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

0210351 Singh拟议NIRT的主要目标（纳米级跨学科研究小组）的研究解决了在纳米级制造工艺的主题是：（1）开发加工方法以制造在三元（C-B-N）系统中具有可控纳米结构和性能的新型超硬薄膜，（2）开发先进技术以表征所选新型超硬材料的纳米结构，以及（3）将纳米结构的尺度（1-50 nm）与它们的不寻常的性质如硬度相关联。考虑到这一愿景，提出的NIRT的前提是，薄膜和涂层形式的纳米结构材料的功能/性质可以通过采用合适的纳米级结构和基本结构构建块的分布来设计，以控制1-50 nm尺度的性质。在这项提案中，我们寻求解决超硬和纳米结构薄膜的设计，而不仅仅是通过细化多晶微观结构尺度，而是通过探索新的加工/制造，表征和控制新材料的纳米结构的新途径，以实现不寻常的机械，物理，热，和可能的其他性能。因此，材料将首先被设计和加工/制造为仅具有短程有序，然后将通过非平衡加工方法的巧妙修改和/或网络/纳米结构的动力学/热操纵来产生纳米结构薄膜以产生纳米晶体薄膜。这些活动的最终目标是开发设计和合成具有特殊性能/硬度的材料的预测工具，以便获得“通过设计创造材料”的知识库。为了实现这些目标，NIRT组建了一个真正跨学科和互补的研究团队。在更广泛的范围内，这项研究的成功完成将为设计和制造三元C-B-N系统中的纳米结构超硬材料提供知识基础，这些材料具有特殊的机械和物理性能，可应用于机械加工，电子设备，MEMS和功能/保护涂层。研究生和本科生以及研究助理/博士后将通过参与本研究项目及其MS和博士学位进行培训。论文此外，少数民族/女高中生和本科生也将接受指导和接触这项研究。

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.