Nanocomposite materials as a special class of nanostructured materials have recently attracted great interest due to their extraordinary mechanical properties as well as thermal stability and oxidation resistance. The unique structure and exceptional properties make nanocomposite materials a possible alternative to traditional polycrystalline materials, which have met their limits in many recent engineering applications. In particular, nanocomposite coatings synthesized by plasma-assisted deposition processes under highly non-equilibrium conditions provide a high potential for new applications as protective and functional coatings in automotive, aerospace, tooling, electronic, or manufacturing industry.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis of Si-containing hard nanocomposite coatings based on transition metal nitrides by plasma-based thin film processing. It demonstrates the full versatility of these nanocomposites for low Si-containing coatings tailored with superior mechanical properties and novel high Si-containing nanocomposite coatings with extraordinary thermal stability and resistance against oxidation optimized for high-temperature applications. It pays special attention to understanding growth mechanisms of these structures under specific deposition conditions, structure-property relations, and stability of individual constituents to enhance their functionality for various applications.
Rostislav Daniel is associate professor at the Department of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Testing, University of Leoben, Austria. He received his MSc in applied sciences and computer engineering, applied physics and physical engineering and PhD in applied sciences and computer engineering, plasma physics and physics of thin films at the University of West Bohemia. His main research areas are plasma physics and physics of thin films, synthesis of advanced hard nanocrystalline and nanocomposite thin films of optimized structures and physical properties, advanced structural characterization of solids, characterization of mechanical properties of thin films and bulk solids, measurements of residual stresses in thin films by optical and x-ray diffraction techniques, investigations of thermo-mechanical properties of thin films and bulk solids, study of thermal stability and oxidation resistance of thin films and bulk solids, and coating design and architecture.
Jindřich Musil is professor of applied physics at the University of West Bohemia, Plzeň, Czech Republic. He received his MSc in electrical engineering at the Military Technical University, Brno, Czech Republic; PhD in physics and mathematics at Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; and DSc in physics and mathematics at Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. His main research areas are electromagnetic field, propagation of electromagnetic waves, microwave plasma discharges, plasma physics, thermonuclear fusion, lasers, plasma chemistry and physics of thin films, PVD and PACVD of thin films, high-rate pulsed reactive magnetron sputtering, and development of new technological processes and advanced systems for synthesis of novel hard and functional nanocomposite coatings.
