There is a need for coatings which can act as hard, low friction, wear resistant layers. These coatings could significantly increase the lifetime of mechanical parts subject to wear. In addition to high hardness and low wear, these coatings must provide excellent adhesion to metal surfaces. This project will demonstrate the suitability of a new class of thin film coating materials, diamond-like nanocomposites (DLN). With high hardness (>30 GPa), low wear, and low friction, these materials have several advantages over competing coatings, including lower stress, lower friction, and friction independent of humidity level. Phase I will focus on demonstrating that these coatings can be deposited with hardness levels of 35-45 GPa with excellent adhesion. A two or three layered DLN structure will be used. The tribo-chemical mechanisms responsible for the coatings tribological properties will be studied.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Commercial applications should include low friction coatings for seals; hard, wear resistant coatings for bearings; thin, hard coatings for hard disks; and biomedical coatings. The specific performance benefits to parts coated with DLN include lower wear, lower friction, longer lifetimes, and lower maintenance costs due to less frequent part replacements.
