NANOMATERIALS, Carbon- and/or nitrogen-containing thin films and nanomaterials, Symposium L, E-MRS 2018 Spring Meeting, Strasbourg, France, 18 - 22 June 2018

This symposium is focused on Carbon and/or Nitrogen containing thin films and nano-materials. The objective is to provide an exchange platform for scientists, engineers and students dealing with the synthesis, characterization and application of these materials. Experimental and theoretical papers as well as industrial contributions are welcome. One of the symposium organizers is Bogdana Mitu from the National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics.

Scope:

Carbon or nitrogen containing thin films and nano-materials offer a wealth of structures based on metastable phases, nanocomposites or nanosized multilayers and low-dimensional structures which allow various properties such as optical, optoelectronic, magnetic, electrical and mechanical ones. Metastable films can consist on plasma polymers, diamond-like carbon or CNx phases while nanocomposite can be tailored by adding either metallic or non-metallic elements with various Carbon or Nitrogen affinity in amorphous or crystalline matrixes. Finally, nitride and carbon-based low-dimensional structures such as flakes, tubes,… can be functionalized by appropriate chemical functionalities to be integrated in a composite material or to be used as building part in a nanomachine. The objective of this symposium is to highlight the progresses in fundamental and applied issues related to the development of these materials and to bridge the gap between science and technology. Among others, Carbon or Nitrogen containing films or composites materials consisting on nanocrystalline particles embedded in an inorganic and/or organic matrix, including plasma polymers, will be considered. On the other hand, nanolaminated structures such as MAX-phases are also in the scope of this symposium. Finally, we also aim to address Carbon and Nitrogen based low-dimensional structures unembedded or not in a matrix.

Contributions investigating plasma composition – material structure - films property – relationships by experimental and theoretical means will be considered. The foreseen contributions will belong to one of these categories: (i) films synthesis by advanced processes, such as high power impulse magnetron sputtering, atmospheric plasma processes, and hybrid techniques, (ii) mechanical, tribological, thermal, electrical, optical, optoelectronic and magnetic properties, biomedical compatibility, and correlations between these properties and deposition parameters, structure or films’ composition, (iii) process modeling and diagnostic, surface interaction and nucleation phenomena, investigation of degradation mechanisms e.g. phase and microstructure stability under different environments and coating-substrate interdiffusion, (iv) engineering-oriented contributions including automotive, chemical, electrical, optical, magnetic/optical data storage, pharmaceutical or biomedical applications, and emerging applications as in energy systems.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Novel fabrication and synthesis routes in physical and (plasma enhanced) chemical vapor deposition.
• Advances in controlled growth of nanocomposite thin films and nanostructured materials.
• Plasma treatment and synthesis of low dimensional Nitrogen and Carbon based low dimensional structures including their characterizations.
• Diagnostics providing insight into the growth process and resulting material properties.
• Modeling of growth processes and film properties.
• Degradation mechanisms linked to phase and microstructure stability and interdiffusion.
• Multifunctional coatings with advanced applications in tribology, optics, data storage, (bio)sensing and emerging technologies.
• Development of methods for characterization of nanomaterials.
• Biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of coated materials.

List of confirmed invited speakers:

• T. Belmonte (Institut Jean Lamour, University of Lorraine, Nancy, France): Advanced processes for plasma synthesis of nanostructures.
• A. Cavaleiro (University of Coimbra, Portugal): Plasma assisted PVD processes for the fabrication of nitride and carbide functional materials.
• V. Chirita (Linköping University, Linkoping Sweden): Computational studies (DFT and MD) dedicated to thin film growth and materials properties.
• P.-L. Girard-Lauriault (McGill University, Montreal, Canada): Recent advances in Nirogen-Rich Plasma Polymer Films.
• F. Reniers (Chani, ULB, Belgium): Atmospheric pressure plasma for the synthesis of functional plasma polymer films.
• A. Manakhov (National University of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia): Multifunctional bioactive nanostructured thin films for biomedical applications.
• E. Neyts (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium): Modeling and simulating dynamic processes in reactive systems at the atomic and molecular scale.
• M. Quintana (University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico): Utilization of carbon-based nanoparticles in biomedical applications.
• E. Sardella (Instituto di Metodologie Inorganiche e dei Plasmi, CNR, Bari, Italy): Polymeric films and nanomaterials.
• A. Vladescu (National Institute for Optoelectronics, Bucharest, Romania): Multifunctional coatings with advanced applications in energy-relevant fields.

Publication:

The symposium proceedings will be published in the journal "Thin Solid Films" (Elsevier Ltd.) after a standard peer-review processing.

A brief presentation of the symposium is found on the EMRS website:
https://www.european-mrs.com/carbon-andor-nitrogen-containing-thin-films-and-nanomaterials-emrs