Development of Functional Materials by a Composition Spread Approach
- PDF / 752,466 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 42 Downloads / 210 Views
Development of Functional Materials by a Composition Spread Approach R. Cremer and D. Neuschütz Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Hüttenkunde Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen 52056 Aachen, Germany ABSTRACT In this paper, the deposition and characterization of laterally graded materials libraries (composition spread) is presented. The films have been deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, using two or three metallic targets at a low angle to the substrate surface as well as a system of apertures. To illustrate the advantages of combinatorial approaches for the development of advanced materials, the multicomponent metastable hard coatings (Ti,Al)N and (Ti,Al,Si)N were investigated with respect to the relations between structure and composition on the one hand and the oxidation resistance of these coatings on the other.
INTRODUCTION "Although examples of success stories are few and far between as yet, BCC predicts more materials will be discovered using combinatorial techniques over coming years." This citation from the July/August 2001 issue of Materials Today draws a most current evaluation of the present situation concerning combinatorial approaches to materials discovery. Indeed, a similar change of mind can be observed in materials technology compared to that in pharmaceutical industry some years ago. In pharmaceutical industry as well as in several other areas of biology and chemistry the combinatorial approach has dramatically altered the way how new products are developed. By adapting combinatorial approaches to their special needs, those scientific areas have succeeded in boosting productivity as well as efficiency in an incredible way. Additionally, these new approaches have resulted in a vast increase in systematic of the necessary experimental work [1, 2]. Based on the obvious success of combinatorial approaches in the above mentioned areas, a tendency to introduce these techniques into materials research can be observed. The driving forces of this trend are the need for increased productivity on one hand and lower costs for research and development on the other [3-6]. The beacon of every combinatorial activity is nature itself [7]. Like in many other fields of science and technology, scientists as well as engineers try to adapt the successful concepts of nature. Evolution, as described by Darwin in his well known "On the Origin of Species" can be regarded as the template for all combinatorial activities [8]. In this interpretation of evolution, even the most beautiful and most complicated achievements of nature are the result of a persisting struggle between the competing species and every progress in evolution is the result of a brutal algorithm based on mutation and selection. This method of materials synthesis has proven its efficiency from the very first beginning to the complexity of modern life and is still an ongoing story of success. The main constituents of combinatorial materials development are rapid synthesis of large arrays of materials libraries combined with fast approaches
Data Loading...
