Chen, Jihong; Bi, Zhenhua; Liu, Dongping

2013-01-01

Polymer-like hydrocarbon films were irradiated with 100 keV He + or annealed at sample temperatures varying from 25 to 600 °C. The effects of sample temperature on the structure and nanohardness of hydrocarbon films are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), AFM-based nanoindentation, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Analysis shows that annealing results in the decrease in the nanohardness of hydrocarbon films from 4.0 GPa to 0.55 GPa while He + irradiation at an elevated sample temperature results in the formation of dense diamond-like carbon films with nanohardness up to 20.0 GPa. This indicates that polymer-like hydrocarbon films can be transformed into the hard diamond-like carbon films with a relatively low H content on vacuum vessels of fusion devices due to the energetic bombardments at an elevated wall temperature

Enhanced lubricant film formation through micro-dimpled hard-on-hard artificial hip joint: An in-situ observation of dimple shape effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Dipankar; Rebenda, David; Sasaki, Shinya; Hekrle, Pavel; Vrbka, Martin; Zou, Min

2018-05-01

This study evaluates the impact of dimple shapes on lubricant film formation in artificial hip joints. Micro-dimples with 20-50 µm lateral size and 1 ± 0.2 µm depths were fabricated on CrCoMo hip joint femoral heads using a picosecond laser. Tribological studies were performed using a pendulum hip joint simulator to apply continuous swing flexion-extension motions. The results revealed a significantly enhanced lubricant film thickness (≥ 500 nm) with micro-dimpled prosthesis heads at equilibrium position after the lubricant film has fully developed. The average lubricant film thickness of dimpled prostheses with square- and triangular-shaped dimple arrays over time is about 3.5 that of the non-dimpled prosthesis (204 nm). Remarkably, the prosthesis with square-shaped dimple arrays showed a very fast lubricant film formation reaching their peak values within 0.5 s of pendulum movement, followed by prosthesis with triangular-shaped dimple arrays with a transition period of 42.4 s. The fully developed lubricant film thicknesses (≥ 700 nm) are significantly higher than the surface roughness (≈ 25 nm) demonstrating a hydrodynamic lubrication. Hardly any scratches appeared on the post-experimental prosthesis with square-shaped dimple array and only a few scratches were found on the post-experimental prosthesis with triangular-shaped dimple arrays. Thus, prostheses with square-shaped dimple arrays could be a potential solution for durable artificial hip joints. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Graphene/semicrystalline-carbon derived from amylose films for supercapacitor application

Science.gov (United States)

Deraman, M.; Sazali, N. E. S.; Hanappi, M. F. Y. M.; Tajuddin, N. S. M.; Hamdan, E.; Suleman, M.; Othman, M. A. R.; Omar, R.; Hashim, M. A.; Basri, N. H.; Nor, N. S. M.; Dolah, B. N. M.; Noor, A. M.; Jasni, M. R. M.

2016-08-01

Graphene/semicrystalline-carbon in the form of carbon flakes is produced by carbonization up to 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000°C, respectively, of the amylose films prepared by a casting method on copper foil substrate. The carbon flakes are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to determine their microcrystallite interlayer spacing, width and stack-height; and Raman spectroscopy (RS) method to obtain structural information from the D-, D2- and G-bands peak-intensities. The XRD results show that increase in carbonization temperature lead to ~(1-3%), ~85% and ~30%increase in the microcrystallites interlayer spacing, width and stack-height, respectively, indicating that a larger growth of microcrytallite of carbon flakes occurs in the direction parallel to (001) plane or film planar surface. The specific surface area of carbon flakes estimated from the XRD results in decreases from ~4400 to ~3400 m2/g, corresponding to the specific capacitance between ~500 to ~400 F/g, which are well within the range of specific capacitance for typical electrodes carbon for supercapacitor application. The RS results show that the multilayer graphene co-exist with semicrystalline- carbon within the carbon flakes, with the multilayer graphene relative quantities increase with increasing carbonization temperature.

Graphene/semicrystalline-carbon derived from amylose films for supercapacitor application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deraman, M; Sazali, N E S; Hanappi, M F Y M; Tajuddin, N S M; Hamdan, E; Suleman, M; Othman, M A R; Omar, R; Basri, N H; Nor, N S M; Dolah, B N M; Jasni, M R M; Hashim, M A; Noor, A M

2016-01-01

Graphene/semicrystalline-carbon in the form of carbon flakes is produced by carbonization up to 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000°C, respectively, of the amylose films prepared by a casting method on copper foil substrate. The carbon flakes are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to determine their microcrystallite interlayer spacing, width and stack-height; and Raman spectroscopy (RS) method to obtain structural information from the D-, D2- and G-bands peak-intensities. The XRD results show that increase in carbonization temperature lead to ∼(1-3%), ∼85% and ∼30%increase in the microcrystallites interlayer spacing, width and stack-height, respectively, indicating that a larger growth of microcrytallite of carbon flakes occurs in the direction parallel to (001) plane or film planar surface. The specific surface area of carbon flakes estimated from the XRD results in decreases from ∼4400 to ∼3400 m 2 /g, corresponding to the specific capacitance between ∼500 to ∼400 F/g, which are well within the range of specific capacitance for typical electrodes carbon for supercapacitor application. The RS results show that the multilayer graphene co-exist with semicrystalline- carbon within the carbon flakes, with the multilayer graphene relative quantities increase with increasing carbonization temperature. (paper)

Influence of Microwave Power on the Properties of Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Films Prepared by ECR Plasma Enhanced DC Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ru Lili; Huang Jianjun; Gao Liang; Qi Bing

2010-01-01

Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma was applied to enhance the direct current magnetron sputtering to prepare hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (H-DLC) films. For different microwave powers, both argon and hydrogen gas are introduced separately as the ECR working gas to investigate the influence of microwave power on the microstructure and electrical property of the H-DLC films deposited on P-type silicon substrates. A series of characterization methods including the Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy are used. Results show that, within a certain range, the increase in microwave power affects the properties of the thin films, namely the sp 3 ratio, the hardness, the nanoparticle size and the resistivity all increase while the roughness decreases with the increase in microwave power. The maximum of resistivity amounts to 1.1 x 10 9 Ω · cm. At the same time it is found that the influence of microwave power on the properties of H-DLC films is more pronounced when argon gas is applied as the ECR working gas, compared to hydrogen gas.

Effect of Heat treatment on Hardness and Corrosion Resistance of Super Cast Iron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Roun; Kim, Young Sik [Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of)

2014-07-15

In fossil-fuel-fired power plants, a variety of pollutants are produced from the combustion of conventional fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Major component of such pollution are ash and corrosive chemicals, which also destroy pumps and piping; by causing erosion/corrosion, pitting, and wear. In order to over come such damage, materials with high hardness and high corrosion resistance are needed. In this work, we melted super-cast-iron with excellent corrosion resistance and high hardness. To elucidate the effect of heat treatment, microstructural analysis, hardness measurement, and corrosion tests were performed. Test results revealed that the super-cast-iron had several tens better corrosion resistance than 316 L stainless steel, and it also had a high surface hardness (> HRC45). High hardness, in spite of its low carbon content (0.74%C), could resulted from a hardening heat treatment to precipitate sufficient Cr{sub 7}C{sub 3} and Cr{sub 2}3C{sub 6}. Also, it was concluded that the excellent corrosion resistance of the super-cast-iron was due to the increase of the relative chromium content by minimizing the carbon content, and by the enhancement of passive film by the addition of Cr, Mo, Cu, and W.

Oxygen reduction activity of N-doped carbon-based films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Hakoda, Teruyuki; Yamamoto, Shunya; Kawaguchi, Kazuhiro; Yamaki, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Tomohiro; Yoshikawa, Masahito

2010-12-01

Carbon-based films with nitrogen species on their surface were prepared on a glassy carbon (GC) substrate for application as a non-platinum cathode catalyst for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Cobalt and carbon were deposited in the presence of N 2 gas using a pulsed laser deposition method and then the metal Co was removed by HCl-washing treatment. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity was electrochemically determined using a rotating disk electrode system in which the film samples on the GC substrate were replaceable. The ORR activity increased with the temperature of the GC substrate during deposition. A carbon-based film prepared at 600 °C in the presence of N 2 at 66.7 Pa showed the highest ORR activity among the tested samples (0.66 V vs. NHE). This film was composed of amorphous carbons doped with pyridine type nitrogen atoms on its surface.

Hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Sookyung; Li, Xiaolin; Zheng, Jianming; Yan, Pengfei; Cao, Ruiguo; Jung, Hee Joon; Wang, Chong M.; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Jiguang

2016-08-27

With the ever increasing demands on Li-ion batteries with higher energy densities, alternative anode with higher reversible capacity is required to replace the conventional graphite anode. Here, we demonstrate a cost-effective hydrothermal-carbonization approach to prepare the hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite (HC-nSi/G) composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries. In this hierarchical structured composite, the hard carbon coating layer not only provides an efficient pathway for electron transfer, but also alleviates the volume variation of silicon during charge/discharge processes. The HC-nSi/G composite electrode shows excellent electrochemical performances including a high specific capacity of 878.6 mAh g-1 based on the total weight of composite, good rate performance and a decent cycling stability, which is promising for practical applications.

Development of stripper films made of high strength, long life carbon nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyaizu, Mitsuhiro; Sugai, Isamu; Yoshida, Koji; Haruyama, Yoichi.

1994-01-01

The heavy ion accelerators such as tandem type van de Graaff, linear accelerators, cyclotrons and so on raise the acceleration efficiency usually by producing multivalent ions by making the charge conversion of heavy ions using carbon thin films. However, when the electrons of large atomic number ions of low energy, high intensity current are stripped, the conventional carbon thin films on the market or home made were very short in their life, and have become the cause of remarkably lowering the acceleration efficiency. The concrete objectives of the development are the use of the charge conversion of unstable nuclear ions in the E arena accelerator for JHP of the future project of Institute of Nuclear Study and the manufacture of the carbon films which are used for the charge conversion of the H beam of high energy, but at the time of exchanging the films, there is the problem of the radiation exposure of large amount, therefore, the development of high reliability, long life stripper films has been strongly demanded. The experiment was carried out by controlled carbon arc discharge process using both AC and DC and the ion beam sputtering process using reactive nitrogen gas. The results are reported. (K.I.)

Soft-to-hard templating to well-dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres via one-pot carbon/silica source copolymerization

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Qinglu Kong; Lingxia Zhang; Min Wang; Mengli Li; Heliang Yao; Jianlin Shi

2016-01-01

Here we report a new approach referred as "softto-hard templating" strategy via the copolymerization of carbon source (dopamine) and silica source (tetraethyl orthosilicate) for the synthesis of well dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs),which exhibit high performance for electrochemical supercapacitor.This method overcomes the shortcoming of uncontrolled dispersity and complicated procedures of soft-or hard-tem-plating methods,respectively.Moreover,the synthesized MCNs feature enriched heteroatom N-doping and easy functionalization by noble-metal nanoparticles during the one-pot synthesis.All the above characters make the asprepared MCNs a promising platform in a variety of applications.To demonstrate the applicability of the synthesized nitrogen-doped MCNs,this material has been employed as an electrode for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitor,which shows a capacitance of 223 and 140 F/g at current densities of 0.5 and 10 A/g in 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte,respectively.

High power density supercapacitor electrodes of carbon nanotube films by electrophoretic deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Chunsheng; Pan Ning

2006-01-01

Carbon nanotube thin films have been successfully fabricated by the electrophoretic deposition technique. The supercapacitors built from such thin film electrodes have a very small equivalent series resistance, and a high specific power density over 20 kW kg -1 was thus obtained. More importantly, the supercapacitors showed superior frequency response. Our study also demonstrated that these carbon nanotube thin films can serve as coating layers over ordinary current collectors to drastically enhance the electrode performance, indicating a huge potential in supercapacitor and battery manufacturing

Recent Progress in Design of Biomass-Derived Hard Carbons for Sodium Ion Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Górka

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Sodium ion batteries (SIBs have attracted lots of attention over last few years due to the abundance and wide availability of sodium resources, making SIBs the most cost-effective alternative to the currently used lithium ion batteries (LIBs. Many efforts are underway to find effective anodes for SIBs since the commercial anode for LIBs, graphite, has shown very limited capacity for SIBs. Among many different types of carbons, hard carbons—especially these derived from biomass—hold a great deal of promise for SIB technology thanks to their constantly improving performance and low cost. The main scope of this mini-review is to present current progress in preparation of negative electrodes from biomass including aspects related to precursor types used and their impact on the final carbon characteristics (structure, texture and composition. Another aspect discussed is how certain macro- and microstructure characteristics of the materials translate to their performance as anode for Na-ion batteries. In the last part, current understanding of factors governing sodium insertion into hard carbons is summarized, specifically those that could help solve existing performance bottlenecks such as irreversible capacity, initial low Coulombic efficiency and poor rate performance.

Study of lithium insertion in hard carbon made from cotton wool

Science.gov (United States)

Peled, Emanuel; Eshkenazi, Victor; Rosenberg, Yuri

Hard-carbon materials were made either by one-step or multi-step pyrolysis of cotton cloth between 700 and 1100°C. All carbons have been characterized by gas sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Two types of carbons have been obtained. One, made by multi-step pyrolysis, has the highest lithium reversible capacity [about 600 (mA h)/g] and two distinct voltage regions: a sloping one between 1.5 and about 0.1 V, called the high-voltage region (HVR), and a horizontal one between 0.1 and 0 V, called the low-voltage plateau (LVP). The other carbons made by the one-step process have only the HVR and less capacity [up to 470 (mA h)/g]. The influence of the current density and temperature on the capacity and degradation rate in both LVP and HVR was checked. We suggest that there are two different modes of lithium insertion: intercalation-like (on both sides of single graphene sheets) at lower potentials and chemical binding to edge carbon atoms at higher potentials vs. lithium reference electrode. A schematic model for lithiated carbon is proposed.

Screen-printed carbon electrode modified on its surface with amorphous carbon nitride thin film: Electrochemical and morphological study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghamouss, F. [Universite de Nantes, UMR 6006-CNRS, FR-2465-CNRS, Laboratoire d' Analyse isotopique et Electrochimique de Metabolismes (LAIEM) (France); Tessier, P.-Y. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Djouadi, A. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Besland, M.-P. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Boujtita, M. [Universite de Nantes, UMR 6006-CNRS, FR-2465-CNRS, Laboratoire d' Analyse isotopique et Electrochimique de Metabolismes (LAIEM) (France)]. E-mail: mohammed.boujtita@univ-nantes.fr

2007-04-20

The surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was modified by using amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN {sub x}) thin film deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. Scanning electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were used to characterise respectively the morphology and the chemical structure of the a-CN {sub x} modified electrodes. The incorporation of nitrogen in the amorphous carbon network was demonstrated by X ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The a-CN {sub x} layers were deposited on both carbon screen-printed electrode (SPCE) and silicon (Si) substrates. A comparative study showed that the nature of substrate, i.e. SPCE and Si, has a significant effect on both the surface morphology of deposited a-CN {sub x} film and their electrochemical properties. The improvement of the electrochemical reactivity of SPCE after a-CN {sub x} film deposition was highlighted both by comparing the shapes of voltammograms and calculating the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant.

