Structure and properties of silver-containing a-C(H) films deposited by plasma immersion ion implantation

Applied Surface Science

Anders

2008

Self Cite

178

In this study we have deposited silver-containing hydrogenated and hydrogen-free diamondlike carbon (DLC) nanocomposite thin films by plasma immersion ion implantation-deposition methods. The surface and nano-tribological characteristics were studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-scratching experiments. The silver doping was found to have no measurable effect on sp 2 -sp 3 hybridization of the hydrogenated DLC matrix and only a slight effect on the hydrogen-free DLC matrix. The surface topography was analyzed by surface imaging. High-and low-order roughness determined by AFM characterization was correlated to the DLC growth mechanism and revealed the smoothing effect of silver. The nano-tribological characteristics were explained in terms of friction mechanisms and mechanical properties in correlation to the surface characteristics. It was discovered that the adhesion friction was the dominant friction mechanism; the adhesion force between the scratching tip and DLC surface was decreased by hydrogenation and increased by silver doping.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 46%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative surface and nano-tribological characteristics of nanocomposite diamond-like carbon thin films doped by silver

Zhang

Applied Surface Science

Anders

2008

Self Cite

178

“…This is of particular interest in the case of amorphous carbon (a-C) films due to their potential as coating material in mechanical, biomedical and electronic applications. In this study, a-C refers to a disordered nonhydrogenated mixture of sp 2 and sp 3 C atoms where the proportion of sp 3 sites is below 30%, in contrast to the "diamond-like" structure which usually refers to films with a dominant sp 3 character (>80%). High thermal and chemical stability and a strong corrosion resistance are among the common interesting properties of these films [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electronic structure and conductivity of nanocomposite metal (Au, Ag, Cu, Mo)-containing amorphous carbon films

Horwat²,

Gago

et al. 2009

Solid State Sciences

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Abstract.In this work, we study the influence of the incorporation of different metals (Me = Au, Ag, Cu, Mo) on the electronic structure of amorphous carbon (a-C:Me) films. The films were produced at room temperature using a novel pulsed dual-cathode arc deposition technique.Compositional analysis was performed with secondary neutral mass spectroscopy whereas Xray diffraction was used to identify the formation of metal nanoclusters in the carbon matrix. The metal content incorporated in the nanocomposite films induces a drastic increase in the conductivity, in parallel with a decrease in the band gap corrected from Urbach energy. The electronic structure as a function of the Me content has been monitored by x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) at the C K-edge. XANES showed that the C host matrix has a dominant graphitic character and that it is not affected significantly by the incorporation of metal impurities, except for the case of Mo, where the modifications in the lineshape spectra indicated the formation of a carbide phase. Subtle modifications of the spectral lineshape are discussed in terms of nanocomposite formation.

Impact of Annealing on the Conductivity of Amorphous Carbon Films Incorporating Copper and Gold Nanoparticles Deposited by Pulsed Dual Cathodic Arc

Plasma Processes & Polymers

Horwat

Anders

et al. 2009

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The influence of annealing in argon at 300 °C on the conductivity, phase stability and electronic structure of hydrogen‐free amorphous carbon (a‐C) films containing copper (a‐C:Cu) and gold (a‐C:Au) nanoclusters was investigated. The motivation of this work is twofold: (1) to study the thermal stability of a‐C:Cu and a‐C:Au films and (2) to point out the relevance of X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) technique to study the structural evolution of metal‐doped a‐C nanocomposites. The films were produced at room temperature using a selective‐bias pulsed dual‐cathode arc deposition technique. Compositional analysis was performed with secondary neutral mass spectroscopy whereas grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction (GIXRD) was used to monitor phase transformation and identify the dispersion or agglomeration of the crystallites within the carbon matrix. XANES spectra at the C‐K was used to investigate the effect of annealing in argon on the electronic structure of the a‐C matrix, while Cu K and Au L‐edges were investigated on a‐C:Cu and a‐C:Au samples, respectively, to study the nanocluster evolution. XANES showed that the a‐C host matrix increased its graphitic character and that stress was relieved upon annealing. No relevant changes were observed in the Au arrangements in a‐C:Au films. In the case of the a‐C:Cu samples, the Cu‐K XANES spectra indicated the formation of Cu2O crystals which correlated well with GIXRD spectra and the decrease in conductivity.