Experimental and Computational Synthesis of TiO Sol-Gel Coatings.

During the experimental formation of sol-gel coatings, the colloid dispersions go through a drying process, and the structure of the coatings is formed as a result of complex chemical, colloidal, and capillary interactions. While computer simulations provide guidelines to tune and even design the nanomaterials synthesis, simulations of coating structure formation are hitherto unknown in the literature. Based on real experiments, we establish here a ReaxFF reactive force field-based molecular dynamics simulation protocol in order to investigate and determine the role of the experimental conditions on the pore structure formation in the coatings.

XPS depth profiling of nano-layers by a novel trial-and-error evaluation procedure.

In spite of its superior chemical sensitivity, XPS depth profiling is rarely used because of the alteration introduced by the sputter removal process and the resulting inhomogeneous in-depth concentration distribution. Moreover, the application of XPS becomes increasingly challenging in the case of the analysis of thin layers, if the thickness is in the range of 2-3 inelastic mean free paths (IMFP) of the photoelectrons. In this paper we will show that even in these unfavorable cases the XPS depth profiling is applicable.

Tungsten Carbide Nanolayer Formation by Ion Beam Mixing with Argon and Xenon Ions for Applications as Protective Coatings.

A novel nanolayer is formed by means of ion irradiation applicable as protective coating. Tungsten carbide (WC)-rich nanolayers were produced at room temperature by applying ion beam mixing of various carbon/tungsten (C/W) multilayer structures using argon and xenon ions with energy in the range of 40-120 keV and fluences between 0.25 and 3 × 10 ions/cm.