Nonhomogeneous morphology and the elastic modulus of aligned carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, Yoonjin; Gao, Yuan; Kenny, Thomas W; Goodson, Kenneth E; Guzman de Villoria, Roberto; Wardle, Brian L; Xiang, Rong; Maruyama, Shigeo

2015-01-01

Carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays offer the potential to develop nanostructured materials that leverage their outstanding physical properties. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), also named CNT forests, CNT arrays, or CNT turfs, can provide high heat conductivity and sufficient mechanical compliance to accommodate thermal expansion mismatch for use as thermal interface materials (TIMs). This paper reports measurements of the in-plane moduli of vertically aligned, single-walled CNT (SWCNT) and multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) films. The mechanical response of these films is related to the nonhomogeneous morphology of the grown nanotubes, such as entangled nanotubes of a top crust layer, aligned CNTs in the middle region, and CNTs in the bottom layer. To investigate how the entanglements govern the overall mechanical moduli of CNT films, we remove the crust layer consisting of CNT entanglements by etching the CNT films from the top. A microfabricated cantilever technique shows that crust removal reduces the resulting moduli of the etched SWCNT films by as much as 40%, whereas the moduli of the etched MWCNT films do not change significantly, suggesting a minimal crust effect on the film modulus for thick MWCNT films (>90 μm). This improved understanding will allow us to engineer the mechanical moduli of CNT films for TIMs or packaging applications. (paper)

Nonhomogeneous morphology and the elastic modulus of aligned carbon nanotube films

Science.gov (United States)

Won, Yoonjin; Gao, Yuan; Guzman de Villoria, Roberto; Wardle, Brian L.; Xiang, Rong; Maruyama, Shigeo; Kenny, Thomas W.; Goodson, Kenneth E.

2015-11-01

Carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays offer the potential to develop nanostructured materials that leverage their outstanding physical properties. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), also named CNT forests, CNT arrays, or CNT turfs, can provide high heat conductivity and sufficient mechanical compliance to accommodate thermal expansion mismatch for use as thermal interface materials (TIMs). This paper reports measurements of the in-plane moduli of vertically aligned, single-walled CNT (SWCNT) and multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) films. The mechanical response of these films is related to the nonhomogeneous morphology of the grown nanotubes, such as entangled nanotubes of a top crust layer, aligned CNTs in the middle region, and CNTs in the bottom layer. To investigate how the entanglements govern the overall mechanical moduli of CNT films, we remove the crust layer consisting of CNT entanglements by etching the CNT films from the top. A microfabricated cantilever technique shows that crust removal reduces the resulting moduli of the etched SWCNT films by as much as 40%, whereas the moduli of the etched MWCNT films do not change significantly, suggesting a minimal crust effect on the film modulus for thick MWCNT films (>90 μm). This improved understanding will allow us to engineer the mechanical moduli of CNT films for TIMs or packaging applications.

Nanostructured carbon films with oriented graphitic planes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teo, E. H. T.; Kalish, R.; Kulik, J.; Kauffmann, Y.; Lifshitz, Y.

2011-01-01

Nanostructured carbon films with oriented graphitic planes can be deposited by applying energetic carbon bombardment. The present work shows the possibility of structuring graphitic planes perpendicular to the substrate in following two distinct ways: (i) applying sufficiently large carbon energies for deposition at room temperature (E>10 keV), (ii) utilizing much lower energies for deposition at elevated substrate temperatures (T>200 deg. C). High resolution transmission electron microscopy is used to probe the graphitic planes. The alignment achieved at elevated temperatures does not depend on the deposition angle. The data provides insight into the mechanisms leading to the growth of oriented graphitic planes under different conditions.

He{sup +} irradiation temperature influence on the structure and nanohardness of hydrocarbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Hongyu [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); Yang, Deming [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Sun, Li [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Physics, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116023 (China); Yang, Qi; Niu, Jinhai [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); Guo, Liping; Chen, Jihong [Accelerator Laboratory, School of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Bi, Zhenhua [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); Liu, Dongping, E-mail: dongping.liu@dlnu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); Fujian Key Laboratory for Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Department of Electronic Science, Aeronautics, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China)

2013-09-15

Polymer-like hydrocarbon films were irradiated with 100 keV He{sup +} or annealed at sample temperatures varying from 25 to 600 °C. The effects of sample temperature on the structure and nanohardness of hydrocarbon films are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), AFM-based nanoindentation, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Analysis shows that annealing results in the decrease in the nanohardness of hydrocarbon films from 4.0 GPa to 0.55 GPa while He{sup +} irradiation at an elevated sample temperature results in the formation of dense diamond-like carbon films with nanohardness up to 20.0 GPa. This indicates that polymer-like hydrocarbon films can be transformed into the hard diamond-like carbon films with a relatively low H content on vacuum vessels of fusion devices due to the energetic bombardments at an elevated wall temperature.

Absorption and adsorption of methane and carbon dioxide in hard coal and active carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milewska-Duda, J.; Duda, J.; Nodzenski, A.; Lakatos, J. [Stanislaw Staszic University of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow (Poland). Faculty of Fuels and Energy

2000-07-01

The paper shows what can be deduced on sorption mechanisms in hard coals and active carbon by using a theoretical model of sorption of small molecules in elastic submicroporous materials. This multiple sorption model (MSM) describes both adsorption and absorption phenomena. Basic assumptions and formulae of the MSM are presented. The computations were performed for isotherms of CO{sub 2} and CH{sub 4} at elevated pressures on three coal samples of different rank and on an active carbon. Nonideality of the sorbates is handled by an original state equation providing consistent information on fugacity and cohesion energy corresponding to a given molar volume of sorbate molecules in the sorption system. Surface structure of the studied coals and energetic parameters of the systems determined with MSM are compared to those obtained by using BET and Dubinin-Radushkievitch equations.

Micro-supercapacitors from carbide derived carbon (CDC) films on silicon chips

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Peihua; Heon, Min; Pech, David; Brunet, Magali; Taberna, Pierre-Louis; Gogotsi, Yury; Lofland, Samuel; Hettinger, Jeffrey D.; Simon, Patrice

2013-03-01

Interdigitated on-chip micro-supercapacitors based on Carbide Derived Carbon (CDC) films were fabricated and tested. A titanium carbide (TiC) film was patterned and treated with chlorine to obtain a TiC derived carbon (TiC-CDC) film, followed by the deposition of two types of current collectors (Ti/Au and Al) using standard micro-fabrication processes. CDC based micro-supercapacitors were electrochemically characterized by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy using a 1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, NEt4BF4, in propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte. A capacitance of 0.78 mF for the device and 1.5 mF cm-2 as the specific capacitance for the footprint of the device was measured for a 2 V potential range at 100 mV s-1. A specific energy of 3.0 mJ cm-2 and a specific power of 84 mW cm-2 were calculated for the devices. These devices provide a pathway for fabricating pure carbon-based micro-supercapacitors by micro-fabrication, and can be used for powering micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and electronic devices.

Tl and OSL dosimetry of diamond films CVD pure and unpurified with boron-carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melendrez, R.; Pedroza M, M.; Chernov, V.; Ochoa N, J.D.; Bernal, R.; Barboza F, M.; Castaneda, B.; Goncalves, J.A.N.; Sandonato, G.M.; Cruz Z, E.; Preciado F, S.; Cruz V, C.; Brown, F.; Schreck, M.

2004-01-01

The diamond is a material that possesses extreme physical properties, such as its hardness to the radiation, its low chemical reactivity besides its equivalence to the human tissue, which qualify him as an ideal material for radiation dosimetry. In this work, it was studied the thermal and optically stimulated response (Tl and OSL) of polycrystalline diamond films grown by the technique of CVD pure and contaminated with Boron-carbon (B/C) with the intention of characterizing their efficiency like a dosemeter for radiation in a range of 0 - 3000 Gy. For the case of the films without impurities, the Tl curve presents four main peaks, two of them in an interval of temperatures of 150-200 C and other two additional around of 250-400 C. The dependence of the response of integrated Tl and that of OSL always maintained a lineal relationship with the exhibition dose up to 100 Gy. The behavior of the films contaminated with B/C (2000 - 20000 ppm) was established through experiments that involved the signal of OSL and their relationship with the Tl response. It was found that this processes are correlated, since the electrons caught in the traps of low temperature (50 - 250 C) of the Tl they are the electrons that recombining with more probability to provide the signal of OSL. According to these results it is possible to propose the diamond films as a good candidate for dosimetry to, using the traditional technique of Tl so much as well as the but recent of OSL. (Author)

Enhanced hardness in epitaxial TiAlScN alloy thin films and rocksalt TiN/(Al,Sc)N superlattices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, Bivas [School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Lawrence, Samantha K.; Bahr, David F. [School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Schroeder, Jeremy L.; Birch, Jens [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden); Sands, Timothy D. [School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)

2014-10-13

High hardness TiAlN alloys for wear-resistant coatings exhibit limited lifetimes at elevated temperatures due to a cubic-AlN to hexagonal-AlN phase transformation that leads to decreasing hardness. We enhance the hardness (up to 46 GPa) and maximum operating temperature (up to 1050 °C) of TiAlN-based coatings by alloying with scandium nitride to form both an epitaxial TiAlScN alloy film and epitaxial rocksalt TiN/(Al,Sc)N superlattices on MgO substrates. The superlattice hardness increases with decreasing period thickness, which is understood by the Orowan bowing mechanism of the confined layer slip model. These results make them worthy of additional research for industrial coating applications.

Studies of hydrogen incorporation in hydrogenated amorphous carbon films by infrared absorption spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alameh, R.; Bounouh, Y.; Sadki, A.; Naud, C.; Theye, M.L.

1997-01-01

Author.Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films presently attract considerable interest because of their potential applications in the domain of multifunctional coatings: transparent in the infrared, very hard, chemically inert, etc...This material is rather complex since it contains C atoms in both sp 3 (diamond) and sp 2 (graphite) electronic configurations, as well as a large concentration of H atoms. Its properties are strongly dependent on the deposition conditions which determine the film microstructure, i.e. the relative proportions of sp 3 and sp 2 C sites, their connection in the network and the hydrogen bonding modes. It has been suggested that the sp 2 C sites tend to cluster into unsaturated chains ans rings, which are then embedded in the sp 3 C sites m atrix . Hydrogen incorporation plays a crucial role in this intrinsic microheterogeneity, which determines the electronic properties, and especially the gap value, of a-C:H. We here present and discuss the results of Fourrier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements performed on a-C:H films prepared under different conditions and submitted to controlled annealing cycles, which exhibit quite different optical gap values (from 1 to 2.5 eV). We carefully analyze the absorption bands detected in the 400-7500 cm -1 spectral range in terms of the vibration modes of C-H and C-C bonds in different local environments and we interpret the results in relation with the film microstructure and optical properties. Special attention is also paid to the absorption background and to the variations of the whole absorption spectra with measurement temperature

Deposition of titanium carbide films from mixed carbon and titanium plasma streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delplancke-Ogletree, M.; Monteiro, O.R.

1997-01-01

Dual source metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition was used to deposit Ti x C y films over a wide range of Ti:C composition. This technique is well adapted for this purpose and allows one to tailor the microstructure and properties of the films. We investigated the variation of the composition, bonding states, and structure as functions of the deposition conditions. Excess carbon and contamination oxygen are incorporated in the TiC lattice interstitially and substitutionally, respectively. The wear mechanism of a stoichiometric TiC film was investigated and compared to that of a diamondlike carbon film. TiC fails by wear and microcrack propagation. copyright 1997 American Vacuum Society

Structural, chemical and nanomechanical investigations of SiC/polymeric a-C:H films deposited by reactive RF unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Tomastik, C.; Lackner, J. M.; Pauschitz, A.; Roy, M.

2016-03-01

Amorphous carbon (or diamond-like carbon, DLC) films have shown a number of important properties usable for a wide range of applications for very thin coatings with low friction and good wear resistance. DLC films alloyed with (semi-)metals show some improved properties and can be deposited by various methods. Among those, the widely used magnetron sputtering of carbon targets is known to increase the number of defects in the films. Therefore, in this paper an alternative approach of depositing silicon-carbide-containing polymeric hydrogenated DLC films using unbalanced magnetron sputtering was investigated. The influence of the C2H2 precursor concentration in the deposition chamber on the chemical and structural properties of the deposited films was investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analysis. Roughness, mechanical properties and scratch response of the films were evaluated with the help of atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation. The Raman spectra revealed a strong correlation of the film structure with the C2H2 concentration during deposition. A higher C2H2 flow rate results in an increase in SiC content and decrease in hydrogen content in the film. This in turn increases hardness and elastic modulus and decreases the ratio H/E and H3/E2. The highest scratch resistance is exhibited by the film with the highest hardness, and the film having the highest overall sp3 bond content shows the highest elastic recovery during scratching.

TEM investigation of DC sputtered carbon-nitride-nickel thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safran, G.; Geszti, O.; Radnoczi, G.

2002-01-01

Deposition of carbon nitride (C-N) and carbon-nitride-nickel (C-N-Ni) films onto glass, NaCl and Si(001) substrates was carried out in a dc magnetron sputtering system. Carbon was deposited from high-purity (99.99%) pyrolytic graphite target, 50 mm in diameter, positioned at 10 cm from a resistance-heated substrate holder. C-N-Ni films were grown by a small Ni plate mounted on the graphite target. The base pressure of the deposition chamber was ∼7x10 -7 Torr. Films were grown at a substrate temperature of 20-700 grad C, in pure N 2 at partial pressures of 1.9 -2.2 mTorr and the substrates were held at ground potential. The typical film thickness of 15-30 nm was deposited on all the substrates at a magnetron current of 0.2 and 0.3 A, which resulted in a deposition rate of 1.5-2 nm/s. Structural characterizations were performed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) using a JEOL 3010 operated at 300 kV and a 200 kV Philips CM 20 electron microscope equipped with a Ge detector Noran EDS system. The N content of the C-N samples prepared at room temperature was 22-24% by EDS measurement and showed a decrease to 6-7% at elevated temperatures up to 700 grad C. The N concentration in the C-N-Ni films was higher: ∼38% at RT and ∼9% at 700 grad C. The Ni concentration of C-N-Ni samples was 5-6% and 0.3-0.4% in samples deposited at RT and 700 grad C respectively. The low Ni content in the latter is attributed to a decrease of the sticking coefficient of the carbon co-deposited Ni at elevated temperatures. (Authors)

Atomically Smooth Epitaxial Ferroelectric Thin Films for the Development of a Nonvolatile, Ultrahigh Density, Fast, Low Voltage, Radiation-Hard Memory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ahn, Charles H

2006-01-01

The goal of this research is to fabricate atomically smooth, single crystalline, complex oxide thin film nanostructures for use in a nonvolatile, ultrahigh density, fast, low voltage, radiation-hard memory...

