Conference - Keynote

 

1. Energy-assisted coatings and their applications

John S Colligon
Dalton Research Institute,
Manchester Metropolitan University,
Chester Street,
Manchester M1 5GD, UK
 

Abstract – Keynote speech

Surface coatings provide important flexibility to the design of a component as the designer can choose a material for its bulk properties and then provide a top layer that, not only, protects the surface against the working environment, but also can tailor the product to provide optimum working properties. Recent developments in the use of physical vapour deposition processes, which provide the engineering and aircraft industry with high performance finishing layers, will be reviewed. The latest methods, including pulsed magnetron sputtering and High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) combine deposition with some form of energy-assisted bombardment (usually by ions). This produces coatings with improved adhesion, provides some control in the nucleation and growth process to create denser coatings and can produce micro- and nano-structural features which could not be otherwise be formed in a controlled way. Such coatings can withstand high temperatures, harsh environments, provide low-friction and can have low wear rates. Over the last decade some of the nanocomposite coatings have been shown to be extremely hard with hardness values (H) approaching that of diamond. However, more recently, it has been seen that durable and ductile coatings provide surfaces which survive erosion and wear better. The ratio of H to Young’s Modulus (E) for a material appears to be a useful guide of the durability of a material (many authors have suggested H multiplied by the square of H/E gives the best correlation). Accurate measurement of H and E for a coating-substrate combination can be time-consuming and it is suggested that a simpler indication of durability from the critical load in a scratch test could be a useful starting point when selecting new coating-substrate systems.
MAX phase materials which are stable at temperatures in excess of 1000oC will be described. These are layered materials with chemical formula M2n A-Xn where M is a transition Metal, A an element from the A group in the periodic table and X is either C or N. Ti2SiC and Ti3SiC2 are just two of the many MAX phase materials.

The review will conclude by discussing some of the remaining challenges which include (1) how to produce the MAX phase coating without overheating the substrate, (2) how to coat the inside of cavities and tubes (3) to be aware of and control impurity levels which can seriously influence nucleation and growth of nanostructured coatings.


Biography

Professor John S Colligon (BEng PhD CEng FIEE CPhys FInstP)

Professor Colligon obtained a BEng (electronics) first class honours degree at the University of Liverpool, UK, in 1958 and a PhD at the same university in 1962 on the subject “Sorption of activated inert gases by metals”. From 1961-8 he worked at The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, UK before moving to the University of Salford and, recently, to Manchester Metropolitan University where he heads the Surface Coatings and Characterisation Research Group.

Throughout his career he has studied ion-surface interactions, both for modification of surfaces and for surface analysis. He co-authored the first textbook reviewing this field in 1968 (Ion Bombardment of Solids, Heinemann, London) which served as a major reference work in this field for many years. In the 1970’s he developed the new coating method, known as Dynamic Recoil Mixing, in which atoms deposited on a surface are also bombarded by energetic ions (a process now known as ion-assisted deposition). In 1998 he was made a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society for his pioneering work in this field. His work has led to over 100 publications in scientific journals and a similar number of conference presentations.

Recent studies have concentrated on applications of the ion-assisted method to produce thin films with modified biomedical, corrosion-resistant, mechanical, optical and wear-resistant properties.

In addition to his research studies, Professor Colligon has been active on many National and International committees. He was a member of the Council of the Institute of Physics and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee from 2007-2010. He is founder and series Chair of the European Vacuum Conference series, which had its 11th meeting in Salamanca in 2010. From 1989-1998 he served for three consecutive terms as Secretary General of the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA). He is Editor for Great Britain of the Elsevier Journal Vacuum and has been associated with that journal since 1980.

 

2. Nano-structured multi-functional composite coatings and their applications

X. T. Zeng
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology,
71 Nanyang Drive,
Singapore 638075

Abstract – Keynote speech

Surface engineering for nanocomposite coatings is offering a significant impact on product performance and quality because of their unique material properties and integrated multiple functionalities through nano-structuring and engineering. Such coatings containing nano-sized multi-phases in composition and multi- or nano-layers in structure render substantially improved mechanical, chemical, tribological and optical properties as well as additional functions such as anti-sticking, self-lubricating, easy-to-clean or self-cleaning, corrosion and oxidation resistance, heat insulating and environment- and bio-compatibility.

In this presentation, nano-phased hybrid multi-functional coating materials and deposition processes will be reviewed based on our research work in surface engineering using physical vapour deposition, sol-gel and electro-chemical process technologies. Case studies in coating design, material selection and deposition processes will be shared and discussed for applications in aerospace, precision engineering, automotive and construction industries, with emphasis on PVD composite coatings for high temperature wear and oxidation protection and sol gel based hybrid composite coatings for heat insulation and corrosion protection.


Biography

Dr. Zeng Xianting is a Senior Scientist of the Surface Technology Group of Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech). He received his PhD degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has been working in the field of thin films and surface coatings as well as functional materials for more than 20 years. His current research interests include development of hybrid nanocomposite coatings for wear and corrosion protection and other functionalities as well as thin film devices using PVD/CVD, and sol gel process. Dr Zeng has completed many research and industrial development projects under various funding support. He has published extensively on thin films and surface coating materials and other research topics with more than 200 refereed journal and conference papers, three book chapters and six patents. As an active player in the field, he serves on numerous organising committees responsible for international conferences or workshops as well as expert panels for various thematic or strategic research programmes.

 

3. Nano-structured surfaces for bio-medical applications

Sandro Carrara
EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Lausanne (CH)

Abstract – Keynote speech

In more recent years, nanotechnology plays an increased role in improving surface properties in bio-medical applications. Old problems like biocompatibility and specific recognition are now addressed by using new nano-structured materials. New Ethylene-glycol nano-layers self-assembled onto gold surfaces have been proposed to enhance specific surface recognition in surface-plasmon resonance biosensors, as well as to improve time stability and detection reliability in capacitance-based electrochemical biosensors. Film properties improve because the ethylene-glycol chains behave, at the nano-scale, as water stabilizers, as envisaged by molecular dynamics. The aim of this keynote talk is to review all the most recent research findings demonstrating that these new ethylene-glycol self-assembled monolayers are an absolute break- through for many biomedical applications, especially in molecular diagnostics. Highly-ordered ethylene-glycol monolayers are now proposed for applications in DNA and cancer markers nano- bio-sensing by means of fully-electronics readers. The improved detection reliability in terms of increased specificity, reliability, and time stability of the acquired electrical signals is definitely related to the films structure that the nanoscale onto both gold and silicon surfaces.


Biography

Sandro Carrara graduated in physics from the University of Genoa, Italy, in 1990 and received the Ph.D. degree in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of Padoa, Italy, in 1998. He is Senior Research Scientist in the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Professor of Nano-bio-sensing and micro/nano interfaces at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Biophysics (DIBE) of the University of Genoa. He was Professor in biophysics in University of Genoa and Professor of Nanobiotechnology in University of Bologna. His research interests are interdisciplinary including areas in biophysics, nanotechnology, electronic engineering, circuits and system design, and system integration. He has published more than 70 papers, and several book chapters. He won several prices for best contributions in several international conferences. He was a member of the User Committee of the ELETTRA Synchrotron, and scientific leader of a National Research Program in the field of nanotechnology. He is chair of special sessions in several IEEE international conferences. He is an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, and of the IEEE Sensors Journal. He also is referee of more than 10 international journals in the field of nano-bio-sensing.