US-Sweden Planning Visit on Nanostructured Thin Films and Applications to Data Storage Industry

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

0432493 Broitman This award will partially support Dr. Esteban D. Broitman (from Carnegie Mellon University, PA) to visit Dr. Lars Hultman, Director of the Thin Film Division, Department of Physics and Measurements Technology at Linkoping University (Sweden). The objective of the visit is to carry out experiments and submit a cooperative research proposal on nanostructured carbon nitride thin films. The proposed research program is intended to provide the scientific underpinning that is needed to support the development of new protective overcoats for the data storage industry. Linkoping University has offered to share the expenses by providing the tickets for the trip from Pittsburgh (USA) to Linkoping (Sweden). The proposed research program explores some of the fundamental scientific issues that must be understood in order to propose the use of nanostructured fullerene-like carbon nitride (fl-CNX) films as overcoats for disks. This new class of material, discovered by Dr. Hultman's group, consists of sp2-coordinated basal planes that are buckled from the incorporation of pentagons and cross-linked at sp3-hybridized C sites, both of which are caused by structural incorporation of nitrogen. The orientation, radius of curvature of the basal planes, and the degree of crosslinking between them defines the unique structure and mechanical properties of the material. The current research program is a university-industry collaboration that will develop the physico-chemical understanding of the properties of lubricant films deposited on fl-CNX overcoats. The adsorption of fluorinated ethers and alcohols with fl-CNX films will be studied in order to understand the bonding of perfluoropolyalkylether (PFPE) lubricants with fl-CNX surfaces. Finally, the surface chemistry and surface properties of PFPE lubricants themselves will be studied on fl-CNX surfaces. The impact of the proposed project extends quite broadly beyond the development of a fundamental understanding of the science underlying use of fl-CNX overcoats. The proposed research will have a direct impact on the technology itself and the PI's connections with the data storage industry will enable the results of the work to be directly disseminated to the scientists and engineers within the data storage industry who will transfer this technology to the commercial sector. The successful development of this overcoat will help the U.S. data storage industry to maintain its leadership position in an extremely competitive sector.