Multifunctional Poly(2,5-benzimidazole)/Carbon Nanotube Composite Films

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Multifunctional Poly(2,5- benzimidazole )/Carbon Nanotube Composite Films JI-YE KANG,1 SOO-MI EO,1 IN-YUP JEON,1 YEONG SUK CHOI,2 LOON-SENG TAN,3 JONG...molecular-weight poly(2,5- benzimidazole ) (ABPBI). ABPBI/carbon nanotube (CNT) compo- sites were prepared via in situ polymerization of the AB-monomer in the...polymerization; multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT); nano- composites; poly(2,5- benzimidazole ); (ABPBI); polycondensa- tion; poly(phosphoric acid); single-walled

Humidity Sensor Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, C.L.; Hu, C.G.; Fang, L.; Wang, S.X.; Cao, C.L.; Tian, Y.S.; Pan, C.Y.

2009-01-01

The properties of the humidity sensors made of chemically treated and untreated multi-walled carbon nano tube (MWCNT) thin films are investigated systematically. It shows that both the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT thin films demonstrate humidity sensitive properties, but the former have stronger sensitivity than the latter. In the range of 11%-98% relative humidity (RH), the resistances of the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT humidity sensors increase 120% and 28%, respectively. Moreover, the treated humidity sensors showed higher sensitivity and better stability. In addition, the response and recover properties, and stabilization of the humidity sensors are measured, and the humidity sensitive mechanisms of the sensors are analyzed. The humidity sensitivity of carbon nano tube thin films indicates it promise as a kind of humidity sensitive material

Transmission properties of terahertz waves through asymmetric rectangular aperture arrays on carbon nanotube films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yue Wang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Transmission spectra of terahertz waves through a two-dimensional array of asymmetric rectangular apertures on super-aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube films were obtained experimentally. In this way, the anisotropic transmission phenomena of carbon nanotube films were observed. For a terahertz wave polarization parallel to the orientation of the carbon nanotubes and along the aperture short axis, sharp resonances were observed and the resonance frequencies coincided well with the surface plasmon polariton theory. In addition, the minima of the transmission spectra were in agreement with the location predicted by the theory of Wood’s anomalies. Furthermore, it was found that the resonance profiles through the carbon nanotube films could be well described by the Fano model.

Co-sputter deposited nickel-copper bimetallic nanoalloy embedded carbon films for electrocatalytic biomarker detection

Science.gov (United States)

Shiba, Shunsuke; Kato, Dai; Kamata, Tomoyuki; Niwa, Osamu

2016-06-01

We report the fabrication of a nickel (Ni)-copper (Cu) bimetallic nanoalloy (~3 nm) embedded carbon film electrode with the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) co-sputtering technique, which requires only a one-step process at room temperature. Most of each nanoalloy body was firmly embedded in a chemically stable carbon matrix with an atomically flat surface (Ra: 0.21 nm), suppressing the aggregation and/or detachment of the nanoalloy from the electrode surface. The nanoalloy size and composition can be controlled simply by individually controlling the target powers of carbon, Ni and Cu, which also makes it possible to localize the nanoalloys near the electrode surface. This electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for d-mannitol, which should be detected with a low detection limit in urine samples for the diagnosis of severe intestinal diseases. With a Ni/Cu ratio of around 64/36, the electrocatalytic current per metal area was 3.4 times larger than that of an alloy film electrode with a similar composition (~70/30). This improved electrocatalytic activity realized higher stability (n = 60, relative standard deviation (RSD): 4.6%) than the alloy film (RSD: 32.2%) as demonstrated by continuous measurements of d-mannitol.We report the fabrication of a nickel (Ni)-copper (Cu) bimetallic nanoalloy (~3 nm) embedded carbon film electrode with the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) co-sputtering technique, which requires only a one-step process at room temperature. Most of each nanoalloy body was firmly embedded in a chemically stable carbon matrix with an atomically flat surface (Ra: 0.21 nm), suppressing the aggregation and/or detachment of the nanoalloy from the electrode surface. The nanoalloy size and composition can be controlled simply by individually controlling the target powers of carbon, Ni and Cu, which also makes it possible to localize the nanoalloys near the electrode surface. This electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for d

Photo-induced thermoelectric response in suspended single-walled carbon nanotube films

Science.gov (United States)

St-Antoine, Benoit; Menard, David; Martel, Richard

2010-03-01

A study was carried out on the position dependent photovoltage of suspended single-walled carbon nanotube films in vacuum. The photoresponse of such films was found to be driven by a thermal mechanism, rather than by direct photoexcitation of carriers. [1] A model was developed which establishes a relation between the photoresponse profile and the local Seebeck coefficient of the film, thus opening up new perspectives for material characterization. The technique was demonstrated by monitoring the doping changes in the nanotube films obtained by successive current conditioning steps. Since the Seebeck coefficient of carbon nanotubes spans a considerable range depending on their doping state, the photovoltage amplitude can be tuned and large responses have been measured (up to 0.75mV for 1.2mW). [4pt] [1] B. St-Antoine et al. Nano Lett. 9, 3503 (2009)

Structure and photoluminescence of films composed of carbon nanoflakes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yi, E-mail: wangyi@cqut.edu.cn [College of Mechanical Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, 69 Hongguang Rd, Lijiatuo, Banan District, Chongqing 400054, P R China (China); Li, Lin [College of Chemistry, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, P R China (China); Cheng, Qijin [School of Energy Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P R China (China); He, Chunlin [Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, P R China (China)

2015-05-15

Carbon nanoflake films (CNFFs) were directly synthesized by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The results of field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, micro-Raman spectroscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope indicate that the CNFFs are composed of bending carbon nanoflakes with the hydrocarbon and hydroxyl functional groups, and the carbon nanoflakes become thin in a long deposition time. The structural change of carbon nanoflakes is related to the formation of structural units and the aggregation of hydrocarbon radicals near the carbon nanoflakes. Moreover, the photoluminescence (PL) properties of CNFFs were studied in a Ramalog system and a PL spectroscope. The PL results indicate that the PL intensity of CNFFs is lowered with the increase of thickness of CNFFs. The lowering of PL intensity for the thick CNFFs originates from the effect of more dangling bonds in the CNFFs. In addition, we studied the structural difference of carbon nanoflakes grown by different CVD systems and the PL difference of carbon nanoflakes in different measurement systems. The results achieved here are important to control the growth and structure of graphene-based materials and fabricate the optoelectronic devices related to carbon-based materials. - Highlights: • Carbon nanoflake films (CNFFs) were synthesized by PEHFCVD. • The structure of CNFFs is related to the aggregation of carbon hydrocarbon radicals. • The PL intensity of CNFFs is lowered with the thickness increase of CNFFs. • The change of PL intensity of CNFFs is due to the dangling bonds in CNFFs. • The widening of PL bands of CNFFs results from the diversity of carbon nanofalkes.

Buckling instability in amorphous carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, X D [CAS Key Laboratory of Basic Plasma Physics, Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Narumi, K [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Naramoto, H [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)

2007-06-13

In this paper, we report the buckling instability in amorphous carbon films on mirror-polished sapphire (0001) wafers deposited by ion beam assisted deposition at various growth temperatures. For the films deposited at 150 deg. C, many interesting stress relief patterns are found, which include networks, blisters, sinusoidal patterns with {pi}-shape, and highly ordered sinusoidal waves on a large scale. Starting at irregular buckling in the centre, the latter propagate towards the outer buckling region. The maximum length of these ordered patterns reaches 396 {mu}m with a height of {approx}500 nm and a wavelength of {approx}8.2 {mu}m. However, the length decreases dramatically to 70 {mu}m as the deposition temperature is increased to 550 deg. C. The delamination of the film appears instead of sinusoidal waves with a further increase of the deposition temperature. This experimental observation is correlated with the theoretic work of Crosby (1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 R2542)

Buckling instability in amorphous carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, X D; Narumi, K; Naramoto, H

2007-01-01

In this paper, we report the buckling instability in amorphous carbon films on mirror-polished sapphire (0001) wafers deposited by ion beam assisted deposition at various growth temperatures. For the films deposited at 150 deg. C, many interesting stress relief patterns are found, which include networks, blisters, sinusoidal patterns with π-shape, and highly ordered sinusoidal waves on a large scale. Starting at irregular buckling in the centre, the latter propagate towards the outer buckling region. The maximum length of these ordered patterns reaches 396 μm with a height of ∼500 nm and a wavelength of ∼8.2 μm. However, the length decreases dramatically to 70 μm as the deposition temperature is increased to 550 deg. C. The delamination of the film appears instead of sinusoidal waves with a further increase of the deposition temperature. This experimental observation is correlated with the theoretic work of Crosby (1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 R2542)

Bright luminance from silicon dioxide film with carbon nanotube electron beam exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Su Woong; Hong, Ji Hwan; Kang, Jung Su; Callixte, Shikili; Park, Kyu Chang, E-mail: kyupark@khu.ac.kr

2016-02-15

We observed the bright bluish-white luminescence with naked eye from carbon nanotube electron beam exposed silicon dioxide (SiO{sub 2}) thin film on Si substrate. The luminescence shows a peak intensity at 2.7 eV (460 nm) with wide spread up to 600 nm after the C-beam exposed on SiO{sub 2} thin film. The C-beam exposure system is composed of carbon nanotube emitters as electron beam source. The brightness strongly depend on the exposure condition. Luminescence characteristic was optimized by C-beam adjustment to observe with the naked eye. The cause of luminescence in the C-beam exposed SiO{sub 2} thin film is analyzed by CL microscopy, FT-IR, AFM and ellipsometer. Decrease of Si–O bonding was observed after C-beam exposure, and this reveals that oxygen deficient defects which are irradiation-sensitive cause 2.7 eV peak of luminescence. - Highlights: • We observed bright luminescence for SiO{sub 2} thin film with naked eye by carbon nanotube electron beam (C-beam) exposure technique. • The bright luminance from C-beam exposed SiO{sub 2} film will open novel silicon optoelectronics.

Preparation of mesoporous carbon nitride structure by the dealloying of Ni/a-CN nanocomposite films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Han; Shen, Yongqing; Huang, Jie; Liao, Bin; Wu, Xianying; Zhang, Xu

2018-05-01

The preparation of mesoporous carbon nitride (p-CN) structure by the selective dealloying process of Ni/a-CN nanocomposite films is investigated. The composition and structure of the Ni/a-CN nanocomposite films and porous carbon nitride (p-CN) films are determined by scan electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Phase separated structure including nickel carbide phase and the surrounding amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN) matrix are detected for the as-deposited films. Though the bulk diffusion is introduced in the film during the annealing process, the grain sizes for the post-annealed films are around 10 nm and change little comparing with the ones of the as-deposited films, which is associated with the thermostability of the CN surrounding in the film. The p-CN skeleton with its pore size around 12.5 nm is formed by etching the post-annealed films, indicative of the stability of the phase separated structure during the annealing process.

Carbon-based layer-by-layer nanostructures: from films to hollow capsules

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Jinkee; Han, Jung Yeon; Yoon, Hyunsik; Joo, Piljae; Lee, Taemin; Seo, Eunyong; Char, Kookheon; Kim, Byeong-Su

2011-11-01

Over the past years, the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly has been widely developed as one of the most powerful techniques to prepare multifunctional films with desired functions, structures and morphologies because of its versatility in the process steps in both material and substrate choices. Among various functional nanoscale objects, carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets, are promising candidates for emerging science and technology with their unique physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. In particular, carbon-based functional multilayer coatings based on the LbL assembly are currently being actively pursued as conducting electrodes, batteries, solar cells, supercapacitors, fuel cells and sensor applications. In this article, we give an overview on the use of carbon materials in nanostructured films and capsules prepared by the LbL assembly with the aim of unraveling the unique features and their applications of carbon multilayers prepared by the LbL assembly.

Hard coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dan, J.P.; Boving, H.J.; Hintermann, H.E.

1993-01-01

Hard, wear resistant and low friction coatings are presently produced on a world-wide basis, by different processes such as electrochemical or electroless methods, spray technologies, thermochemical, CVD and PVD. Some of the most advanced processes, especially those dedicated to thin film depositions, basically belong to CVD or PVD technologies, and will be looked at in more detail. The hard coatings mainly consist of oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides or carbon. Over the years, many processes have been developed which are variations and/or combinations of the basic CVD and PVD methods. The main difference between these two families of deposition techniques is that the CVD is an elevated temperature process (≥ 700 C), while the PVD on the contrary, is rather a low temperature process (≤ 500 C); this of course influences the choice of substrates and properties of the coating/substrate systems. Fundamental aspects of the vapor phase deposition techniques and some of their influences on coating properties will be discussed, as well as the very important interactions between deposit and substrate: diffusions, internal stress, etc. Advantages and limitations of CVD and PVD respectively will briefly be reviewed and examples of applications of the layers will be given. Parallel to the development and permanent updating of surface modification technologies, an effort was made to create novel characterisation methods. A close look will be given to the coating adherence control by means of the scratch test, at the coating hardness measurement by means of nanoindentation, at the coating wear resistance by means of a pin-on-disc tribometer, and at the surface quality evaluation by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Finally, main important trends will be highlighted. (orig.)

Formation of carbon quantum dots and nanodiamonds in laser ablation of a carbon film

Science.gov (United States)

Sidorov, A. I.; Lebedev, V. F.; Kobranova, A. A.; Nashchekin, A. V.

2018-01-01

We have experimentally shown that nanosecond near-IR pulsed laser ablation of a thin amorphous carbon film produces carbon quantum dots with a graphite structure and nanodiamonds with a characteristic size of 20 - 500 nm on the substrate surface. The formation of these nanostructures is confirmed by electron microscopic images, luminescence spectra and Raman spectra. The mechanisms explaining the observed effects are proposed.

