Nanocomposite coatings composed of two phases with atomically sharp phase boundaries, show interesting mechanical properties. These properties are often originating from their high interface to volume ratio. Composites of nanocrystalline titanium nitride (TiN) grains surrounded by a one to two monolayer thick interlayer of silicon nitride (Si3N4) show an enhanced nanohardness. The central theme...

An insulator-metal-insulator plasmonic interconnect using TiN, a CMOS-compatible material, is proposed and investigated experimentally at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.55 µm. The TiN waveguide was shown to obtain propagation losses less than 0.8 dB/mm with a mode size of 9.8 µm on sapphire, which agree well with theoretical predictions. A theoretical analysis of a solid-state structure ...

Hip resurfacing is gaining popularity as an acceptable treatment option for young active patients with hip osteoarthritis. The Buechel-Pappas hip resurfacing system has a titanium alloy femoral and acetabular component with a polyethylene liner. The titanium nitride coating of the femoral component has been shown to have a very low wear rate during in vivo laboratory studies. Although it has be...

Since the end of the nineteenth century, automated root canal instrumentation has been available, but systems had many problems. The challenges of increased canal blockage, instrument breakage, and insufficient canal debridement were related to the use of stainless steel instruments and have been dramatically improved with the introduction of nickel-titanium (NiTi) files. The first useable NiTi...