Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Todor Vuchkov, Vidhiaza Leviandhika, Albano Cavaleiro
Summary: Tungsten-sulfur-carbon coatings with different carbon content were deposited and evaluated for their morphological, structural and mechano-tribological properties. The optimal tribological response was achieved with a coating containing -35at.% carbon. Coatings with graded chemical composition including softer TMD layers were found to be beneficial during sliding in inert conditions.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rafal Psiuk, Michal Milczarek, Piotr Jenczyk, Piotr Denis, Dariusz M. Jarzabek, Piotr Bazarnik, Marcin Pisarek, Tomasz Moscicki
Summary: Novel W-Zr-B coatings were developed by a hybrid process, and the influence of laser power density on the structure and mechanical properties of the deposited films was studied. Addition of zirconium changed the structure of the films from columnar to amorphous.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tomasz Moscicki, Justyna Chrzanowska-Gizynska, Rafal Psiuk, Piotr Denis, K. Mulewska, Lukasz Kurpaska, Marcin Chmielewski, Maria Wisniewska, Dariusz Garbiec
Summary: Magnetron sputtered WB2 coatings with different amounts of zirconium (8, 11, and 16 at.%) were analyzed, and it was found that the coatings had alpha-AlB2 and omega-W2B5 prototype structures. The proportion of omega-W2B5 phase increased with the increase in zirconium content. The hardness of all the coatings was around 45 GPa, while the Young's modulus slightly decreased with the increase in zirconium content. Furthermore, it was observed that the addition of zirconium improved the phase stability of the coatings.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REFRACTORY METALS & HARD MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Vasiliy Pelenovich, Huidong Liu, Xiaomei Zeng, Yan Liu, Kang Liu, Bing Yang
Summary: A new approach to deposit graded solar selective absorbers using non-equilibrium reactive RF magnetron sputtering has been proposed, demonstrating promising results. The method involves a relaxation process of target poisoning in a reactive O2/Ar atmosphere to achieve gradient composition, with the potential to adjust thickness and element distribution profile. This method offers simplicity and high production yield compared to existing methods.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rafal Psiuk, Tomasz Moscicki, Justyna Chrzanowska-Gizynska, Lukasz Kurpaska, Joanna Radziejewska, Piotr Denis, Dariusz Garbiec, Marcin Chmielewski
Summary: We present the deposition and characterization of tungsten-tantalum diboride (W,Ta)B-2 coatings prepared by the high-power impulse magnetron sputtering technique. We evaluated the influence of pulse duration and substrate bias on the properties of (W,Ta)B-2 films. A high hardness of up to 35 GPa measured by nanoindentation was simultaneously obtained with good elastic properties. Changing the pulse duration greatly affected the B/(W+Ta) atomic ratio, which influenced the properties of the coatings. The deposited films are thermally stable at up to 1000 degrees C in vacuum and are able to withstand oxidation at 500 degrees C.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Ewa Ura-Binczyk, Krzysztof Kulikowski, Witold Chrominski, Jerzy Smolik, Malgorzata Lewandowska
Summary: AlCr and AlCrFe coatings were deposited on carbon steel C45 and titanium grade 2 substrates via magnetron sputtering. The coatings have an amorphous structure, a thickness of 3-4 μm, and are uniform in terms of thickness and chemical composition. No major defects were observed at the interface, but there was no diffusion at the interface, indicating adhesive bonding and relatively low adhesion. The coatings exhibit a hardness of about 8-10 GPa and a Young's modulus above 150 GPa, slightly higher for the steel substrate. The coatings provide good corrosion resistance for the steel substrate but underperform for the Ti grade 2.
