SBIR Phase I: Advanced Materials - Nano-diamond Coatings for Light-Weight Engine Components

该SBIR一期项目旨在开发一种新的表面改性技术，用于汽车内燃机的铝合金，以提高摩擦阻力。由于零部件磨损而产生的相关能量损失直接影响到汽车的燃油效率。将使用的工艺是基于二氧化碳激光的技术，结合流化床方法，在组件表面涂覆纳米金刚石（n-D）颗粒，以形成低摩擦类金刚石碳（DLC）膜。该技术的新颖之处在于它允许n-D快速转变为DLC，并允许在轻质基材上沉积具有优异附着力的厚涂层。这项技术的广泛影响包括提高燃油效率的能力，从而减少有毒成分的废气排放，并通过减少运动部件的磨损而延长使用寿命。该技术如果成功开发并商业化，将成为医疗设备、微电子、MEMS、信息存储等应用的使能技术。本科生和研究生参与该项目将使学生了解将课堂知识应用于现实生活中的先进工程部件的新方法，这对减少环境污染、能源和材料浪费有潜在的好处。

This SBIR Phase I project aims to develop a novel surface modification technology for aluminum alloys used in automotive internal combustion engines to improve resistance to friction. The related energy loss due to wear of components directly impacts the fuel efficiency of the automobile. The process to be used is a CO2-laser-based technique, combined with a fluidized-bed method to coat the component surfaces with nano-diamond (n-D)particles, in order to create a low-friction diamondlike carbon (DLC) film. The specific novelty is the technique is that it allows rapid transition of n-D into DLC, and permits deposition of thick coatings with excellent adhesion to the lightweight substrates.The broader impacts of this technology include the ability to improve the fuel efficiency, and therefore reduction in exhaust emissions of toxic components and increased lifetime due to reduction in the wear of moving parts. This technology, if successfully developed and commercialized, will be an enabling technology for applications in medical devices, microelectronics, MEMS, information storage, etc. The inclusion of undergraduate and graduate students in the program will allow the students to learn about the novel ways of applying classroom knowledge into real-life advanced engineering components, with a potential benefit to the environmental pollution, energy and materials waste reduction.