Thin Films, Materials Surface & Interfaces
Giulia F. da Silva; Jorge Conceição Jr.; Daiane T. da Silva; Everton Dos Santos
Abstract
This study investigates the deposition of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on SAE 1045 alloy samples using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system and evaluates their potential as automotive coatings. Copper doping was performed via a hollow copper cathode to examine its ...
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This study investigates the deposition of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on SAE 1045 alloy samples using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system and evaluates their potential as automotive coatings. Copper doping was performed via a hollow copper cathode to examine its effects on the DLC films. The primary focus was to determine the structural properties, color variations, and friction resistance of the coated samples, with the goal of establishing their applicability in the automotive industry. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the successful deposition of DLC films, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis demonstrated the variation in copper atom concentrations in the samples based on the sputtering duration during the doping process. The observed color changes in the DLC films correlated with the copper atom concentrations, with the interference phenomenon and refractive index differences between DLC films and copper proposed as the primary factors influencing color variations. Scratch tests were conducted to evaluate the resistance to friction and delamination of the coated materials compared to conventionally painted steel samples. The results indicated that the DLC-coated materials exhibited higher resistance, with an estimated 15% increase in delamination resistance. The enhanced resistance was hypothesized to result from the high hardness of DLC films and the potential accumulation of nanoparticles in the valleys of the sample surface, reducing irregularities.
Mansi Sharma; Deepika Chaudhary; S. Sudhakar; Preetam Singh; K. M. K. Srivatsa; Sushil Kumar
Abstract
The structural transition in accordance to nano sized grain distribution within the amorphous silicon matrix has been described on the basis of spectroscopic analysis as a result of variable input power applied during growth via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. For this, characterization ...
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The structural transition in accordance to nano sized grain distribution within the amorphous silicon matrix has been described on the basis of spectroscopic analysis as a result of variable input power applied during growth via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. For this, characterization techniques like micro-ellipsometer, Raman, Field emission Scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been effectively utilized to identify transitions in these films particularly in terms of crystallite size (within 1-4 nm) and optical constants. These results indicate that at and above 30 W applied power the separation of two zones takes place as ultranano to nano, leading to the formation of denser matrix having uniformly distributed nano-crystallites. Moreover, these results indicate the presence of unrevealed fine crystallites (ultranano-crystalline phase) as a dominating part of grain boundaries, which may be as ultranano-crystallite phase. The blending of fine nano-crystallites within the amorphous phase might be the possible reason for the formation of nano-crystallites from ultranano-crystallites.
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