ARCHIVES OF CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Michael Kroker, Pavel Soucek, Lukas Zabransky, Vilma Bursikova, Zsolt Czigany, Vjaceslav Sochora, Katalin Balazsi, Mojmir Jilek, Petr Vasina
Summary: The article discusses the structural and mechanical properties of sputter-deposited W-B-C coatings, which are found to be composition-dependent. Different deposition methods and chemical compositions are studied, revealing that the coatings are mainly amorphous but can form ordered tungsten borides or nanocrystalline cubic tungsten carbide under specific conditions. The amorphous coatings exhibit high hardness, elastic modulus, and damage resistance compared to TiN and AlCrN coatings.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tamara Dorofeeva, Tatiana Gubaidulina, Victor Sergeev, Marina Fedorischeva
Summary: This study investigates single-layer and multi-layer coatings deposited on stainless steel specimens using magnetron sputtering. The corrosion resistance of the multi-layer coating is found to be significantly higher compared to the single-layer coating and the substrate.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sergei S. Sakhonenkov, Elena O. Filatova
Summary: This study presented an atomic-level investigation on the mixing behavior of W and Be during magnetron sputtering deposition using the SRIM software, showing that kinetic energy is a key factor influencing the formation of beryllides at interfaces during sputtering. Additionally, a complete mixing of layers and formation of specific compounds were observed in multilayer structures.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Arunprabhu Arunachalam Sugumaran, Yashodhan Purandare, Krishnanand Shukla, Imran Khan, Arutiun Ehiasarian, Papken Hovsepian
Summary: This study demonstrates the performance of nanoscale multilayer TiN/NbN coatings on medical-grade alloys, showing high hardness, low friction and wear coefficients. The coatings exhibited superior adhesion to the substrate, passivation behavior in aggressive environments, and reduced leaching of harmful metal ions, indicating excellent barrier properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaomei Zeng, Vasiliy Pelenovich, D. Neena, Chang Xu, Xiangyu Zhang, Alexander Pogrebnjak, Bing Yang, Sheng Liu
Summary: This paper evaluates the thermal stability of high-entropy AlCrNbSiTi-based selective solar absorbers (SSAs) in air and vacuum medium. The SSAs were prepared using a non-equilibrium reactive RF magnetron sputtering method. The stability of the SSAs was evaluated using different elemental compositions. The results show that the AlCrNbSiTi target with an element ratio of 3:2:1:1:2 exhibits the highest stability after heating.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiujie Yang, Shixiang Lin, Jin Zhao, Zhengqiang Tang
Summary: MoS2-TiCr coatings are deposited onto the TiCrN layer by magnetron sputtering to enhance the tribological performance. Ti and Cr doping is used to increase the density and prevent MoS2 oxidation. The optimized Ti and Cr doping greatly improves the tribological properties.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Todor Vuchkov, Talha Bin Yaqub, Albano Cavaleiro
Summary: The research found that the friction and wear properties of W-S-C coatings are influenced by deposition pressure, with better performance at higher S/W ratios, and longer target-to-substrate distances are favorable for the industrialization of the coatings.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rui Chao, Haichao Cai, Hang Li, Yujun Xue
Summary: Ta2O5 was deposited on quartz glass and Si substrates as a protective coating. The introduction of N-2 was found to reduce the surface roughness and increase the hardness and elastic modulus of the coatings.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Claudia P. Mejia, Henry S. Vanegas, Jhon J. Olaya
Summary: The formation of nanostructured transition metal nitride coatings by introducing a small amount of silver has been proven to enhance the physical properties of these materials. This investigation studied the influence of silver on the chemical composition, morphology, and microstructure of ZrN coatings, as well as their functional properties including corrosion resistance and optical reflectance. The results showed that the incorporation of silver improved the corrosion resistance and increased the optical reflectance of the coatings, making them potentially useful as optical protective coatings.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mengzhou Liao, Paolo Nicolini, Luojun Du, Jiahao Yuan, Shuopei Wang, Hua Yu, Jian Tang, Peng Cheng, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Lin Gu, Victor E. P. Claerbout, Andrea Silva, Denis Kramer, Tomas Polcar, Rong Yang, Dongxia Shi, Guangyu Zhang
Summary: MoS2/graphite and MoS2/h-BN interfaces exhibit ultra-low friction coefficients, with edges and interface steps being the main contributors to friction forces; two-dimensional heterostructures offer twist-angle-independent ultra-low friction due to weak interlayer van der Waals interactions and natural lattice mismatch, but the effects of domain edges on friction processes in finite-size interfaces remain unclear.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Talha Bin Yaqub, Todor Vuchkov, Stephanie Bruyere, Jean-Francois Pierson, Albano Cavaleiro
Summary: This study analyzed the mechanism behind the low friction properties of alloyed-transition metal dichalcogenide coatings, revealing that the formation of the low friction interface occurs both in the contact zone outside the coating and at the contact interface inside the top part of the coating.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Alberto Fraile, Prashant Dwivedi, Giovanni Bonny, Tomas Polcar
Summary: The atomistic mechanisms of damage initiation during high velocity impacts on a W surface have been investigated using molecular-dynamics simulations. The results show that high velocity impacts cause plastic deformation, breakup, melting, and vaporization of the target material. The crater volume increases linearly with the kinetic energy, and the total dislocation length depends on the impactor size.
