The 11th Global Conference on Polymer and Composite Materials (PCM 2024)

Abstract: During the last three decades, carbon-based composite coatings have enjoyed a growing interest in several industrial applications. By tuning the carbon sp3-to-sp2 atomic bonding ratio and by alloying the carbon with other elements, the researchers have been able to tailor unique physical, mechanical, and tribological composite properties in order to satisfy an increased technological demand.
In the first part of the talk, we will show how carbon-based composite coatings can be deposited at industrial scale onto steel bearings using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (PACVD) techniques at low temperatures. The main deposition methods will be reviewed.
In the second part of the talk, we will explain how is possible to deposit films with different amount of sp2-sp3 bonding ratios by just changing fundamental deposition parameters, leading to six different microstructures: graphite, non-hydrogenated a-C (amorphous) and ta-C (tetrahedral) carbon coatings, hydrogenated a-C:H and ta-C:H films, and soft polymeric coatings. Furthermore, the mechanical and tribological properties of the different microstructures will be discussed.
In the last part of the talk, we will describe the main applications of SKF’s NoWear® carbon-based composite coated bearings to extend maintenance and life expectancy of specialized bearings in the wind-energy area.

Biography: Esteban Broitman holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), and a Docent (Habilitation) degree in Tribology from Linköping University (Sweden). He has been doing research and teaching at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), The College of William & Mary (USA), Carnegie Mellon University (USA), Linköping University (Sweden), and Invited Professor at University of Sao Pablo (Brazil), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS - China). He is presently a Senior Scientist in the area of Coatings at the SKF Research and Technology Development Center in Netherlands. He has published more than 200 per-reviewed articles and book chapters, and presented numerous Plenary, Keynote and Invited Lectures. His activities focus on the use of advanced surface engineering to control friction and wear at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales of coatings like DLC, nanocomposites, and softer materials like soft metals and polymers.