Fullerenelike arrangements in carbon nitride thin films grown by direct ion beam sputtering

Carbon nitride (CNx) thin films were grown by direct N-2/Ar ion beam sputtering of a graphite target at moderate substrate temperatures (300-750 K). The resulting microstructure of the films was studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The images showed the presence of curved basal planes in fullerenelike arrangements. The achievement and evolution of these microstructural features are discussed in terms of nitrogen incorporation, film-forming flux, and ion bombardment effects, thus adding to the understanding of the formation mechanisms of curved graphitic structures in CNx materials. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics

Advanced characterization and optical simulation for the design of solar selective coatings based on carbon: transition metal carbide nanocomposites

Solar selective coatings based on carbon transition metal carbide nanocomposite absorber layers were designed. Pulsed filtered cathodic arc was used for depositing amorphous carbon:metal carbide (a-C:MeC, Me = V, Mo) thin films. Composition and structure of the samples were characterized by ion beam analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties were determined by ellipsometry and spectrophotometry. Three effective medium approximations (EMA), namely Maxwell-Garnett, Bruggeman, and Bergman, were applied to simulate the optical behaviour of the nanocomposite thin films. Excellent agreement was achieved between simulated and measured reflectance spectra in the entire wavelength range by using the Bergman approach, where in-depth knowledge of the nanocomposite thin film microstructure is included. The reflectance is shown to be a function of the metal carbide volume fraction and its degree of percolation, but not dependent on whether the nanocomposite microstructure is homogeneous or a self-organized multilayer. Solar selective coatings based on an optimized a-C:MeC absorber layer were designed exhibiting a maximum solar absorptance of 96% and a low thermal emittance of ~5% and 15% at 25 and 600 °C, respectively. The results of this study can be considered as a predictive design tool for nanomaterial-based optical coatings in general

Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation

Rate theory of the radiation-induced precipitation in solids is modified with account of non-equilibrium fluctuations driven by the gas of lattice solitons (a.k.a. quodons) produced by irradiation. According to quantitative estimations, a steady-state density of the quodon gas under sufficiently intense irradiation can be as high as the density of phonon gas. The quodon gas may be a powerful driver of the chemical reaction rates under irradiation, the strength of which exponentially increases with irradiation flux and may be comparable with strength of the phonon gas that exponentially increases with temperature. The modified rate theory is applied to modelling of copper precipitation in FeCu binary alloys under electron irradiation. In contrast to the classical rate theory, which disagrees strongly with experimental data on all precipitation parameters, the modified rate theory describes quite well both the evolution of precipitates and the matrix concentration of copper measured by different methodsComment: V. Dubinko, R. Shapovalov, Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation. (Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 2014

Out-of-plane magnetic patterning on austenitic stainless steels using plasma nitriding

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.A correlation between the grain orientation and the out-of-plane magnetic properties of nitrogen-enriched polycrystalline austenitic stainless steel surface is performed. Due to the competition between the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, the exchange and dipolar interactions, and the residual stresses induced by nitriding, the resulting effective magnetic easy-axis can lay along unusual directions. It is also demonstrated that, by choosing an appropriate stainless steel texturing, arrays of ferromagnetic structures with out-of-plane magnetization, embedded in a paramagnetic matrix, can be produced by local plasma nitriding through shadow masks

A combinatorial study of the mechanical and magnetic properties of a gradually nitrided austenitic stainless steel single crystal

The mechanical and magnetic properties of a nitrided austenitic stainless steel are studied using a combinatorial approach. Plasma nitriding of a [100]-oriented 316L single crystal is carried out using a loose shadow mask to produce an in-plane lateral gradient of nitrogen concentration that extends up to 100 μm. The local mechanical and magnetic properties across the gradually nitrided area are resolved by nanoindentation and the polar magneto-optic Kerr effect, respectively. The hardness, reduced Young's modulus and remanence qualitatively depict the nitrogen profile, suggesting that the nitrogen concentration is a central effect for these observed dependencies. Conversely, the coercivity exhibits a non-monotonic behaviour due to the interplay between magnetic anisotropy and the strength of the induced ferromagnetism. Fingerprints of the expected transition from a nitrogen supersaturated solid solution to a multiphase nature of expanded austenite are evidenced along the gradually nitrided area. © 2014 the Partner Organisations

Effect of the metal concentration on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of self-organized a-C:Cu hard nanocomposite coatings

The influence of the metal content (Cu: 0-28 at.%) on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of amorphous carbon films grown by pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition is investigated. Silicon and AISI 301 stainless steel have been used as substrate materials. The microstructure, composition and bonding structure have been determined by scanning electron microscopy, combined Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy-nuclear reaction analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical and tribological properties have been assessed using nanoindentation and reciprocating sliding (fretting tests) and these have been correlated with the elemental composition of the films. A self-organized multilayered structure consisting of alternating carbon and copper metal nanolayers (thickness in the 25-50 nm range), whose formation is enhanced by the Cu content, is detected. The nanohardness and Young's modulus decrease monotonically with increasing Cu content. A maximum value of the Young's modulus of about 255 GPa is obtained for the metal-free film, whereas it drops to about 174 GPa for the film with a Cu content of 28 at.%. In parallel, a 50% drop in the nanohardness from about 28 GPa towards 14 GPa is observed for these coatings. An increase in the Cu content also produces an increment of the coefficient of friction in reciprocating sliding tests performed against a corundum ball counterbody. As compared to the metal free film, a nearly four times higher coefficient of friction value is detected in the case of a Cu content of 28 at.%. Nevertheless, the carbon-copper composite coatings produced a clear surface protection of the substrate despite an overall increase in wear loss with increasing Cu content in the range 3-28 at.%. ©2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work has been partially financed by the CONSOLIDER Spanish National Project (FUNCOAT, ref: CSD2008-00023). J.G.B. would like to thank the Executive Research Agency of the European Union for funding under the Marie Curie IEF grant number 272448.Peer Reviewe

A special issue on advances in solar selective nanostructures and thin films

Peer Reviewe

Influence of low energy-high flux nitrogen implantation on the oxidation behavior of AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel

The effect of low energy-high flux nitriding on the oxidation of AISI 304L austentic stainless steel was analyzed. The nitrogen implantation was carried out by implanting a dose of 3.5×1019 ions cm-2 at 400°C for one hour. The existence of the hexagonal Cr2N precipitates at the nitrided layer interfacial region was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The implantation-diffusion nitridation treatment led to a significant increase in the surface hardness of the stainless steel. The results show that nitridation modified the oxidation kinetics of the steel due to the progressive transformation of the austentite phase towards CrN precipitation