Design of Functionally Gradient Materials for applications in high performance coatings
- Chief Supervisor
- Prof TJ Bastow (CSIRO)
- Centre Nodes
- CSIRO, ANSTO
Functionally gradient materials (FGMs) are composite materials designed to incorporate a number of functions. They may consist of materials with one function at one surface that is completely different from the opposite surface. Gears and bearings with engineered FGM surfaces can have superior wear resistance and strength but can be built lighter and smaller, thus reducing overall costs. Applications of FGM coatings are quite diverse, from extending the wear life on cutting surfaces of drilling and earthmoving equipment or anti-fog films for the latest ski glasses, to providing the anti-fouling and corrosion resistant surface of your speed boat.
In this project, positron spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance will be used to characterize and ‘map’ the physical packing and chemical composition of functionally gradient thin films. Neutron and X ray reflectometry are two complimentary techniques that will also be for characterisation of these materials. Initial work will require establishing the current resolution limits for the characterisation techniques. Once established, research will be conducted on the development of novel experimental methods to improve these limits. Improving the understanding of surface and interfacial phenomena in functionally gradient materials is an important step in the development of improved surfaces for numerous applications.
The project is a collaboration between CSIRO and ANSTO and the student will need to be willing to travel and work for short periods at ANSTO, Sydney. The student will need a background in experimental science with an interest in experiment design and equipment modification/construction. The student will be expected to work within a diverse team of chemists, radiochemist, chemical engineers, physicists, mathematicians.
Selected Reading
H. P. Yap, J. F. Quinn, S. M. Ng, J. Cho, F. Caruso, "Colloid Surface Engineering via Deposition of Multilayered Thin Films from Polyelectrolyte Blend Solutions" Langmuir, 21 (2005) 4328.
RS Bellur-Ramaswamy et al., "Modelling and process optimization for functionally graded materials," International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 62 (2005), 186.
JS Zabinski, AA Voevodin, "Recent developments in the design, deposition, and processing of hard coatings," Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, 16 (1998), 1890.
Key words: Functionally Gradient Materials, coatings, wear resistant, radiochemistry, nanopore architecture
