“TANDEM”

Thick, adherent stress-free DLC coatings for demanding applications

    The main goal of the project is to develop a new generation of well-adherent and hard diamond-like carbon coatings (DLC) with good temperature stability. These coatings will combine high hardness (>40 GPa), smooth surface and low internal stress, allowing the deposition of adherent thick coatings (min. 3 μm) on metal parts with complex geometries. Both H-free and low-hydrogen content DLC coatings with improved temperature stability will be developed.

   The key to control the intrinsic stresses is the energy and composition of the species forming the coating. In the project, we utilize High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering to provide highly ionized flux of carbon with controlled energy.

    TANDEM addresses the whole chain from the synthesis of a coating to the end applications. To realize the full potential of the TANDEM coatings, we will:

DLC are characterized according to the sp2/sp3 ratio and H content. TANDEM aims at materials with high sp3 and low hydrogen content

  • Demonstrate the scalability of the novel deposition process.
  • Test the performance of the hard stress-free DLC coatings on components under real operating conditions.
  • Upcoming Events

    -Annual meeting