SBIR-STTR Award

In mechanical systems with moving parts, such as diesel and gasoline engines, the wear of surfaces is a significant problem. It has been estimated that the cost to the U.S. economy from failures related to wear is $52-110 billion including losses in materials, labor, energy and productivity. One promising technique to reduce the problem of wear, is thin film coating of materials with high hardness levels. A new class of thin film coating materials, diamond-like nanocomposites (DLN), have been developed which exhibit high hardness, low wear, and low friction. This project will develop coatings with very high hardness levels to be deposited on various surfaces using a plasma-based vacuum deposition technique. In Phase I, work will be aimed towards maximizing the hardness of these coatings by varying the deposition parameters and process. Work will also be performed to optimize wear performance, friction, and adhesion, and to understand how deposition conditions affect each of these properties. The coating-substrate interface would be studied to determine how it influences tribological performance. In Phase II, the goals will be to further optimize the tribological properties (hardness, wear, friction, etc.) as well as coat and test actual parts. An in-depth study of the relationship between the various tribological factors and between the tribological factors and the deposition parameters will take place.Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee:Success in this research would result in the use of the coatings in many applications where wear needs to be minimized. Some potential applications include cutting tools, bearings, seals, automotive and aerospace parts, printer parts, and hard disks.