Chemistry Project Abstract
INDENTATION OF NANOSTRUCTURED SILICON CARBIDE COATINGS
Presenter:
Jayme A. Marquez, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506; mrsuave@imsa.edu
Mentors:
Dr. Yury Gogotsi, Drexel University , Department of Materials Engineering, LeBow - Room , 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104; 215-895-6446; gogotsi@drexel.edu
Mr. Tom Juliano, Drexel University, 4311 Spruce Street B3, Philadelphia, PA, 19104; 215-895-6446; t22@drexel.edu
Dr. Mike McNallan, University of Illinois at Chicago, Engineering Research facility M/C 246, 842 W. Taylor, Chicago, IL, 60607; 312-996-3430; mcnallan@uic.edu
Abstract:
Known structure/property relations of nanostructured materials will advance the development of the broad and emerging field of nanotechnology. Understanding the nanoscale properties of a substance is crucial for application and eventual integration into existing technologies. Carbide-derived carbon (CDC) coating, synthesized by treating carbide with chlorine, is mainly used to modify surfaces of materials by lowering their friction coefficients, improving the performance of mechanical parts. In this report, properties of CDC coatings are investigated through nano-indentation. CDC with silicon carbide (SiC) as a substrate is a new and relatively inexpensive material. Variables, including reaction time, temperature, and chlorine/hydrogen ratios, can be controlled, resulting in CDC hardness and modulus values that vary between low property glassy carbon to high property CVD (chemical vapor deposition) diamond. This study attempts to identify the relationship between these processing variables and mechanical properties, namely hardness and Young's modulus. These properties were identified through nano-indentation. This mechanical evaluation revealed a general trend, but it could not establish a conclusive correlation between CDC reaction conditions and coating properties, possibly due to thin and inconsistent layers of CDC in the samples tested.