A comparison of field-only electronic portal imaging hard copies with double exposure port films in radiation therapy treatment setup confirmation to determine its clinical application in a radiotherapy center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatherly, Kay; Smylie, Josephine; Rodger, Alan

1999-01-01

Purpose: To determine in which treatment sites field-only hard copy electronic portal images (EPI) captured during a treatment exposure could replace traditional double exposed port films in a busy radiation oncology department. Methods and Materials: The three linear accelerators in the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre (WBRC) at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne are each equipped with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). These devices can be used daily on all patients where the treatment fields are within the size constraint of the cassette, for example, less than 25 x 25 cm. Port films using radiographic film in hard cassettes were previously considered the standard method of field placement verification. After the radiation therapists were trained in all program aspects of capturing, enhancing, and producing hard copies of EPIs, a study was developed to evaluate the possibility of replacing port films with EPI hard copies within the established departmental procedures. Comparison of EPI hard copy with the simulator film and the port film of the same field was carried out by the radiation oncologist specialists. Seventy-eight comparison sets were generated and grouped into seven anatomical regions for evaluation by the radiation oncologist specialist responsible for each particular region. The outcome decision was the preferred imaging option. Where no preference was stated, EPI became the modality of choice, as it increased the efficiency of work practice. Results: The results indicate that field-only EPI can be considered to be at least as clinically useful for treatment verification in the following sites: breast, chest, hip, spine, and large pelvic fields. Port films using a standard, double exposure technique were considered necessary for partial brain fields, small pelvis fields, extremities, and radical head and neck fields. Conclusion: The quality of field-only images captured using an EPID has been favorably assessed to be equivalent to, or an

Rapid growth of amorphous carbon films on the inner surface of micron-thick and hollow-core fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Longfei [Fujian Key Laboratory for Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Department of Electric Science, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Liu, Dongping, E-mail: Dongping.liu@dlnu.edu.cn [Fujian Key Laboratory for Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Department of Electric Science, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Zhou, Xinwei [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310007 (China); Song, Ying [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023 (China); Ni, Weiyuan [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Niu, Jinhai; Fan, Hongyu [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China)

2013-10-01

Ultrathick (> 25 μm) carbon films were obtained on the inner surface of hollow and micron-thick quartz fibers by confining CH{sub 4}/He or C{sub 2}H{sub 2}/He microplasmas in their hollow cores. The resulting carbon films were studied by using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The microplasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique resulted in the uniform growth of amorphous carbon films on the inner surface of very long (> 1 m) hollow-core fibers. Film deposition is performed by using microplasmas at atmospheric pressure and at 50 Pa. The carbon films obtained with the latter show the smooth inner surfaces and the well continuity across the film/optical fiber. Low-pressure CH{sub 4}/He and C{sub 2}H{sub 2}/He microplasmas can lead to a rapid growth (∼ 2.00 μm/min) of carbon films with their thickness of > 25 μm. The optical emission measurements show that various hydrocarbon species were formed in these depositing microplasmas due to the collisions between CH{sub 4}/C{sub 2}H{sub 2} molecules and energetic species. The microplasma-enhanced CVD technique running without the complicated fabrication processes shows its potentials for rapidly depositing the overlong carbon tubes with their inner diameters of tens of microns. - Highlights: • The microplasma device is applied for coating deposition inside hollow-core fibers. • The microplasma device results in > 25 μm-thick carbon films. • The microplasma device is simple for deposition of ultralong carbon tubes.

Structure and Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Deposited by PACVD Technique on Light Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tański T.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The investigations presented in this paper describe surface treatment performed on samples of heat-treated cast magnesium and aluminium alloy. The structure and chemical composition as well as the functional and mechanical properties of the obtained gradient/monolithic films were analysed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, the ball-on-disk tribotester and scratch testing. Moreover, investigation of the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of the samples was carried out by means of potentiodynamic polarisation curves in 1-M NaCl solution. The coatings produced by chemical vapour deposition did not reveal any delamination or defects and they adhere closely to the substrate. The coating thickness was in a range of up to 2.5 microns. Investigations using Raman spectra of the DLC films confirmed a multiphase character of the diamond-like carbon layer, revealing the sp2 and sp3 electron hybridisation responsible for both the hardness and the friction coefficient. The best wear resistance test results were obtained for the magnesium alloy substrate - AZ61, for which the measured value of the friction path length was equal to 630 m.

Analysis of the radial distribution curves of partially ordered condensed carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palatnik, L.S.; Derevyanchenko, A.S.; Nechitajlo, A.A.; Stetsenko, A.N.; Gorbenko, N.I.

1977-01-01

The Fourier analysis of the electron scattering curves has been carried out to determine the short-range order structure of carbon condensates. The intensity curves for carbon films condensed in a approximately 10 -6 Torr vacuum upon a substrate heated up to 600 deg C were obtained by diffraction techniques with filtration of the inelastic scattered electron background. The radial distribution curve errors were analyzed and quantified with the aid of a computer to determine the short-range order of the condensed carbon. It has been shown that carbon films consist of regions measuring approximately 20 A formed by parallelly packed graphite nets with azimuthal orientation different from that in ideal graphite crystals

Amorphous Carbon Gold Nanocomposite Thin Films: Structural and Spectro-ellipsometric Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montiel-Gonzalez, Z., E-mail: zeuzmontiel@hotmail.com [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico); Rodil, S.E.; Muhl, S. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico); Mendoza-Galvan, A. [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Unidad Queretaro, 76010 Queretaro, Queretaro (Mexico); Rodriguez-Fernandez, L. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito de la Investigacion Cientifica, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico)

2011-07-01

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry was used to determine the optical and structural properties of amorphous carbon:gold nanocomposite thin films deposited by dc magnetron co-sputtering at different deposition power. The incorporation of gold as small particles distributed in the amorphous carbon matrix was confirmed by X-ray Diffraction, Rutherford Backscattering measurements and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. Based on these results, an optical model for the films was developed using the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium with the Drude-Lorentz model representing the optical response of gold and the Tauc-Lorentz model for the amorphous carbon. The gold volume fraction and particle size obtained from the fitting processes were comparable to those from the physical characterization. The analysis of the ellipsometric spectra for all the samples showed strong changes in the optical properties of the carbon films as a consequence of the gold incorporation. These changes were correlated to the structural modification observed by Raman Spectroscopy, which indicated a clustering of the sp{sup 2} phase with a subsequent decrease in the optical gap. Finally, measurements of Reflection and Transmission Spectroscopy were carried out and Transmission Electron Microscopy images were obtained in order to support the ellipsometric model results.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ion-beam-produced Fe-Ti-(N), Fe-Ti-(C), and Fe-Ti-(C,N) surface films

Science.gov (United States)

Hirvonen, J.-P.; Nastasi, M.; Zocco, T. G.; Jervis, T. R.

1990-06-01

Ion-mixed films of Fe53 Ti47 were produced by ion irradiating a Fe-Ti multilayer structure on AISI 304 stainless steel. The ion-mixed films were subsequently implanted with nitrogen, carbon, or both carbon and nitrogen. The microstructure following nitrogen implantation consisted of a bcc solid solution of iron and titanium and finely dispersed TiN precipitates. In the cases of carbon or carbon and nitrogen implantation, a two-phase structure consisting of an amorphous matrix with TiC or Ti(C,N) precipitates was found. All these films initially possessed improved tribological properties as revealed by lowered friction and increased wear resistance. However, after an extended test of 1000 wear cycles, a reduced friction was only observed for the carbon or carbon and nitrogen implanted samples. The wear track on the dual implanted surface was extremely smooth, while the surface of the nitrogen-implanted sample was partly worn through, causing the friction to increase to the level of the untreated sample. The improved tribological properties of the implanted films are attributed to an increase in surface hardness. However, the surface hardness is unable to explain differences between different implantations. In the case of the dual carbon and nitrogen implantation, improvements appear to be in part the result from an increased capability to accommodate plastic deformation. These conclusions are supported by transmission electron microscope studies of the wear tracks as well as by nanoindentation measurements.

The influence of material hardness on liquid droplet impingement erosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujisawa, Nobuyuki; Yamagata, Takayuki; Takano, Shotaro; Saito, Kengo; Morita, Ryo; Fujiwara, Kazutoshi; Inada, Fumio

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Liquid droplet impingement erosion is studied for various metal materials. • Average power dependency on droplet velocity is found as 7. • Power dependency on Vickers hardness is found as −4.5. • An empirical formula is constructed for erosion rates of metal materials. • Predicted erosion rate is well correlated with experiment within a factor of 1.5. - Abstract: This paper describes the experimental study on the liquid droplet impingement erosion of metal materials to understand the influence of material hardness on the erosion rate. The experiment is carried out using a water spray jet apparatus with a condition of relatively thin liquid film thickness. The metal materials tested are pure aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, mild steel, carbon steel and stainless steel. The liquid droplets considered are 30 ± 5 μm in volume average diameter of water, which is the same order of droplet diameter in the actual pipeline in nuclear/fossil power plants. In order to understand the influence of material hardness on the liquid droplet impingement erosion, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation on the eroded surface and the measurement of erosion rate are carried out in the terminal stage of erosion. The experimental results indicate that the erosion rates are expressed by the droplet velocity, volume flux, Vickers hardness and the liquid film thickness, which are fundamentals of the liquid droplet impingement erosion. The empirical formula shows that the power index for droplet velocity dependency is found to be 7 with a scattering from 5 to 9 depending on the materials, while the power index for Vickers hardness dependency is found as −4.5

The influence of material hardness on liquid droplet impingement erosion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujisawa, Nobuyuki, E-mail: fujisawa@eng.niigata-u.ac.jp [Visualization Research Center, Niigata University, 8050, Ikarashi 2-Nocho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan); Yamagata, Takayuki, E-mail: yamagata@eng.niigata-u.ac.jp [Visualization Research Center, Niigata University, 8050, Ikarashi 2-Nocho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan); Takano, Shotaro; Saito, Kengo [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 8050, Ikarashi 2-Nocho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan); Morita, Ryo; Fujiwara, Kazutoshi; Inada, Fumio [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 2-11-1, Iwatokita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511 (Japan)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • Liquid droplet impingement erosion is studied for various metal materials. • Average power dependency on droplet velocity is found as 7. • Power dependency on Vickers hardness is found as −4.5. • An empirical formula is constructed for erosion rates of metal materials. • Predicted erosion rate is well correlated with experiment within a factor of 1.5. - Abstract: This paper describes the experimental study on the liquid droplet impingement erosion of metal materials to understand the influence of material hardness on the erosion rate. The experiment is carried out using a water spray jet apparatus with a condition of relatively thin liquid film thickness. The metal materials tested are pure aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, mild steel, carbon steel and stainless steel. The liquid droplets considered are 30 ± 5 μm in volume average diameter of water, which is the same order of droplet diameter in the actual pipeline in nuclear/fossil power plants. In order to understand the influence of material hardness on the liquid droplet impingement erosion, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation on the eroded surface and the measurement of erosion rate are carried out in the terminal stage of erosion. The experimental results indicate that the erosion rates are expressed by the droplet velocity, volume flux, Vickers hardness and the liquid film thickness, which are fundamentals of the liquid droplet impingement erosion. The empirical formula shows that the power index for droplet velocity dependency is found to be 7 with a scattering from 5 to 9 depending on the materials, while the power index for Vickers hardness dependency is found as −4.5.

Passive film growth on carbon steel and its nanoscale features at various passivating potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yuan; Cheng, Y. Frank

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Imaged the topography of passivated steel at various film-forming potentials. • Characterized the nanoscale features of passive films. • Determined the composition of passive films formed at various potentials. - Abstract: In this work, the passivation and topographic sub-structure of passive films on a carbon steel in a carbonate/bicarbonate solution was characterized by electrochemical measurements, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When passivating at a potential near the active-passive transition, the film contains the mixture of Fe_3O_4, Fe_2O_3 and FeOOH, with numerous nanoscale features. As the film-forming potential shifts positively, the passive film becomes more compact and the nanoscale features disappear. When the film is formed at a passive potential where the oxygen evolution is enabled, the content of FeOOH in the film increases, resulting in an amorphous topography and reduced corrosion resistance.

Thermal stability of amorphous carbon films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Friedmann, T. A.; McCarty, K. F.; Barbour, J. C.; Siegal, M. P.; Dibble, Dean C.

1996-03-01

The thermal stability in vacuum of amorphous tetrahedrally coordinated carbon (a-tC) films grown on Si has been assessed by in situ Raman spectroscopy. Films were grown in vacuum on room-temperature substrates using laser fluences of 12, 22, and 45 J/cm2 and in a background gas of either hydrogen or nitrogen using a laser fluence of 45 J/cm2. The films grown in vacuum at high fluence (≳20J/cm2) show little change in the a-tC Raman spectra with temperature up to 800 °C. Above this temperature the films convert to glassy carbon (nanocrystalline graphite). Samples grown in vacuum at lower fluence or in a background gas (H2 or N2) at high fluence are not nearly as stable. For all samples, the Raman signal from the Si substrate (observed through the a-tC film) decreases in intensity with annealing temperature indicating that the transparency of the a-tC films is decreasing with temperature. These changes in transparency begin at much lower temperatures (˜200 °C) than the changes in the a-tC Raman band shape and indicate that subtle changes are occurring in the a-tC films at lower temperatures.

Synthesis of diamondlike carbon films with superlow friction and wear properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdemir, A. [Energy Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Eryilmaz, O. L. [Energy Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Fenske, G. [Energy Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)

2000-07-01

In this study, we introduce a new diamondlike carbon (DLC) film providing a friction coefficient of 0.001 and wear rates of 10{sup -9}-10{sup -10} mm{sup 3}/N m in inert-gas environments (e.g., dry nitrogen and argon). The film was grown on steel and sapphire substrates in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system that uses a hydrogen-rich plasma. Employing a combination of surface and structure analytical techniques, we explored the structural chemistry of the resultant DLC films and correlated these findings with the friction and wear mechanisms of the films. The results of tribological tests under a 10 N load (creating initial peak Hertz pressures of 1 and 2.2 GPa on steel and sapphire test pairs, respectively) and at 0.2 to 0.5 m/s sliding velocities indicated that a close correlation exists between the friction and wear coefficients of DLC films and the source gas chemistry. Specifically, films grown in source gases with higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios had the lowest friction coefficients and the highest wear resistance. The lowest friction coefficient (0.001) was achieved with a film on sapphire substrates produced in a gas discharge plasma consisting of 25% methane and 75% hydrogen. (c) 2000 American Vacuum Society.

Nanostructured Diamond-Like Carbon Films Grown by Off-Axis Pulsed Laser Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Shan Yap

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured diamond-like carbon (DLC films instead of the ultrasmooth film were obtained by pulsed laser ablation of pyrolytic graphite. Deposition was performed at room temperature in vacuum with substrates placed at off-axis position. The configuration utilized high density plasma plume arriving at low effective angle for the formation of nanostructured DLC. Nanostructures with maximum size of 50 nm were deposited as compared to the ultrasmooth DLC films obtained in a conventional deposition. The Raman spectra of the films confirmed that the films were diamond-like/amorphous in nature. Although grown at an angle, ion energy of >35 eV was obtained at the off-axis position. This was proposed to be responsible for subplantation growth of sp3 hybridized carbon. The condensation of energetic clusters and oblique angle deposition correspondingly gave rise to the formation of nanostructured DLC in this study.

Nanotribological Behavior of Carbon Based Thin Films: Friction and Lubricity Mechanisms at the Nanoscale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costas A. Charitidis

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The use of materials with very attractive friction and wear properties has raised much attention in research and industrial sectors. A wide range of tribological applications, including rolling and sliding bearings, machining, mechanical seals, biomedical implants and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS, require thin films with high mechanical strength, chemical inertness, broad optical transparency, high refractive index, wide bandgap excellent thermal conductivity and extremely low thermal expansion. Carbon based thin films like diamond, diamond-like carbon, carbon nitride and cubic boron nitride known as “super-hard” material have been studied thoroughly as the ideal candidate for tribological applications. In this study, the results of experimental and simulation works on the nanotribological behavior of carbon films and fundamental mechanisms of friction and lubricity at the nano-scale are reviewed. The study is focused on the nanomechanical properties and analysis of the nanoscratching processes at low loads to obtain quantitative analysis, the comparison obtain quantitative analysis, the comparison of their elastic/plastic deformation response, and nanotribological behavior of the a-C, ta-C, a-C:H, CNx, and a-C:M films. For ta-C and a-C:M films new data are presented and discussed.

