Cathodic corrosion is a process that etches metal electrodes under cathodic polarization. This process is presumed to occur through anionic metallic reaction intermediates, but the exact nature of these intermediates and the onset potential of their formation is unknown. Here we determine the onset potential of cathodic corrosion on platinum electrodes. Electrodes are characterized electrochemi...

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C ) is a potential low-cost substitute for diamond in certain applications, but little is known of the temperature range over which its desirable properties are retained. The thermal stability of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C ) films has been investigated by heat treatment of the films at temperatures from room temperature to 450°C in high vacuum, low vacuu...

ii The cover image is based on a photograph of arc spots moving on the surface of a Ti cathode, taken during the first experimental session in our new PVD research system, Hydra. The explosive plasma generation in the arc spots is central to the cathodic arc deposition technique, studied and used extensively for synthesis in the Thesis. Abstract This Thesis explores the arc deposition process a...

Achieving a high growth rate is paramount for making large-area transparent conducting oxide coatings at a low cost. Unfortunately, the quality of thin films grown by most techniques degrades as the growth rate increases. Filtered dc cathodic arc is a lesser known technique which produces a stream of highly ionized plasma, in stark contrast to the neutral atoms produced by standard sputter sour...

The properties of nitrogen doped tetrahedral amorphous carbon films prepared by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique have been studied. The doping species, nitrogen ions, were produced by an ion beam source. The nitrogen flow rate was varied from 0.5 to 10 sccm while keeping other deposition conditions constant. The nitrogen content in deposited films was determined by Rutherford backscat...

Surface modification of titanium for use in orthopedics has been explored for years; however, an ideal method of integrating titanium with native bone is still required to this day. Since human bone cells directly interact with nanostructured extracellular matrices, one of the most promising methods of improving titanium's osseointegration involves inducing bio-mimetic nanotopography to enhance...

Nitrogen-doped tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C :N) films were deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique using nitrogen as a background gas. The structure of the ta-C :N films was studied with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy in terms of nitrogen flow rate used during the film deposition. Potential windows of the films measured in deaerated and un...

The evolution of corrosion morphology and kinetics for magnesium (Mg) have been demonstrated to be influenced by cathodic activation, which implies that the rate of the cathodic partial reaction is enhanced as a result of anodic dissolution. This phenomenon was recently demonstrated to be moderated by the use of arsenic (As) alloying as a poison for the cathodic reaction, leading to significant...