Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have been able to create amorphous diamond coatings and free-standing films with significantly reduced intrinsic stress while allowing manipulation of the hardness, toughness, adhesion, and wear resistance.
Amorphous diamond, or hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon (DLC), is a form of carbon that can be characterized as extremely hard, chemically inert, optically transparent, low friction and a semiconductor.
Hydrogenated DLCs are used in a number of coating and thin film applications for optical windows, medical devices, tools, car parts, and magnetic storage. Amorphous diamond is harder than hydrogenated DLCs and therefore provides more protection for coated products; but current coatings are not thicker than a few micrometers because deposition methods cannot overcome the high intrinsic stress of the material and adhesion problems of thick layers.
LLNL has reduced this technology to practice and used the process for real-world applications.
More info: Randall Elder, 925-422-9914, elder3@llnl.gov