Deposition, characterization, and tribological applications of near-frictionless carbon films on glass and ceramic substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eryilmaz, O L; Johnson, J A; Ajayi, O O; Erdemir, A

2006-01-01

As an element, carbon is rather unique and offers a range of rare opportunities for the design and fabrication of zero-, one-, two-, and three-dimensional nanostructured novel materials and coatings such as fullerenes, nanotubes, thin films, and free-standing nano-to-macroscale structures. Among these, carbon-based two-dimensional thin films (such as diamond and diamond-like carbon (DLC)) have attracted an overwhelming interest in recent years, mainly because of their exceptional physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, and tribological properties. In particular, certain DLC films were found to provide extremely low friction and wear coefficients to sliding metallic and ceramic surfaces. Since the early 1990s, carbon has been used at Argonne National Laboratory to synthesize a class of novel DLC films that now provide friction and wear coefficients as low as 0.001 and 10 -11 -10 -10 mm 3 N -1 m -1 , respectively, when tested in inert or vacuum test environments. Over the years, we have optimized these films and applied them successfully to all kinds of metallic and ceramic substrates and evaluated their friction and wear properties under a wide range of sliding conditions. In this paper, we will provide details of our recent work on the deposition, characterization, and tribological applications of near-frictionless carbon films on glass and ceramic substrates. We will also provide chemical and structural information about these films and describe the fundamental tribological mechanisms that control their unusual friction and wear behaviour

Laser Raman microprobe spectroscopy as a diagnostic for the characterisation of diamond and diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, C.

1990-10-01

Invariably when manufacturing an artificial diamond film a mixture of carbon is deposited - tetragonally bonded (diamond), trigonally bonded (graphite) and other allotropic crystalline forms and amorphous carbons. This imposes a need for careful analysis to determine exactly what carbon types constitute the films. Raman spectroscopy is particularly sensitive to crystal and atomic structure and has a number of advantages which make it one of the most useful techniques for interrogating diamond and DLC thin films. Although Raman spectroscopy alone cannot fully characterise the film, it can give more information than simply what particular form of carbon or other impurities are present in the film. It can be used to determine the ratio of sp 2 to sp 3 bonding within the film, and to some extent the crystallite or domain size and the internal stress of the film. The use of laser Raman microprobe spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool in the analysis of diamond and DLC thin films is demonstrated for a variety of carbon films on various substrates and the characterisation of these films is discussed. (author)

Friction and wear performance of diamond-like carbon films grown in various source gas plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdemir, A.; Nilufer, I.B.; Eryilmaz, O.L.; Beschliesser, M.; Fenske, G.R. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Energy Technology Div.

1999-11-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of various source gases (methane, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene) on the friction and wear performance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films prepared in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. Films were deposited on AISI H13 steel substrates and tested in a pin-on-disk machine against DLC-coated M50 balls in dry nitrogen. We found a close correlation between friction coefficient and source gas composition. Specifically, films grown in source gases with higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios exhibited lower friction coefficients and a higher wear resistance than films grown in source gases with lower hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratios. The lowest friction coefficient (0.014) was achieved with a film derived from methane with an H/C ratio of 4, whereas the coefficient of films derived from acetylene (H/C=1) was 0.15. Similar correlations were observed for wear rates. Specifically, films derived from gases with lower H/C values were worn out, and the substrate material was exposed, whereas films from methane and ethane remained intact and wore at rates that were almost two orders of magnitude lower than films obtained from acetylene. (orig.)

Encapsulate-and-peel: fabricating carbon nanotube CMOS integrated circuits in a flexible ultra-thin plastic film.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Pingqi; Zhang, Qing

2014-02-14

Fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotube thin film (SWNT-TF) based integrated circuits (ICs) on soft substrates has been challenging due to several processing-related obstacles, such as printed/transferred SWNT-TF pattern and electrode alignment, electrical pad/channel material/dielectric layer flatness, adherence of the circuits onto the soft substrates etc. Here, we report a new approach that circumvents these challenges by encapsulating pre-formed SWNT-TF-ICs on hard substrates into polyimide (PI) and peeling them off to form flexible ICs on a large scale. The flexible SWNT-TF-ICs show promising performance comparable to those circuits formed on hard substrates. The flexible p- and n-type SWNT-TF transistors have an average mobility of around 60 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), a subthreshold slope as low as 150 mV dec(-1), operating gate voltages less than 2 V, on/off ratios larger than 10(4) and a switching speed of several kilohertz. The post-transfer technique described here is not only a simple and cost-effective pathway to realize scalable flexible ICs, but also a feasible method to fabricate flexible displays, sensors and solar cells etc.

Tuneable light-emitting carbon-dot/polymer flexible films prepared through one-pot synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Bhunia, Susanta Kumar; Nandi, Sukhendu; Shikler, Rafi; Jelinek, Raz

2016-02-01

Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies.Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies. Electronic supplementary information (ESI

Electrocatalytic glucose oxidation at gold and gold-carbon nanoparticulate film prepared from oppositely charged nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karczmarczyk, Aleksandra; Celebanska, Anna; Nogala, Wojciech; Sashuk, Volodymyr; Chernyaeva, Olga; Opallo, Marcin

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Gold nanoparticulate film electrodes were prepared by layer-by-layer method from oppositely charged nanoparticles. • Positively charged nanoparticles play dominant role in glucose oxidation in alkaline solution. • Gold and gold-carbon nanoparticulate film electrodes exhibit similar glucose oxidation current and onset potential. - Abstract: Electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose was studied at nanoparticulate gold and gold-carbon film electrodes. These electrodes were prepared by a layer-by-layer method without application of any linker molecules. Gold nanoparticles were stabilized by undecane thiols functionalized by trimethyl ammonium or carboxylate groups, whereas the carbon nanoparticles were covered by phenylsulfonate functionalities. The gold nanoparticulate electrodes were characterized by UV-vis and XPS spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and voltammetry, before and after heat-treatment. Heat-treatment facilitates the aggregation of the nanoparticles and affects the structure of the film. The comparison of the results obtained with film electrodes prepared from gold nanoparticles with the same charge and with gold-carbon nanoparticulate electrodes, proved that positively charged nanoparticles are responsible for the high electrocatalytic activity, whereas negatively charged ones act rather as a linker of the film

Evaluation of optical properties of the amorphous carbon film on fused silica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baydogan, Nilguen Dogan

2004-01-01

Deposition was done using a pulsed filtered cathodic arc with a graphite cathode. The carbon plasma is fully ionised and condenses on the substrate, forming diamond-like material but with amorphous structure. Optical properties of amorphous carbon films on fused-silica glass were investigated and the curves of optical density have a characteristic band at approximately 950 nm. Changes of the colourimetric quantities were evaluated and compared to uncoated fused silica glass. These changes were investigated as a function of the applied substrate bias voltage using the CIE and CIELAB colour systems. It is suggested that the mechanism of absorption is related to an allowed direct transition at the amorphous carbon films on fused silica glass. The optical energy gap of the amorphous carbon film depends on the bias voltage applied to the substrate holder. The optical colour parameters and optical band gap indicated that there is a relation between the dominant wavelength of the reflectance in the visible range and the wavelength of the optical band gap

Wear and Friction Characteristics of AlN/Diamond-Like Carbon Hybrid Coatings on Aluminum Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Masashi; Kubota, Sadayuki; Suzuki, Hideto; Haraguchi, Tadao

2015-10-01

The use of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings has the potential to greatly improve the wear resistance and friction of aluminum alloys, but practical application has so far been limited by poor adhesion due to large difference in hardness and elasticity between the two materials. This study investigates the deposition of DLC onto an Al-alloy using an intermediate AlN layer with a graded hardness to create a hybrid coating. By controlling the hardness of the AlN film, it was found that the wear life of the DLC film could be improved 80-fold compared to a DLC film deposited directly onto Al-alloy. Furthermore, it was demonstrated through finite element simulation that creating a hardness gradient in the AlN intermediate layer reduces the distribution of stress in the DLC film, while also increasing the force of adhesion between the DLC and AlN layers. Given that both the DLC and AlN films were deposited using the same unbalanced magnetron sputtering method, this process is considered to represent a simple and effective means of improving the wear resistance of Al-alloy components commonly used within the aerospace and automotive industries.

Passive film growth on carbon steel and its nanoscale features at various passivating potentials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yuan; Cheng, Y. Frank, E-mail: fcheng@ucalgary.ca

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Imaged the topography of passivated steel at various film-forming potentials. • Characterized the nanoscale features of passive films. • Determined the composition of passive films formed at various potentials. - Abstract: In this work, the passivation and topographic sub-structure of passive films on a carbon steel in a carbonate/bicarbonate solution was characterized by electrochemical measurements, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When passivating at a potential near the active-passive transition, the film contains the mixture of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and FeOOH, with numerous nanoscale features. As the film-forming potential shifts positively, the passive film becomes more compact and the nanoscale features disappear. When the film is formed at a passive potential where the oxygen evolution is enabled, the content of FeOOH in the film increases, resulting in an amorphous topography and reduced corrosion resistance.

Contribution to the study of hard, low-density pyrolytic carbons; Contribution a l'etude des carbones pyrolytiques de variete dure et de faible densite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boutin, F R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1967-07-01

Apparent contradictions in the properties of pyrolytic carbons obtained at 1600 deg C (hardness and graphitization) are studied. It is shown that structure of the deposit is turbostratic with high internal stresses ({delta}{sup -2}), and it graphitizes (by thermal treatment over 2000 deg C) in a similar manner to graphitisable carbon. Because the deposit forms lamellar compounds, it is presumed that the structure is similar to that of graphitisable carbon. Since it is not structure dependant, the hardness originates from the 'growth texture' and is not comparable with the hardness of a non-graphitisable carbon. The pyrolytic carbon studied is composed of regions, on the overage a few microns across, formed by the stacking of small carbon platelets, interlocked and showing a preferred orientation. The mis-orientation of the various regions produces general disorientation. We estimate that the introduction of the particles of some material such as thermal black which are observed in the electron microscope are responsible for the mis-orientation. The density and hardness of the deposit are a result of the interlocking of platelets, which creates a closed porosity and prevents any sliding of the atomic planes. (author) [French] On etudie les proprietes apparemment contradictoires du pyrocarbone 1600 deg C, durete et graphitabilite. On montre que le pyrocarbone possede la structure d'un carbone turbostratique a fort taux de distorsion et qu'il subit, par traitement a des temperatures superieures a 2000 deg C, une transformation de graphitation comparable a celle que l'on observe sur les cokes graphitables. Comme le pyrocarbone forme de plus des composes d'insertion, sa structure est comparable a celle d'un carbone graphitable. La durete, qui n'a pas d'origine structurale, est donc liee a la 'texture de croissance' du depot et ne peut etre comparee a celle d'un coke dur et non graphitable. Le pyrocarbone etudie est constitue de domaines, dont les dimensions sont de l

Enhancement of as-sputtered silver-tantalum oxide thin film coating on biomaterial stainless steel by surface thermal treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Alias, Rodianah; Mahmoodian, Reza; Shukor, Mohd Hamdi Abd; Yew, Been Seok; Muhamad, Martini

2018-04-01

Stainless steel 316L (SS316L) is extensively used as surgical/clinical tools due to its low carbon content and excellent mechanical characteristic. The fabrication of metal ceramic based on this metallic biomaterial favor its biofunctionality properties. However, instability phase of amorphous thin film lead to degradation, corrosion and oxidation. Thus, thin film coating requires elevated adhesion strength and higher surface hardness to meet clinical tools criteria. In this study, the SS316L was deposited with micron thickness of Ag-TaO thin film by using magnetron sputtering. The microstructure, elemental analysis and phase identification of Ag-TaO thin film were characterized by using FESEM, EDX and XRD, respectively; whereas the micro scratch test and micro hardness test were performed by using Micro Scratch Testing System and Vickers Micro Hardness Tester, respectively. It was found that the coating thin film's adhesion and hardness strength were improved from 672 to 2749 mN and 142 to 158 Hv respectively. It was found that the as-deposited surface were treated at 500 °C of temperatures with 2 °C/min ramping rate enhance 4.1 times of the adhesion strength value. Furthermore, FESEM characterization revealed coarsening structure of the thin film coating which can provide high durability service.

Lithium iron phosphate/carbon nanocomposite film cathodes for high energy lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yanyi; Liu, Dawei; Zhang, Qifeng; Yu, Danmei; Liu, Jun; Cao, Guozhong

2011-01-01

This paper reports sol-gel derived nanostructured LiFePO4/carbon nanocomposite film cathodes exhibiting enhanced electrochemical properties and cyclic stabilities. LiFePO4/carbon films were obtained by spreading sol on Pt coated Si wafer followed by ambient drying overnight and annealing/pyrolysis at elevated temperature in nitrogen. Uniform and crack-free LiFePO4/carbon nanocomposite films were readily obtained and showed olivine phase as determined by means of X-Ray Diffractometry. The electrochemical characterization revealed that, at a current density of 200 mA/g (1.2 C), the nanocomposite film cathodes demonstrated an initial lithium-ion intercalation capacity of 312 mAh/g, and 218 mAh/g after 20 cycles, exceeding the theoretical storage capacity of conventional LiFePO4 electrode. Such enhanced Li-ion intercalation performance could be attributed to the nanocomposite structure with fine crystallite size below 20 nm as well as the poor crystallinity which provides a partially open structure allowing easy mass transport and volume change associated with Li-ion intercalation. Moreover the surface defect introduced by carbon nanocoating could also effectively facilitate the charge transfer and phase transitions.

Reactive magnetron sputtering of N-doped carbon thin films on quartz glass for transmission photocathode applications

Science.gov (United States)

Balalykin, N. I.; Huran, J.; Nozdrin, M. A.; Feshchenko, A. A.; Kobzev, A. P.; Sasinková, V.; Boháček, P.; Arbet, J.

2018-03-01

N-doped carbon thin films were deposited on a silicon substrate and quartz glass by RF reactive magnetron sputtering using a carbon target and an Ar+N2 gas mixture. During the magnetron sputtering, the substrate holder temperatures was kept at 800 °C. The carbon film thickness on the silicon substrate was about 70 nm, while on the quartz glass it was in the range 15 nm – 60 nm. The elemental concentration in the films was determined by RBS and ERD. Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate the intensity ratios I D/I G of the D and G peaks of the carbon films. The transmission photocathodes prepared were placed in the hollow-cathode assembly of a Pierce-structure DC gun to produce photoelectrons. The quantum efficiency (QE) was calculated from the laser energy and cathode charge measured. The properties of the transmission photocathodes based on semitransparent N-doped carbon thin films on quartz glass and their potential for application in DC gun technology are discussed.

