Development of adherent diamond coatings on transition-metal substrates

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Depositing highly adherent diamond thin films on transition metals has been one of the most challenging research subjects in the area of diamond synthesis based on plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Steel alloys belong to this category of materials and if diamond deposition on steels can be achieved, the surface properties of steels can be improved dramatically. In the Plasma Physics Laboratory, University of Saskatchewan, it has recently been found that adding a small amount of Al (aluminum) to steels alloys greatly facilitates deposition of high density, adherent diamond thin films. It is speculated that 3d electron of Al is responsible for modifying the electronic structure in the alloy and mitigating the catalytic formation of graphite which is detrimental to diamond growth. XAS (x-ray absorption spectroscopy) available at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) will be used to detect changes in electronic structures with and without Al in steel alloys. The immediate objective of the proposed research is to clarify the mechanism of diamond growth on transition metals and find optimum deposition conditions. The benefit of developing a technology for diamond coating on steel alloys is mainly in surface protection and modification (corrosion and wear resistance, biocompatibility, improved thermal conductivity, etc.) of the most widely used industrial metal.