title: Controlled Distribution and Clustering of Silver in Ag-DLC Nanocomposite Coatings Using a Hybrid Plasma Approach.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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.|Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, F-75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cloutier
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Spectroscopie Electronique (LISE), University of Namur , 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Busby
authors.affiliation: Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris (IRCP) , 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatoulian
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Spectroscopie Electronique (LISE), University of Namur , 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: J-J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pireaux
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mantovani
keywords: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; clustering; diamond-like carbon; plasma deposition; segregation; silver