Optical properties of diamond like carbon nanocomposite thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Md Shahbaz; Mukherjee, Nillohit; Ahmed, Sk. Faruque

2018-05-01

The optical properties of silicon incorporated diamond like carbon (Si-DLC) nanocomposite thin films have been reported. The Si-DLC nanocomposite thin film deposited on glass and silicon substrate by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) process. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of different bonding within the deposited films and deconvolution of FTIR spectra gives the chemical composition i.e., sp3/sp2 ratio in the films. Optical band gap calculated from transmittance spectra increased from 0.98 to 2.21 eV with a variation of silicon concentration from 0 to 15.4 at. %. Due to change in electronic structure by Si incorporation, the Si-DLC film showed a broad photoluminescence (PL) peak centered at 467 nm, i.e., in the visible range and its intensity was found to increase monotonically with at. % of Si.

Investigation of the near-surface structures of polar InN films by chemical-state-discriminated hard X-ray photoelectron diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, A. L.; Yamashita, Y.; Kobata, M.; Yoshikawa, H.; Sakata, O.; Kobayashi, K.; Matsushita, T.; Píš, I.; Imura, M.; Yamaguchi, T.; Nanishi, Y.

2013-01-01

Near-surface structures of polar InN films were investigated by laboratory-based hard X-ray photoelectron diffraction (HXPD) with chemical-state-discrimination. HXPD patterns from In 3d 5/2 and N 1s core levels of the In-polar and N-polar InN films were different from each other and compared with the simulation results using a multiple-scattering cluster model. It was found that the near-surface structure of the In-polar InN film was close to the ideal wurtzite structure. On the other hand, on the N-polar InN film, defects-rich surface was formed. In addition, the existence of the In-polar domains was observed in the HXPD patterns.

Combined sonochemical/CVD method for preparation of nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasoulnezhad, Hossein [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kavei, Ghassem, E-mail: kaveighassem@gmail.com [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ahmadi, Kamran [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rahimipour, Mohammad Reza [Ceramic Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-06-30

Highlights: • Combination of sonochemical and CVD methods for preparation of nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin film on glass substrate, for the first time. • High transparency, monodispersity and homogeneity of the prepared thin films. • Preparation of the carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films with nanorod and nanosphere morphologies. - Abstract: The present work reports the successful synthesis of the nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films on glass substrate by combination of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and ultrasonic methods, for the first time. In this method the ultrasound waves act as nebulizer for converting of sonochemically prepared TiO{sub 2} sol to the mist particles. These mist particles were thermally decomposed in subsequent CVD chamber at 320 °C to produce the carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films. The obtained thin films were characterized by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results show that the prepared thin films have anatase crystal structure and nanorod morphology, which calcination of them at 800 °C results in the conversion of nanorods to nanoparticles. In addition, the prepared samples have high transparency, monodispersity and homogeneity. The presence of the carbon element in the structure of the thin films causes the narrowing of the band-gap energy of TiO{sub 2} to about 2.8 eV, which results in the improvement of visible light absorption capabilities of the thin film.

Influence of Nitrogen Gas Flow Rate on The Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Tin Deposited Carbon Steel Synthesized by Cae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mubarak

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on the preparation of titanium nitride (TiN thin films on carbon steel plates, using cathodic arc evaporation CAE PVD technique. We studied and discussed the effect of various nitrogen gas flow rates on microstructural and mechanical properties of TiN-coated carbon steel plates. The coating properties investigated in this work included the surface morphology, thickness of deposited coating, adhesion between the coating and substrate, coating composition, coating crystallography, hardness and surface characterization using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX, Xray diffraction (XRD with glazing incidence angle (GIA technique, scratch tester, hardness testing machine, surface roughness tester and atomic force microscope (AFM. SEM analyses showed that all the films had columnar and dense structures with clearly defined substrate-film interfacial layers. The hardness of TiN-coated carbon steel was noted six times more than the hardness of uncoated one. An increase in nitrogen gas flow rate showed; decrease in the formation of macro-droplets, average roughness (Ra and root-mean-square (RMS values in CAE PVD technique. During XRD-GIA studies, it was observed that by increasing the nitrogen gas flow rate, the main peak [1,1,1] shifted toward the lower angular position. Microhardness of TiN-coated carbon steel showed about six times increase in hardness than the uncoated one. Scratch tester results showed an average adhesion between the coating material and substrate. Thanks to the high resolution power could be observed that by increasing nitrogen gas flow rate there was percentage increase in the bearing ratio while percentage decrease in histogram.

Evolution of structural and electrical properties of carbon films from amorphous carbon to nanocrystalline graphene on quartz glass by HFCVD.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Zihao; Shen, Honglie; Chen, Jieyi; Li, Xuemei; Jiang, Ye

2018-04-25

Direct growth of graphene films on glass is of great importance but has so far met with limited success. The non-catalytic property of glass results in the low decomposition ability of hydrocarbon precursors, especially at reduced temperatures (structural and electrical properties of carbon films deposited on quartz glass at 850 °C by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The results revealed that the obtained a-C films were all graphite-like carbon films. Structural transition of the deposited films from a-C to nanocrystalline graphene was achieved by raising the hydrogen dilution ratios from 10 % to over 80 %. Based on systematically structural and chemical characterizations, a schematic process with three steps including sp2 chains aggregation, aromatic rings formation and sp3 bonds etch was proposed to interpret the structural evolution. The nanocrystalline graphene films grown on glass by HFCVD exhibited good electrical performance with a carrier mobility of 36.76 cm2/(V·s) and a resistivity of 5.24×10-3 Ω·cm over an area of 1 cm2. Temperature-dependent electrical characterizations revealed that the electronic transport in carbon films was dominated by defect, localised and extended states respectively when increasing the temperature from 75 K to 292 K. The nanocrystalline graphene films presented higher carrier mobility and lower carrier concentration than a-C films, which was mainly attributed to their smaller conductive activation energy. The present investigation provides an effective way for direct growth of graphene films on glass at reduced temperatures and also offers useful insights into the understanding of structural and electrical relationship between a-C and graphene.

Enhancement in ballistic performance of composite hard armor through carbon nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Gibson

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The use of carbon nanotubes in composite hard armor is discussed in this study. The processing techniques to make various armor composite panels consisting of Kevlar®29 woven fabric in an epoxy matrix and the subsequent V50 test results for both 44 caliber soft-point rounds and 30 caliber FSP (fragment simulated projectile threats are presented. A 6.5% improvement in the V50 test results was found for a combination of 1.65 wt% loading of carbon nanotubes and 1.65 wt% loading of milled fibers. The failure mechanism of carbon nanotubes during the ballistic event is discussed through scanning electron microscope images of the panels after the failure. Raman Spectroscopy was also utilized to evaluate the residual strain in the Kevlar®29 fibers post shoot. The Raman Spectroscopy shows a Raman shift of 25 cm−1 for the Kevlar®29 fiber utilized in the composite panel that had an enhancement in the V50 performance by using milled fiber and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Evaluating both scenarios where an improvement was made and other panels without any improvement allows for understanding of how loading levels and synergistic effects between carbon nanotubes and milled fibers can further enhance ballistic performance.

Polyaniline/Carbon nanotube Electrochromic Films: Electrochemical Polymerization and characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiao-Xia; Zhao, Liang; Ma, De-Yue; Zeng, Yu-Run

2018-02-01

Polyaniline/Carbon nanotube (PANI/CNT) composite films doped with dodecyl-benzene sulfonic acid were synthesized by cyclic voltammetry on an ITO-coated glass substrate. FTIR, XRD and electrochemical analyzer were used to characterize the micro-morphology, chemical structure, crystallinity and electrochromic behavior of the films, respectively. The effect of CNT content on the properties of the films was investigated. Results show that the introducing CNTs make aniline polymerize easier than before. Within a range, the conductivity and crystallinity of PANI/CNT composites improves with CNT content increasing. The electrochromic device made from the PAN/CNT film with a CNT content of 2.5wt% presents a reflectance contrast of 38.8%, a mean response time of 2.3s and a coloration efficiency of 386.4cm2/C at 540nm. The PAN/CNT film shows better electrochromic behaviors due to some interaction between CNTs and the PANI backbones than PANI film.

Heteroepitaxial growth of SiC films by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goloudina S.I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High quality single crystal SiC films were prepared by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si substrate. The films formed after annealing of the polyimide films at 1000°C, 1100°C, 1200°C were studied by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electon microscopy (TEM, transmission electron diffraction (TED, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. XRD study and HRTEM cross-section revealed that the crystalline SiC film begins to grow on Si (111 substrate at 1000°C. According to the HRTEM cross-section image five planes in 3C-SiC (111 film are aligned with four Si(111 planes at the SiC/Si interface. It was shown the SiC films (35 nm grown on Si(111 at 1200°C have mainly cubic 3C-SiC structure with a little presence of hexagonal polytypes. Only 3C-SiC films (30 nm were formed on Si (100 substrate at the same temperature. It was shown the SiC films (30-35 nm are able to cover the voids in Si substrate with size up to 10 μm.

Adherent diamond film deposited on Cu substrate by carbon transport from nanodiamond buried under Pt interlayer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Xuezhang [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Wei Qiuping, E-mail: qiupwei@csu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Yu Zhiming, E-mail: zhiming@csu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Yang Taiming; Zhai Hao [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China)

2013-01-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Adherent polycrystalline diamond films were grown on copper substrate by carbon transport. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The nucleation density was increased to 10{sup 11} cm{sup -2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Diamond films were a composite structure of nano-crystalline diamond layer and micro-crystalline diamond layer. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Diamond nucleation was based by carbon dissolving from UDDs to Pt interlayer and formation of sp{sup 3}-bonded diamond clusters at the Pt surface. - Abstract: Diamond film deposited on Cu suffered from poor adhesion mainly due to the large mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients and the lack of affinity between carbon and Cu. Enhancing diamond nucleation by carbon transport from buried nanodiamond through a Pt ultrathin interlayer, adherent diamond film was then deposited on Cu substrate without distinctly metallic interlayer. This novel nucleation mechanism increased diamond nucleation density to 10{sup 11} cm{sup -2}, and developed diamond film with a composite structure of nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) layer and micro-crystalline diamond layer. Diamond film was characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscope, respectively. The composition of diamond film/Cu substrate interface was examined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The adhesion of diamond film was evaluated by indentation test. Those results show that a Pt ultrathin interlayer provides stronger chemically bonded interfaces and improve film adhesion.

Adherent diamond film deposited on Cu substrate by carbon transport from nanodiamond buried under Pt interlayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xuezhang; Wei Qiuping; Yu Zhiming; Yang Taiming; Zhai Hao

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Adherent polycrystalline diamond films were grown on copper substrate by carbon transport. ► The nucleation density was increased to 10 11 cm −2 . ► Diamond films were a composite structure of nano-crystalline diamond layer and micro-crystalline diamond layer. ► Diamond nucleation was based by carbon dissolving from UDDs to Pt interlayer and formation of sp 3 -bonded diamond clusters at the Pt surface. - Abstract: Diamond film deposited on Cu suffered from poor adhesion mainly due to the large mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients and the lack of affinity between carbon and Cu. Enhancing diamond nucleation by carbon transport from buried nanodiamond through a Pt ultrathin interlayer, adherent diamond film was then deposited on Cu substrate without distinctly metallic interlayer. This novel nucleation mechanism increased diamond nucleation density to 10 11 cm −2 , and developed diamond film with a composite structure of nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) layer and micro-crystalline diamond layer. Diamond film was characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscope, respectively. The composition of diamond film/Cu substrate interface was examined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The adhesion of diamond film was evaluated by indentation test. Those results show that a Pt ultrathin interlayer provides stronger chemically bonded interfaces and improve film adhesion.

Characteristics of thin film fullerene coatings formed under different deposition conditions by power ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrov, A.V.; Ryabchikov, A.I.; Struts, V.K.; Usov, Yu.P.; Renk, T.J.

2007-01-01

Carbon allotropic form - C 60 and C 70 can be used in microelectronics, superconductors, solar batteries, logic and memory devices to increase processing tool wear resistance, as magnetic nanocomposite materials for record and storage information, in biology, medicine and pharmacology. In many cases it is necessary to have a thin-film containing C 60 and C 70 fullerene carbon coatings. A possibility in principle of thin carbon films formation with nanocrystalline structure and high content ∼30-95% of C 60 and C 70 fullerene mixture using the method of graphite targets sputtering by a power ion beam has been shown. Formation of thin-film containing C 60 and C 70 fullerene carbon coatings were carried out by means of deposition of ablation plasma on silicon substrates. Ablation plasma was generated as result of interaction of high-power pulsed ion beams (HPPIB) with graphite targets of different densities. It has been demonstrated that formation of fullerenes, their amount and characteristics of thin-film coatings depend on the deposition conditions. The key parameter for such process is the deposition rate, which determines thin film formation conditions and, subsequently, its structure and mechanical properties. Nano-hardness, Young module, adhesion to mono-crystalline silicon substrate, friction coefficient, roughness surface of synthesized coatings at the different deposition conditions were measured. These characteristics are under influence of such main process parameters as energy density of HPPIB, which, in turn, determinates the density and temperature of ablation plasma and deposition speed, which is thickness of film deposited for one pulse of ion current. Nano-hardness and Young module meanings are higher at the increasing of power density of ion beam. Adhesion value is less at the high deposition speed. As rule, friction coefficient depends on vice versa from roughness. (authors)

The irradiation studies on diamond-like carbon films

CERN Document Server

LiuGuIang; Xie Er Qin

2002-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been deposited on glass substrates using radio-frequency (r.f.) plasma deposition method. gamma-ray, ultraviolet (UV) ray and neutron beam were used to irradiate the DLC films. Raman spectroscopy and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the changing characteristics of SP sup 3 C-H bond and hydrogen content in the films due to the irradiations. It showed that, the damage degrees of the gamma-ray, UV ray and neutron beam on the SP sup 3 C-H bonds are different. Among them, the damage of gamma-ray on the SP sup 3 C-H bond is the weakest. When the irradiation dose of gamma-ray reaches 10x10 sup 4 Gy, the SP sup 3 C-H bond reduces about 50% in number. The square resistance of the films is reduced due to the irradiation of UV ray and this is caused by severe oxidation of the films. Compared with that of the as-deposited one, the IR transmittance of the films irradiated by both gamma-ray and neutron beam is increased to some extent. By using the results on optical...

In-Situ Observation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Ordered Mesoporous Hard Carbon by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bridges, Craig A.; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Sun, Xiao-Guang; Zhao, Jinkui; Dai, Sheng

2012-01-01

The aim of this work was to better understand the electrochemical processes occurring during the cycling of a lithium-ion half-cell containing ordered mesoporous hard carbon using time-resolved in situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Utilizing electrolytes containing mixtures of deuterated (2H) and non-deuterated (1H) carbonates, we have addressed the challenging task of monitoring the formation and evolution of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. An evolution occurs in the SEI layer during discharge from a composition dominated by a higher scattering length density (SLD) lithium salt, to a lower SLD lithium salt for the ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC) mixture employed. By comparing half-cells containing different solvent deuteration levels, we show that it is possible to observe both SEI formation and lithium intercalation occurring concurrently at the low voltage region in which lithium intercalates into the hard carbon. These results demonstrate that SANS can be employed to monitor complicated electrochemical processes occurring in rechargeable batteries, in a manner that simultaneously provides information on the composition and microstructure of the electrode.

