Nanocomposite Coatings

Nanotechnology and Multifunctional Coatings: The 21st century has seen a convergence of nanotechnology and thin-film coatings. Nanocomposite coatings, with nanoscale materials embedded, have become a focus for enhanced properties. Multifunctional coatings have gained significant attention, offering a combination of properties such as self-cleaning, anti-bacterial, and enhanced mechanical properties. United Protective Technologies, LLC (Ref. 3), has expanded the technology of thin film coatings by using custom-engineered reactors, along with low-temperature application strategies, to produce coatings that reduce friction. These coatings often reduce friction by more than 50 percent and increase wear resistance by orders of magnitude. The low process temperature used to apply these coatings means that the heat treatment done to most gears before placing them in service is not affected by this application process, allowing it to be the final production step before placing a component in service. Figure 1 shows the basic structure of a nanocomposite coating. The image displayed shows the layered coating, adhesion layer, and substrate, revealed by the process described in ISO 26423 (Ref. 4). A 15 mm diameter steel ball, using diamond paste as an abrasive, is used to grind through the coating to expose a section used to make a thickness measurement. Different coating systems have different layers and can have different layer mechanical properties and chemical compositions.