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ePaper created 2014-04-30, 16:22:09 | version 1.30.01
discovered 02.13 FOCUS WWW.Hzdr.DE and CO2 emission change as a result of the reduced friction. "The engine test benches are equipped with the latest metrology," says Sibylle Gemming. "They allow testing all relevant combinations of coatings, fuels, and lubricants." Atomic-level simulations From the atom to the complex component: that is the ECEMP's research motto. The scientists of CarboFunctCoat are not only interested in developing coating technologies or producing final components, they also aim at understanding phenomena such as friction on an atomic level. What happens at the time of contact between two components? How does friction between atoms develop? What are the consequences for the material? These are but a few of the questions the HZDR researchers are looking to answer together with theoretical chemist Gotthard Seifert at the TU Dresden. By way of simulations, they create a scenario where two uneven surfaces slide against each other. In the process, the scientists have discovered a number of interesting issues. For example, if two ta-C coats are in close contact with each other, the uppermost atomic layer's chemical structure changes in a very specific way. Thus, the material of the contact area becomes softer and the frictional impact drops. In addition, this structural change leads to a lubricant being able to dock to the surface particularly well. This helps explaining why ta-C coatings can reduce friction. The results achieved in the context of CarboFunctCoat have recently created a new project to study the microscopic mechanisms of friction and wear in greater depth. To address this fundamental task, the tribology expertise of the project partners at the Institute of Manufacturing Technology is combined with expertise in the area of ion-beam materials modification and analysis at the HZDR's ion beam center. Here, scientists are able to use specialized equipment to simulate friction processes and immediately analyze their effects. This demonstrates once more the great versatility of ion beams as a research tool. But the ECEMP cluster has a much broader success story. Every fall, the cluster organizes a highly popular colloquium. "Initially, it was rather centered around basic science research," Sibylle Gemming recalls. "But by now the program is very strongly application-oriented, with many international partners including several from industry." This demonstrates the outreach of the findings by CarboFunctCoat and the 13 other projects into industry. Publications: A. Pardo et al.: "Effect of the metal concentration on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of self-organized a-C:Cu hard nanocomposite coatings", in Applied Surface Science, Vol. 280 (2013; DOI: 10.1016/j. apsusc.2013.05.063) M. Krause et al.: "Tilting of carbon encapsulated metallic nanocolumns in carbon-nickel nanocomposite films by ion beam assisted deposition", in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 101 (2012; DOI: 10.1063/1.4739417) G. Abrasonis et al.: "Sculpting nanoscale precipitation patterns in nanocomposite thin films via hyperthermal ion deposition", in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 97 (2010; DOI: 10.1063/1.3503967) Contact _Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR Prof. Sibylle Gemming s.gemming@hzdr.de TITANIUM: The more titanium atoms that are ionized, the bluer the plasma inside the coating chamber looks. Photo: Jürgen Jeibmann