Micro-friction behavior of amorphous carbon films on porous AAO membrane synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu, J.P.; Jiang, C.X.; Guo, S.Y.; Fu, M.F.

2005-01-01

The amorphous carbon films with different degrees of graphitization were synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400 infiltrated in the nano-sized pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. The morphology and microstructure of the carbon films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The micro-friction behavior of the amorphous carbon films sliding against GCr15 steel in ambient air was investigated using a ball-on-disk tester at an applied load of 980 mN and a sliding velocity of 0.2 m s -1 . The graphitization degree in the carbon films had effect on the micro-friction properties. In comparison, the amorphous carbon film with high graphitization degree showed low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. An efficient approach was brought for enhancing the friction performance of aluminum

Micro-friction behavior of amorphous carbon films on porous AAO membrane synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tu, J P [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Jiang, C X [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330029 (China); Guo, S Y [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310033 (China); Fu, M F [Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330029 (China)

2005-05-25

The amorphous carbon films with different degrees of graphitization were synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400 infiltrated in the nano-sized pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. The morphology and microstructure of the carbon films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The micro-friction behavior of the amorphous carbon films sliding against GCr15 steel in ambient air was investigated using a ball-on-disk tester at an applied load of 980 mN and a sliding velocity of 0.2 m s{sup -1}. The graphitization degree in the carbon films had effect on the micro-friction properties. In comparison, the amorphous carbon film with high graphitization degree showed low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. An efficient approach was brought for enhancing the friction performance of aluminum.

High performance, freestanding and superthin carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite films.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jinzhu; Gao, Yun; Ma, Wenjun; Liu, Luqi; Zhang, Zhong; Niu, Zhiqiang; Ren, Yan; Zhang, Xiaoxian; Zeng, Qingshen; Dong, Haibo; Zhao, Duan; Cai, Le; Zhou, Weiya; Xie, Sishen

2011-09-01

We develop a facile, effective and filter free infiltration method to fabricate high performance, freestanding and superthin epoxy nanocomposite films with directly synthesized Sing-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) film as reinforcement skeleton. It is found that the thicknesses of the nanocomposite films can be easily controlled in the range of 0.5-3 μm by dripping target amount of acetone diluted epoxy through the skeleton film. The consequent measurements reveal that the mechanical and electrical properties of SWNTs/epoxy nanocomposite films could be tailored in a quite wide range. For examples, the Young's modulus of nanocomposite films can be tuned from 10 to 30 GPa, and the electrical conductivity can be ranged from 1000 S·cm(-1) to be insulated. Moreover, high load transfer efficiency in the nanocomposite films is demonstrated by the measured ultrahigh Raman bands shift rate (-30 ± 5 cm(-1)/% strain) under strain. The high effective modulus is derived as 774 ± 70 GPa for SWNTs inside this nanocomposite film.

Tribology of carbide derived carbon films synthesized on tungsten carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Tlustochowicz, Marcin

Tribologically advantageous films of carbide derived carbon (CDC) have been successfully synthesized on binderless tungsten carbide manufactured using the plasma pressure compaction (P2CRTM) technology. In order to produce the CDC films, tungsten carbide samples were reacted with chlorine containing gas mixtures at temperatures ranging from 800°C to 1000°C in a sealed tube furnace. Some of the treated samples were later dechlorinated by an 800°C hydrogenation treatment. Detailed mechanical and structural characterizations of the CDC films and sliding contact surfaces were done using a series of analytical techniques and their results were correlated with the friction and wear behavior of the CDC films in various tribosystems, including CDC-steel, CDC-WC, CDC-Si3N4 and CDC-CDC. Optimum synthesis and treatment conditions were determined for use in two specific environments: moderately humid air and dry nitrogen. It was found that CDC films first synthesized at 1000°C and then hydrogen post-treated at 800°C performed best in air with friction coefficient values as low as 0.11. However, for dry nitrogen applications, no dechlorination was necessary and both hydrogenated and as-synthesized CDC films exhibited friction coefficients of approximately 0.03. A model of tribological behavior of CDC has been proposed that takes into consideration the tribo-oxidation of counterface material, the capillary forces from adsorbed water vapor, the carbon-based tribofilm formation, and the lubrication effect of both chlorine and hydrogen.

Structural anisotropy of magnetically aligned single wall carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, B. W.; Benes, Z.; Luzzi, D. E.; Fischer, J. E.; Walters, D. A.; Casavant, M. J.; Schmidt, J.; Smalley, R. E.

2000-01-01

Thick films of aligned single wall carbon nanotubes and ropes have been produced by filtration/deposition from suspension in strong magnetic fields. We measured mosaic distributions of rope orientations in the film plane, for samples of different thicknesses. For an ∼1 μm film the full width at half maximum (FWHM) derived from electron diffraction is 25 degree sign -28 degree sign . The FWHM of a thicker film (∼7 μm) measured by x-ray diffraction is slightly broader, 35±3 degree sign . Aligned films are denser than ordinary filter-deposited ones, and much denser than as-grown material. Optimization of the process is expected to yield smaller FWHMs and higher densities. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

Effect of ultraviolet light irradiation on amorphous carbon nitride films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, M.; Nakayama, Y.

1997-01-01

The amorphous carbon nitride films were produced using electron cyclotron resonance nitrogen plasma with various mixtures of N 2 and CH 4 gases. The dependence of film structures on the nitrogen incorporation and the structural modifications of the film due to ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation were investigated using infrared and UV-VIS spectroscopy. It is found that UV irradiation results in the decrease of CH bonding, increase of CC and CN double bonding in the film and increase of the optical band gap of the film. It appears that both bond removal and reordering have taken place as a result of UV irradiation. The structural modifications due to nitrogen incorporation and UV light irradiation are explained by a cluster model. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Chromium-modified a-C films with advanced structural, mechanical and corrosive-resistant characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ming, Miao Yi [International Chinese-Belarusian scientific laboratory on vacuum-plasma technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China); Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Gomel 246019 (Belarus); Jiang, Xiaohong, E-mail: jxh0668@sina.com [International Chinese-Belarusian scientific laboratory on vacuum-plasma technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China); Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Gomel 246019 (Belarus); Piliptsou, D.G., E-mail: pdg_@mail.ru [International Chinese-Belarusian scientific laboratory on vacuum-plasma technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China); Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Gomel 246019 (Belarus); Zhuang, Yuzhao; Rogachev, A.V.; Rudenkov, A.S. [International Chinese-Belarusian scientific laboratory on vacuum-plasma technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China); Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Gomel 246019 (Belarus); Balmakou, A. [Faculty of Material Science and Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Trnava 91724 (Slovakia)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Influence of the chromium interlayer on the structure and mechanical properties of a-C:Cr films. • Residual stress and wear of a-C:Cr and Cr/a-C varies due to their phase and surface morphology. • Chromium-modified a-C films with advanced structural, mechanical and corrosive-resistant characteristics. - Abstract: To improve structural, mechanical and chemical properties of diamond-like carbon films, we developed amorphous carbon chromium-modified composite films fabricated by means of cathode magnetic filtered arc deposition. The properties were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy for the purpose of the structure characterization, elemental analysis and topology examination. Moreover, we also assessed residual stress, the coefficient of friction, hardness, the elastic modulus and corrosion parameters through X-ray double-crystal surface profilometry, tribo-testing, nanoindenter-testing, as well as contact angle measurements and potentiodynamic polarization analysis. As a result of a comparative analysis, we revealed a substantial improvement in the characteristics of developed composite films in comparison with amorphous carbon films. For example, Cr-modification is resulted, in greater integrated performance, toughness and corrosion resistance; the residual stress was reduced substantially.

Piezoresistive effect observed in flexible amorphous carbon films

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, B.; Jiang, Y. C.; Zhao, R.; Liu, G. Z.; He, A. P.; Gao, J.

2018-05-01

Amorphous carbon (a-C) films, deposited on Si substrates at 500 °C, were transferred onto flexible polyethylene (PE) substrates by a lift-off method, which overcomes the limit of deposition temperature. After transferring, a-C films exhibited a large piezoresistive effect. Such flexible samples could detect the change of bending angle by attaching them onto Cu foils. The ratio of the bending and non-bending resistances reaches as large as ~27.8, which indicates a potential application as a pressure sensor. Also, the a-C/PE sample revealed an enhanced sensitivity to gas pressure compared with the a-C/Si one. By controlling the bending angle, the sensitivity range can be tuned to shift to a low- or high-pressure region. The fatigue test shows a less than 1% change in resistance after 10 000 bending cycles. Our work provides a route to prepare the flexible and piezoresistive carbon-based devices with high sensitivity, controllable pressure-sensing and high stability.

Electrochemical, morphological and microstructural characterization of carbon film resistor electrodes for application in electrochemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouveia-Caridade, Carla; Soares, David M.; Liess, Hans-Dieter; Brett, Christopher M.A.

2008-01-01

The electrochemical and microstructural properties of carbon film electrodes made from carbon film electrical resistors of 1.5, 15, 140 Ω and 2.0 kΩ nominal resistance have been investigated before and after electrochemical pre-treatment at +0.9 V vs SCE, in order to assess the potential use of these carbon film electrodes as electrochemical sensors and as substrates for sensors and biosensors. The results obtained are compared with those at electrodes made from previously investigated 2 Ω carbon film resistors. Cyclic voltammetry was performed in acetate buffer and phosphate buffer saline electrolytes and the kinetic parameters of the model redox system Fe(CN) 6 3-/4- obtained. The 1.5 Ω resistor electrodes show the best properties for sensor development with wide potential windows, similar electrochemical behaviour to those of 2 Ω and close-to-reversible kinetic parameters after electrochemical pre-treatment. The 15 and 140 Ω resistor electrodes show wide potential windows although with slower kinetics, whereas the 2.0 kΩ resistor electrodes show poor cyclic voltammetric profiles even after pre-treatment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy related these findings to the interfacial properties of the electrodes. Microstructural and morphological studies were carried out using contact mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Confocal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. AFM showed more homogeneity of the films with lower nominal resistances, related to better electrochemical characteristics. X-ray diffraction and Confocal Raman spectroscopy indicate the existence of a graphitic structure in the carbon films

Investigation of the Influence of Ni Doping on the Structure and Hardness of Ti-Ni-C Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Daniel

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nanocomposite nc-TiC/a-C:H thin films exhibit unique combination of mechanical properties, high hardness, low friction, and wear. Selective doping by weak-carbide forming element can be used in order to specifically design the physical and chemical properties of nc-TiC/a-C:H coatings. In this paper we report on an effect of nickel addition on structure and hardness of the nc-TiC/a-C:H coatings. The effect of Ni alloying on the coating structure under conditions of DCMS and HiPIMS depositions was studied. The coating structure was correlated with the coating hardness. The grain size, the grain carbon vacancy concentration, and the mean grain separation were found to be the key parameters determining the coating hardness. Ni doping proved to have a significant effect on the coating microstructure which resulted in changes of the hardness of the deposited coatings.

Design of a new hypoxanthine biosensor: xanthine oxidase modified carbon film and multi-walled carbon nanotube/carbon film electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, A Carolina; Ghica, M Emilia; Brett, Christopher M A

2013-04-01

A new and simple-to-prepare hypoxanthine biosensor has been developed using xanthine oxidase (XOD) immobilised on carbon electrode surfaces. XOD was immobilised by glutaraldehyde cross-linking on carbon film (CF) electrodes and on carbon nanotube (CNT) modified CF (CNT/CF). A comparison of the performance of the two configurations was carried out by the current response using amperometry at fixed potential; the best characteristics being exhibited by XOD/CNT/CF modified electrodes. The effects of electrolyte pH and applied potential were evaluated, and a proposal is made for the enzyme mechanism of action involving competition between regeneration of flavin adenine dinucleotide and reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Under optimised conditions, the determination of hypoxanthine was carried out at -0.2 V vs. a saturated calomel electrode (SCE) with a detection limit of 0.75 μM on electrodes with CNT and at -0.3 V vs. SCE with a detection limit of 0.77 μM on electrodes without CNT. The applicability of the biosensor was verified by performing an interference study, reproducibility and stability were investigated, and hypoxanthine was successfully determined in sardine and shrimp samples.

Control of wettability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films by laser-assisted micro- and nanostructuring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfleging, Wilhelm; Kohler, Robert; Torge, Maika; Trouillet, Vanessa; Danneil, Friederike; Stueber, Michael

2011-01-01

A flexible and rapid surface functionalization of amorphous carbon films shows a great potential for various application fields such as biological surfaces and tribological systems. For this purpose, the combination of thin film deposition and subsequent laser material processing was investigated. Amorphous carbon layers doped with hydrogen were deposited on silicon wafers by reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering. Films with three different hydrogen contents were synthesized. Subsequent to the thin film deposition process, UV laser material processing at wavelengths of 193 nm or 248 nm was performed with respect to chemical surface modification and surface structuring on micro- and nanometer scale. Depending on structure size and laser-induced chemical surface modification the adjustment of the surface energy and wetting behaviour in a broad range from hydrophobic to hydrophilic was possible. The chemical modification and the ablation mechanisms near the ablation threshold were strongly influenced by the hydrogen content in amorphous carbon thin films. Structural and chemical information of the as-deposited and modified films was obtained by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements.

Hard Coat Layers by PE-CVD Process for the Top Surface of Touch Panel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okunishi, T; Sato, N; Yazawa, K

2013-01-01

In order to protect surface from damages, the high pencil hardness and the high abrasion resistance are required for the hard coat layers on polyethylene telephthalate (PET) films for the application of touch panel surface. We have already found that the UV-curing-hard-coat-polymer (UHP) coated PET films show the poor abrasion resistance, while they have the high pencil hardness. It reveals that the abrasion resistance of hard coat layers of the UHP is not simply dependent on the pencil hardness. In this work, we have studied to improve the abrasion resistance of SiOC films as hard coat layers, which were formed by PE-CVD process on UHP coated PET. The abrasion resistance was evaluated by Taber abrasion test. PE-CVD hard coat layers which formed on UHP coater PET films have showed the better abrasion resistance and have the possibility of substitution to the thin glass sheets for touch panel application.

