Thin Film Coatings

Thin film coatings are used to protect or enhance the performance of surfaces in a vast array of applicaitions. The desired augmentation may include heat transfer, optical properties, wear resistance, friction coefficient, electrical conductivity, etc. While their effectiveness largely depends on the coatings physio-chemistry, their lifetime is usually governed by surface interactions where the mechanics are still largely misunderstood.

The PFTL conducts experiments and modeling to explore thin film performance not only in the ideal case, but as the coating degrades over time. This is with the specific goal of optimizing thin film performance over a longer lifetime.