NIRT: Manufacturing/Synthesis and Nanostructure of Superhard Thin Films/Materials

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0210351 SinghThe primary objectives of the proposed NIRT (Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team) research addressing the theme on manufacturing processes at the nanoscale are to: (1) develop processing methods to manufacture novel superhard thin films of controlled nano-structures and properties in the ternary (C-B-N) system, (2) develop advanced techniques to characterize the nano-structures of selected new superhard materials, and (3) relate the scale of the nano-structure (1-50 nm) to their unusual properties such as hardness. With this vision in mind, the premise of the proposed NIRT is that the functionality/property of nano-structured materials in the form of thin films and coatings can be designed by employing a suitable nanoscale architecture and distribution of the basic structural building blocks to control the properties at a scale of 1-50 nm. In this proposal we seek to address the design of superhard and nano-structured thin films not by just refining the polycrystalline microstructural scale, but rather by exploring the novel routes for processing/manufacturing, characterizing, and controlling the nano-structure of new materials in order to achieve unusual mechanical, physical, thermal, and possibly other properties. Thus, materials will be first designed and processed/manufactured to have only short-range order and then nano-structured thin films will be created by clever modifications of the non-equilibrium processing methods, and/or kinetic/thermal manipulation of the networks/nanostructues to create nano-crystalline thin films. The eventual aim of these activities will be to develop predictive tools for designing and synthesizing materials with unusual properties/hardness so that a knowledge base for "creating materials by design" will be obtained. To accomplish these goals of the NIRT, a truly interdisciplinary and complementary research team has been assembled.On a broader scale, a successful completion of this research will lead to a knowledge base for designing and manufacturing nano-structured superhard materials in the ternary C-B-N system with unusual mechanical and physical properties for applications in machining, electronic devices, MEMS, and functional/protective coatings. Graduate and undergraduate students and research associate/post doc will be trained through participation on this research project and their MS and Ph.D. theses. In addition, minority/women high school and undergraduate students will also be mentored and exposed to this research.