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
A. AL-Rjoub, A. Cavaleiro, Talha Bin Yaqub, M. Evaristo, N. M. Figueiredo, F. Fernandes
Summary: The influence of Ag content on the morphology, structure, hardness, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance of TiAlSiN(Ag) coatings is investigated. The higher Ag content leads to lower hardness and reduced Young's modulus of the coatings. Annealing at 800°C enhances the coatings crystallinity and slightly increases the hardness and reduced Young's modulus. The addition of Ag improves the oxidation resistance of the coatings by modifying the composition of the oxide scale.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paola C. Torche, Andrea Silva, Denis Kramer, Tomas Polcar, Ondrej Hovorka
Summary: The multi-scale computational framework presented in this study combines classical thermally activated models with first principles methods to accurately capture the properties of real materials, providing new possibilities for designing material surfaces with atomically tailored properties. By investigating energy dissipation due to friction in materials directly from their electronic structure, this framework opens up opportunities to explore a wide range of material surfaces. The application of this framework to 2D layered materials reveals an intricate interplay between the energy landscape topology and dissipation, which static approaches fail to capture.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Huseyin Sener Sen, Nabil Daghbouj, Mauro Callisti, Marek Vronka, Miroslav Karlik, Jan Duchon, Jaroslav Cech, Jan Lorincik, Vladimir Havranek, Petr Babor, Tomas Polcar
Summary: Nanolayered metallic alloys show different strain behavior under ion irradiation, depending on the thickness of the multilayer structure. The reasons behind this difference are revealed and validated by semianalytical modeling and local strain mapping. The study also uncovers the radiation-induced transition of the Zr/Nb interfaces from incoherent to partially coherent. Based on this work, a specific Zr/NbSS multilayer system with certain thickness is proposed for nuclear applications, which exhibits high radiation damage resistance and minimum swelling.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Andrey Bondarev, Abbas Al-Rjoub, Talha Bin Yaqub, Tomas Polcar, Filipe Fernandes
Summary: This study investigates the structure evolution of a multilayered TiSiN/TiN(Ag) coating with heating and oxidation. The results show that the coating has a multilayered structure, with TiSiN layer consisting of Ti-Si-N solid solution grains and amorphous a-SiNx phase, and TiN(Ag) layer consisting of fcc TiN and Ag crystalline phases. Oxidation starts at 800 degrees C, forming rutile-TiO2. The oxidized part of the coating is Ag depleted, except for the top layer containing some Ag clusters. Ag diffuses towards the surface from the oxidized zones. There are no signs of recrystallization or structural changes in the cross-sectional analysis, except for stress relaxation in the non-oxidized part after annealing at 800 degrees C. Ag redistribution or diffusion is not found in the non-oxidized part, suggesting the effectiveness of the multilayered design in mitigating uncontrolled Ag migration towards the surface.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dario F. Zambrano-Mera, Rodrigo Espinoza-Gonzalez, Andreas Rosenkranz, Terry J. Harvey, Tomas Polcar, Paulina Valenzuela, William Gacitua
Summary: The study explores the possibility of enhancing erosion resistance in antireflective coatings through Zr-oxide doping and thermal annealing, and demonstrates that this method can improve the longevity and efficiency of solar panels.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pooja Sharma, Luisa Fialho, Nuno Miguel Figueiredo, Ricardo Serra, Albano Cavaleiro, Sandra Carvalho
Summary: Pathogens can survive on surfaces for a few days and can propagate through them, making surfaces a major source of pathogen transmission. Antimicrobial surfaces, created using resilient, mass-produced polymers with embedded antimicrobial nanoparticles, show promise in preventing and mitigating pathogen transmission. In this study, a 6 nm thick layer of silver nanoparticles was deposited on a polycarbonate substrate and thermally annealed to embed the nanoparticles into the polymer surface. The incorporation of silver nanoparticles had a significant impact on the antibacterial capacity of the polymer surface, inhibiting the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The surface-engineering process used in this study is cost-effective and scalable.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
A. T. Costa, Mikhail I. Vasilevskiy, J. Fernandez-Rossier, Nuno M. R. Peres
Summary: This article investigates the challenges of forming hybrid plasmon-magnon polaritons in heterostructures and demonstrates the possibility of polaritons formed by graphene plasmons and magnons in two-dimensional ferromagnetic insulators.