Batch and column adsorption of herbicide fluroxypyr on different types of activated carbons from water with varied degrees of hardness and alkalinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastrana-Martínez, L M; López-Ramón, M V; Fontecha-Cámara, M A; Moreno-Castilla, C

2010-02-01

There has been little research into the effects of the water hardness and alkalinity of surface waters on the adsorption of herbicides on activated carbons. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of these water characteristics on fluroxypyr adsorption on different activated carbons. At low fluroxypyr surface concentrations, the amount adsorbed from distilled water was related to the surface hydrophobicity. Surface area of carbons covered by fluroxypyr molecules ranged from 60 to 65%. Variations in fluroxypyr solubility with water hardness and alkalinity showed a salting-in effect. Calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate ions were adsorbed to a varied extent on the activated carbons. The presence of fluroxypyr in solution decreased their adsorption due to a competition effect. K(F) from the Freundlich equation linearly increased with water hardness due to salt-screened electrostatic repulsions between charged fluroxypyr molecules. The amount adsorbed from distilled water was largest at high fluroxypyr solution concentrations, because there was no competition between inorganic ions and fluroxypyr molecules. The column breakthrough volume and the amount adsorbed at breakthrough were smaller in tap versus distilled water. Carbon consumption was lower with activated carbon cloth than with the use of granular activated carbon. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of thin film nickel pretreatment on catalytic thermal chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanofibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiggelaar, R.M. [Mesoscale Chemical Systems, MESA" + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands); Thakur, D.B.; Nair, H.; Lefferts, L.; Seshan, K. [Catalytic Processes and Materials, MESA" + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands); Gardeniers, J.G.E., E-mail: j.g.e.gardeniers@utwente.nl [Mesoscale Chemical Systems, MESA" + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands)

2013-05-01

Nickel and other metal nanoparticles are known to be active as catalysts in the synthesis of carbon nanofibers. In this paper we investigate how dewetting and break-up of nickel thin films depends on film thickness, film–substrate interaction and pretreatment conditions. This is evaluated for films evaporated on oxidized silicon and fused silica substrates with or without tantalum coating, which were subsequently exposed to different pretreatment atmospheres (vacuum, nitrogen, air and hydrogen; 1 h, 650 °C). Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the films. Pretreated Ni films were subjected to a thermal catalytic chemical vapor deposition procedure with brief ethylene exposures (0.5–3 min, 635 °C). It was found that only on the spherical nanoparticles originating from a hydrogen pretreatment of a Ni film with Ta adhesion layer, homogeneously distributed, randomly-oriented, well-attached, and semi-crystalline carbon nanofibers be synthesized. - Highlights: • On the formation of nanoparticles required for carbon nanofiber (CNF) synthesis • Various evaporated thin films on oxidized silicon and fused silica: Ni and Ni/Ta • Pretreatment of nickel-based thin films in vacuum, nitrogen, air and hydrogen • Only on reduced Ni/Ta fast – within 3 min – initiation of CNF nucleation and growth.

Indentation modulus and hardness of viscoelastic thin films by atomic force microscopy: A case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passeri, D.; Bettucci, A.; Biagioni, A.; Rossi, M.; Alippi, A.; Tamburri, E.; Lucci, M.; Davoli, I.; Berezina, S.

2009-01-01

We propose a nanoindentation technique based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) that allows one to deduce both indentation modulus and hardness of viscoelastic materials from the force versus penetration depth dependence, obtained by recording the AFM cantilever deflection as a function of the sample vertical displacement when the tip is pressed against (loading phase) and then removed from (unloading phase) the surface of the sample. Reliable quantitative measurements of both indentation modulus and hardness of the investigated sample are obtained by calibrating the technique through a set of different polymeric samples, used as reference materials, whose mechanical properties have been previously determined by standard indentation tests. By analyzing the dependence of the cantilever deflection versus time, the proposed technique allows one to evaluate and correct the effect of viscoelastic properties of the investigated materials, by adapting a post-experiment data processing procedure well-established for standard depth sensing indentation tests. The technique is described in the case of the measurement of indentation modulus and hardness of a thin film of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate), deposited by chronoamperometry on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate.

Indentation modulus and hardness of viscoelastic thin films by atomic force microscopy: A case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Passeri, D., E-mail: daniele.passeri@uniroma1.it [Dipartimento di Energetica, Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza' , Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Roma (Italy); Bettucci, A.; Biagioni, A.; Rossi, M.; Alippi, A. [Dipartimento di Energetica, Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza' , Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Roma (Italy); Tamburri, E. [Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma ' Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Roma (Italy); Lucci, M.; Davoli, I. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma ' Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Roma (Italy); Berezina, S. [Department of Physics, University of Zilina, 01026, Univerzitna 1 Zilina (Slovakia)

2009-11-15

We propose a nanoindentation technique based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) that allows one to deduce both indentation modulus and hardness of viscoelastic materials from the force versus penetration depth dependence, obtained by recording the AFM cantilever deflection as a function of the sample vertical displacement when the tip is pressed against (loading phase) and then removed from (unloading phase) the surface of the sample. Reliable quantitative measurements of both indentation modulus and hardness of the investigated sample are obtained by calibrating the technique through a set of different polymeric samples, used as reference materials, whose mechanical properties have been previously determined by standard indentation tests. By analyzing the dependence of the cantilever deflection versus time, the proposed technique allows one to evaluate and correct the effect of viscoelastic properties of the investigated materials, by adapting a post-experiment data processing procedure well-established for standard depth sensing indentation tests. The technique is described in the case of the measurement of indentation modulus and hardness of a thin film of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate), deposited by chronoamperometry on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate.

Optical and electrical characterizations of nanocomposite film of titania adsorbed onto oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Wei; Feng Yiyu; Wu Zigang; Fujii, Akihiko; Ozaki, Masanori; Yoshino, Katsumi

2005-01-01

Composite film containing titania electrostatically linked to oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (TiO 2 -s-MWNTs) was prepared from a suspension of TiO 2 nanoparticles in soluble carbon nanotubes. The structure of the film was analysed principally by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron micrography and x-ray diffraction. The optical and electrical characterizations of the film were investigated by UV-vis spectrum, photoluminescence and photoconductivity. The enhancement of photocurrent in the TiO 2 -s-MWNT film is discussed by taking the photoinduced charge transfer between the MWNT and TiO 2 into consideration

Properties of electrophoretically deposited single wall carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Junyoung; Jalali, Maryam; Campbell, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

This paper describes techniques for rapidly producing a carbon nanotube thin film by electrophoretic deposition at room temperature and determines the film mass density and electrical/mechanical properties of such films. The mechanism of electrophoretic deposition of thin layers is explained with experimental data. Also, film thickness is measured as a function of time, electrical field and suspension concentration. We use Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy to determine the film mass density. Films created in this manner have a resistivity of 2.14 × 10 −3 Ω·cm, a mass density that varies with thickness from 0.12 to 0.54 g/cm 3 , and a Young's modulus between 4.72 and 5.67 GPa. The latter was found to be independent of thickness from 77 to 134 nm. We also report on fabricating free-standing films by removing the metal seed layer under the CNT film, and selectively etching a sacrificial layer. This method could be extended to flexible photovoltaic devices or high frequency RF MEMS devices. - Highlights: • We explain the electrophoretic deposition process and mechanism of thin SWCNT film deposition. • Characterization of the SWCNT film properties including density, resistivity, transmittance, and Young's modulus. • The film density and resistivity are found to be a function of the film thickness. • Techniques developed to create free standing layers of SW-CNTs for flexible electronics and mechanical actuators

Impact of Argon gas on optical and electrical properties of Carbon thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Usman, Arslan, E-mail: arslan.usman@gmail.com [Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore (Pakistan); Rafique, M.S. [Department of Physics, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890 (Pakistan); Shaukat, S.F. [Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore (Pakistan); Siraj, Khurram [Department of Physics, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890 (Pakistan); Ashfaq, Afshan [Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Lahore (INMOL), 54000 Pakistan (Pakistan); Anjum, Safia [Department of Physics, Lahore College for Women University (Pakistan); Imran, Muhammad; Sattar, Abdul [Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore (Pakistan)

2016-12-15

Nanostructured thin films of carbon were synthesized and investigated for their electrical, optical, structural and surface properties. Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique was used for the preparation of these films under Argon gas environment. A KrF Laser (λ=248 nm) was used as source of ablation and plasma formation. It was observed that the carbon ions and the background gas environment has deep impact on the morphology as well as on the microstructure of the films. Time of Flight (TOF) method was used to determine the energies of the ablated carbon ions. The morphology of film surfaces deposited at various argon pressure was analysed using an atomic force microscope. The Raman spectroscopic measurement reveal that there is shift in phase from sp{sup 3} to sp{sup 2} and a decrease in FWHM of G band, which is a clear indication of enhanced graphitic clusters. The electrical resistivity was also reduced from 85.3×10{sup −1} to 2.57×10{sup −1} Ω-cm. There is an exponential decrease in band gap E{sub g} of the deposited films from 1.99 to 1.37 eV as a function of argon gas pressure.

Radiation hardness of silicon detectors manufactured on epitaxial material and FZ bulk enriched with oxygen, carbon, tin and platinum

CERN Document Server

Ruzin, A; Glaser, M; Lemeilleur, F; Talamonti, R; Watts, S; Zanet, A

1999-01-01

Recent results on the radiation hardness of silicon detectors fabricated on epitaxial and float zone bulk silicon enriched by various impurities, such as carbon, oxygen, tin and platinum are reported. A new methodology of measurements of electrical properties of the devices has been utilized in the experiment. It has been shown that in the case of irradiation by protons, oxygen enriched silicon has better radiation hardness than standard float zone silicon. The carbon enriched silicon detectors, on the other hand, exhibited significantly inferior radiation hardness compared to standard detectors. This study shows for the first time, a violation of the widely used normalization technique of the various particle irradiations by NIEL coefficients. The study has been carried out in the framework of the RD48 (ROSE) collaboration, which studies the radiation hardening of silicon detectors. (5 refs).

Carbon thin films deposited by the magnetron sputtering technique using cobalt, copper and nickel as buffer-layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa e Silva, Danilo Lopes

2015-01-01

In this work, carbon thin films were produced by the magnetron sputtering technique using single crystal substrates of alumina c-plane (0001) and Si (111) and Si (100) substrates, employing Co, Ni and Cu as intermediate films (buffer-layers). The depositions were conducted in three stages, first with cobalt buffer-layers where only after the production of a large number of samples, the depositions using cooper buffer-layers were carried out on Si substrates. Then, depositions were performed with nickel buffer layers using single-crystal alumina substrates. The crystallinity of the carbon films was evaluated by using the technique of Raman spectroscopy and, then, by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphological characterization of the films was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and FEG-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD peaks related to the carbon films were observed only in the results of the samples with cobalt and nickel buffer-layers. The Raman spectroscopy showed that the carbon films with the best degree of crystallinity were the ones produced with Si (111) substrates, for the Cu buffers, and sapphire substrates for the Ni and Co buffers, where the latter resulted in a sample with the best crystallinity of all the ones produced in this work. It was observed that the cobalt has low recovering over the alumina substrates when compared to the nickel. Sorption tests of Ce ions by the carbon films were conducted in two samples and it was observed that the sorption did not occur probably because of the low crystallinity of the carbon films in both samples. (author)

Quantification of oxygen and carbon in high Tc superconducting films by (α,α) elastic resonance technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vizkelethy, G.; Revesz, P.

1993-01-01

The quantification of oxygen and carbon in high-temperature (T c ) superconducting oxide thin films was made by employing elastic resonance in He backscattering analysis. A method combining the oxygen resonance technique and channeling was presented for measuring the nature of the oxygen disorder near the surface and the interface in a YBCO superconducting film grown on an MgO substrate. The oxygen resonance technique was used to quantify the oxygen profiling in the metal/YBCO contacts, showing that Zr and Nb act as sinks to oxygen from YBCO films and are oxidized in the forms Zr/ZrO 2 /YBCO/MgO and Nb 0.2 O/YBCO/MgO after annealing in a vacuum at 350 o C. We combined the carbon and oxygen resonances to determine the carbon contamination and oxygen concentration changes on the YBCO surface after coating and baking the photoresist. Residual carbon on the surface and a thin layer of oxygen depletion near the YBCO surface have been observed. The residual carbon in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 films made by the decomposition of metallo-organic precursors was quantified using carbon resonance. (author)

Substrate effects on the characteristics of (In2O3)1-x (ZnO)x films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J. M.; Kim, J. J.; Kim, H. M.; Kim, J. H.; Ryu, S. W.; Park, S. H.; Ahn, J. S.

2006-01-01

The electrical and the optical properties of (In 2 O 3 ) 1-x (ZnO) x (IZO) films deposited by the rf magnetron sputtering on plastic substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly carbonate (PC), were investigated. The results are compared with those of IZO films deposited on a conventional coring glass (CG) substrate. The average transmittance of the IZO films deposited on plastic substrates is over 80 %, irrespective of the substrate, which is comparable to that of IZO films deposited on CG substrates. IZO films deposited on PC or PET substrates show larger resistivities than those deposited on CG substrates. This may be attributed to the fact that compositions, such as H 2 O or the organic solvent contained in the plastic substrates, are adsorbed into the IZO layer during sputtering. The surface resistance of the IZO films is nearly independent of the substrate and decreases with increasing deposition time. Compared to the IZO films deposited on PET substrates without hard coatings, those deposited on PET substrates with hard coatings show superior electrical stability for thermal environments.

Elastic nano-structure of diamond-like carbon (DLC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogiso, Hisato; Yoshida, Mikiko; Nakano, Shizuka; Yasui, Haruyuki; Awazu, Kaoru

2006-01-01

This research discusses the elastic nano-structure of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. Two DLC film samples deposited by plasma based ion implantation (PBII) were prepared. The plasma generated by microwave (MW) was applied to one sample and the plasma by radio frequency (RF) to the other sample. The samples were evaluated for the elastic property image with nanometer resolution using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The film surface deposited by RF-PBII was very flat and homogeneous in elastic property. In contrast, the film surface by MW-PBII was more uneven than that by RF-PBII and both the locally hard and the locally soft regions were found at the film surface. The size of the structure in elastic property is several tens nanometer. We conclude that the film probably contains nano-scale diamond phase

Elastic nano-structure of diamond-like carbon (DLC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogiso, Hisato [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-2-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564 (Japan); Yoshida, Mikiko [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-2-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564 (Japan); Nakano, Shizuka [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-2-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564 (Japan); Yasui, Haruyuki [Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa (IRII), Ro-1, Tomizu-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0233 (Japan); Awazu, Kaoru [Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa (IRII), Ro-1, Tomizu-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0233 (Japan)

2006-01-15

This research discusses the elastic nano-structure of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. Two DLC film samples deposited by plasma based ion implantation (PBII) were prepared. The plasma generated by microwave (MW) was applied to one sample and the plasma by radio frequency (RF) to the other sample. The samples were evaluated for the elastic property image with nanometer resolution using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The film surface deposited by RF-PBII was very flat and homogeneous in elastic property. In contrast, the film surface by MW-PBII was more uneven than that by RF-PBII and both the locally hard and the locally soft regions were found at the film surface. The size of the structure in elastic property is several tens nanometer. We conclude that the film probably contains nano-scale diamond phase.

Study of carbon nanotubes based Polydimethylsiloxane composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)