Key research themes
1. How can electrospray deposition achieve controlled, thickness-limited coatings on complex 3D substrates?
This research area investigates the fundamental parameters and mechanisms enabling electrospray deposition (ESD) to deliver uniform, self-limited film thickness with high spatial control on complex three-dimensional targets. Achieving thickness-limited films that conformally cover conducting surfaces without over-deposition or charge buildup is critical for applications in additive manufacturing, biomedical coatings, and functional device surface modification. Understanding how solution properties, ambient conditions, and electrostatic fields influence deposition efficiency and thickness limits drives optimization of ESD for scalable, uniform 3D coatings.
2. What are the mechanisms and modeling approaches linking particle adsorption kinetics to composite electrodeposition efficiency and microstructure?
This theme focuses on the mechanistic understanding and kinetic modeling of composite coatings electrodeposition, particularly how dispersed particles adsorb irreversibly on a growing metallic matrix and how this affects composite content and film morphology. It is fundamental for optimizing codeposition processes and designing coatings with enhanced functional properties (e.g., wear resistance, catalytic activity). Addressing assumptions of reversibility in adsorption models, quantifying electrophoretic mobility effects, and coupling electrochemical kinetics with colloidal phenomena enable more accurate predictive frameworks.
3. How do deposition parameters and process designs influence thin film morphology and structure in plasma-enhanced and oblique angle vapor deposition techniques?
This theme covers the influence of physical vapor deposition parameters, including ion energy flux, substrate temperature, angular deposition geometry, and plasma involvement, on thin film microstructure formation, porosity, texture, and anisotropy. It encompasses classic and extended structure zone diagrams (SZDs) that map relationships between deposition conditions and microstructures, as well as oblique angle deposition methods enabling nanostructured porous films with functional device applications. Understanding these relationships is essential to design films with tailored properties for catalysis, optics, sensing, and energy devices.