Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Department of Min-Met-Materials Engineering, & CHU de Québec Research Center, Laval University , Pavillon Pouliot, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada.
Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris (IRCP) , 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016 Aug 17;8(32):21020-7. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b06614. Epub 2016 Aug 4.
Incorporation of selected metallic elements into diamond-like carbon (DLC) has emerged as an innovative approach to add unique functional properties to DLC coatings, thus opening up a range of new potential applications in fields as diverse as sensors, tribology, and biomaterials. However, deposition by plasma techniques of metal-containing DLC coatings with well-defined structural properties and metal distribution is currently hindered by the limited understanding of their growth mechanisms. We report here a silver-incorporated diamond-like carbon coating (Ag-DLC) prepared in a hybrid plasma reactor which allowed independent control of the metal content and the carbon film structure and morphology. Morphological and chemical analyses of Ag-DLC films were performed by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The vertical distribution of silver from the surface toward the coating bulk was found to be highly inhomogeneous due to top surface segregation and clustering of silver nanoparticles. Two plasma parameters, the sputtered Ag flux and ion energy, were shown to influence the spatial distribution of silver particles. On the basis of these findings, a mechanism for Ag-DLC growth by plasma was proposed.
将选定的金属元素纳入类金刚石碳 (DLC) 中已成为一种创新方法，可以为 DLC 涂层添加独特的功能特性，从而在传感器、摩擦学和生物材料等各种领域开辟出一系列新的潜在应用。然而，由于对其生长机制的理解有限，目前通过等离子体技术沉积具有明确定义结构特性和金属分布的含金属 DLC 涂层受到阻碍。我们在这里报告了一种在混合等离子体反应器中制备的含银类金刚石碳涂层 (Ag-DLC)，该反应器允许独立控制金属含量和碳膜结构和形态。通过原子力显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和 X 射线光电子能谱对 Ag-DLC 薄膜进行了形貌和化学分析。发现银从表面向涂层体的垂直分布极不均匀，这是由于表面的银纳米粒子的表面偏析和团聚。两个等离子体参数，即溅射的 Ag 通量和离子能量，被证明会影响银颗粒的空间分布。基于这些发现，提出了一种通过等离子体生长 Ag-DLC 的机制。
