AVS 54th International Symposium | |
Advanced Surface Engineering | Tuesday Sessions |
Session SE-TuP |
Session: | Advanced Surface Engineering Poster Session |
Presenter: | M.H. Check, University of Dayton |
Authors: | M.H. Check, University of Dayton A.A. Voevodin, Air Force Research Laboratory C.N. Hunter, Air Force Research Laboratory J.J. Hu, University of Dayton Research Institute |
Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) is a thin film deposition technique that can be applied to a large range of polymeric and biological substances. The advantage of using MAPLE compared to other laser techniques is that deposition can be accomplished with little or no damage to the transported material. The technology was explored for preparation of tribological coatings with carbon nanopearls (~150 nm in size) encapsulated in metal (Au and Ag) and ceramic (TiN) matrices. The focus was placed on understanding how to control transport and uniformity of nanopearls on the deposition surface. The controlling parameters included laser fluence (200-800 mJ), repetition rate (1-30 Hz), solvent material (methanol and isopropanol), and background gas composition and pressure (5-30 mTorr of Ar and N2 mix). The characteristics of the synthesized 1-2 micron thick carbon/metal and carbon/ceramic composite films were correlated with area fraction of the nanoparticles, degree of dispersion of the nanoparticles and effect of the transport process on the properties of the nanoparticles. Results from electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and XPS are discussed.