Functional nanoparticle Coatings

摘要

In-vacuum generation and deposition of nanoparticles can provide enhancement to traditional thin film deposition techniques. Traditional thin film deposition in vacuum utilizes an evaporation, or sputter process that forms a two dimensional thin film. In the case of nanoparticle deposition, three dimensional nanoparticle crystals are formed via a high pressure sputtering process that occurs in a dedicated aggregation zone. Through the process the nanoparticles are thermalized and charged. They exit the aggregation zone towards the substrate as a controllable beam. The resulting coating is a not a traditional thin film, but a three dimensional material consisting of deposited nanoparticles. Significant differences in the properties of these materials arise including greatly increased surface area and increased chemical reactivity. Because the nanoparticles are charged they can be measured and their kinetic energy may be controlled. This paper describes the technique as well as resulting material properties. Specific examples will be described as well as new nanoparticle structures such as core/shell materials enabled by this advanced technique. Finally the scalability of the process for industrial applications will be discussed.