Article
Physics, Applied
Alexandre Silva, Veniero Lenzi, Sergey Pyrlin, Sandra Carvalho, Albano Cavaleiro, Luis Marques
Summary: The use of surface microtexturing to control friction has significant advantages in various fields, but traditional methods struggle to solve the complex optimization problem. In this research, machine learning techniques are employed to optimize surface texture by training a deep neural network to accurately predict the Stribeck curve of a textured surface in lubricated contact. This work showcases the potential of machine learning in optimizing texture for friction control in lubricated contacts.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Manoj Rajankunte Mahadeshwara, Fatima Rosa, Todor Vuchkov, Luis Vilhena, Amilcar Ramalho, Pooja Sharma, Albano Cavaleiro
Summary: In this study, the steel surface was textured with electrochemical processing (ECP) and post-coated with transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) using a molybdenum-selenium-carbon (MoSeC) film to improve the surface frictional properties of the material. The block-on-ring experiments under lubricated conditions showed that the MoSeC-coated circular patterns exhibited improvements in frictional properties compared to smooth surfaces.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nenad Bundaleski, Carolina F. Adame, Eduardo Alves, Nuno P. Barradas, Maria F. Cerqueira, Jonas Deuermeier, Yorick Delaup, Ana M. Ferraria, Isabel M. M. Ferreira, Holger Neupert, Marcel Himmerlich, Ana Maria M. B. do Rego, Martino Rimoldi, Orlando M. N. D. Teodoro, Mikhail Vasilevskiy, Pedro Costa Pinto
Summary: There has been growing interest in using amorphous carbon thin films with low secondary electron yield (SEY) to reduce electron multipacting in particle accelerators and RF devices. Previous studies have shown that the SEY increases with the amount of hydrogen and is correlated with the Tauc gap. In this study, films produced by magnetron sputtering with varying amounts of hydrogen and deuterium were analyzed, and it was found that the maximal SEY decreases with the fraction of the graphitic phase in the films.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Diego Lopez-Carballeira, Tomas Polcar
Summary: This study utilizes DFT high-throughput computational screening to analyze and classify 86 million organic structures, identifying thousands of potential organic electrode materials. Among them, 2306 materials are found to have higher monoelectronic reduction potentials and 626 materials have higher energy densities. These materials serve as a valuable starting point for discovering new organic electrode materials.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Daniel F. Fernandes, Lars Osterlund, Tomas Kubart
Summary: In this study, Reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) was used to deposit TiO2 thin films and investigate the influence of ion parameters and deposition temperature on film crystallinity and photocatalytic performance. A long target-to-substrate distance was used to prevent unintentional substrate heating. Different pulse configurations, temperatures, and substrate bias were evaluated. Films deposited at room temperature were amorphous and required a minimum temperature of 200 degrees C for crystallization. The growth of a specific polymorph was dependent on the operation mode, with high oxygen partial pressure promoting anatase formation. HiPIMS films deposited without substrate heating showed enhanced photodegradation rates compared to the reference films deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (pdcMS). Ion assistance in HiPIMS was beneficial at moderate temperatures, improving crystallinity compared to pdcMS.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
