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Note: For more information on the NFC coating, contact Don Knight (OTT) at ext. 2-6128 or dknight@anl.gov.
Four years and more than 3,000 phone calls and e-mail contacts later, Argonne's "Near-Frictionless Carbon" (NFC) coating stands on the brink of commercialization.
A flurry of calls from just about every engineer who works with moving parts followed the announcement in 1997 of a new coating with the lowest coefficient of friction ever measured.
Not only is the material slick, it's extremely wear-resistant. A sample of the coating on a sapphire substrate, placed in a standard testing machine, survived 17.5 million passes of a steel ball pressed against its surface. After 32 days, the testing machine failed, but the steel ball had left only a barely visible track on the shiny black coating. Publicity about the coating led to a flurry of calls from engineers across the country, who wanted to test the coating on everything from artificial-hip sockets to rocket-sled rails.
The development led to R&D 100 and Discover awards, invited talks and invitations for keynote speeches for materials scientist Ali Erdemir (ET), and national recognition for Argonne and its tribology program.
But as the initial clamor died down, Erdemir and his fellow tribologists (scientists who study lubrication and friction) John Woodford, Layo Ajayi and George Fenske (all in ET's Tribology Section) turned their efforts to learning how the coating worked -- and converting the laboratory curiosity into something industry could use.
"Turning the coating into an engineering application was not that straightforward," Erdemir said. "When you venture into specific applications, you have to be able to tailor the material to very specific conditions. We needed to figure out how something like this works and under what conditions it works."
Dozens of companies sent parts to be coated and tested for applications such as diesel fuel systems, bearings, manufacturing equipment and compressors. The coating performed well on many of these parts.
"Companies liked the coating, and then they'd ask how we could coat 100,000 parts per year," Erdemir said. "With the original lab equipment, we could coat a few tens of small pieces. But for the coating to be commercially viable, you have to process parts by the hundreds, if not thousands. That was the biggest stumbling block."
Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer secured a cooperative research and development agreement with CemeCon USA, a subsidiary of a CemeCon Germany, which makes industrial coating systems. CemeCon provided one of their best coating systems to Argonne, where it is being adapted to produce the NFC coating.
"It's the Cadillac of coating systems," Erdemir said. "We can coat hundreds of small parts per day."
Although Argonne's tribology group is able to produce the NFC coating and adapt it to various industrial uses, it wasn't until very recently that they began to understand why the stuff is so hard and slick. The answer seems to be that the carbon atoms in the coating are benefiting from an overdose of hydrogen.
Carbon bonds
NFC coating is made in a plasma chamber. Parts to be coated are mounted on a fixture that sits on a rotating table inside. Air is pumped out of the sealed chamber, which is then refilled with a mixture of hydrocarbon gases, such as methane. High voltage creates intense plasma around the parts, breaking apart the methane molecules into its constituent carbon and hydrogen, which begins to coat the parts.
The ability of carbon atoms to bond in many ways is both a blessing and a curse. It allows for exotic forms like "buckyballs" and "nanotubes," but can be a nuisance when friction is a problem. When two surfaces with regular carbon coatings come in contact, for example, carbon atoms from each surface bond at the contact point. The relative motion of the surfaces then rips bonded atoms from each surface, causing high friction and wear.
In the NFC coating, the carbon atoms lie down in flat layers, just like a conventional carbon coating. However, due to the hydrogen-rich mix of gasses in the chamber, any available bond on the coating surface may attract a hydrogen atom. Erdemir believes the hydrogen atom loses its electron to the carbon atom's outer shell, leaving the positively charged hydrogen nucleus exposed. Some carbon atoms could even support two hydrogen atoms.
This may explain the super-slick properties of the coating, especially when two NFC-coated parts come in contact: The hydrogen atoms' positive charges repel each other. The surfaces are essentially gliding past each other on magnetic cushions.
"No matter how hard you press them together, there is a repulsive force overcoming the 'sticktion,'" Erdemir said.
And since the hydrogen-carbon bond is extremely strong, more so than even a carbon-carbon bond, the surface is highly wear-resistant.
The tribology group is planning to use scanning tunneling microscopy -- a technique capable of resolving individual atoms -- to study the coating's atomic structure directly and confirm his hypothesis. The group also plans to use Argonne's Advanced Photon Source and Intense Pulsed Neutron Source to study NFC's microstructure and chemical bonding.
For more information on the NFC coating, contact Don Knight (OTT) at ext. 2-6128 or dknight@anl.gov.
-- Dave Jacqué
U.S. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. challenged Argonne and Department of Energy employees to help him "build a more perfect union" during a visit to Argonne-East Wednesday, April 3.
In a speech given in Argonne-East's Building 402 Conference Center, Jackson said, "We have a goal to enhance the quality and longevity of life," adding that work done by Argonne scientists will help reach that goal.
For 250 years, Jackson said, our nation has been on a great experiment to pursue the proposition outlined in the Declaration of Independence, that all men and women are created equal and have inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
"But if we were all created equal," he said, "then we should all be healthy, and some of us should not be dying of ovarian cancer or testicular cancer. The people who believe in that proposition, we try to address these inequalities."
"I want to live longer than the Queen Mum," Jackson said. "We should all be able to live to be 100 years old."
But to reach that goal and fulfill the purpose of our nation, Jackson said, we need better educated students and more of those students to become scientists. "Our high schools, colleges and elementary schools are not preparing enough future scientists."
To improve education for children around the country, Jackson believes it's necessary for the federal government to take responsibility for public education -- a responsibility that currently falls to each of the 50 states to decide as they see fit.
"I want to add an amendment to the Constitution that says all citizens shall enjoy the right to a public education of equal high quality," Jackson said. "Argonne, let's build a more perfect union together."
Jackson's visit was sponsored by the Department of Energy's Chicago Operations Office Unity Council. Jackson represents Illinois District 2 and has served in Congress since 1995.
-- Donna Jones Pelkie
Results and lessons learned from safety assessments of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants were the topics when more than 150 nuclear safety experts from 10 nations gathered April 8-12 in Kiev, Ukraine, at a meeting Argonne helped organize.
Informally called " Forum-6," the meeting's official title is "Safety Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants of VVER and RBMK Type." VVERs are Soviet-designed pressurized-water reactors. RBMK reactors, such as Chernobyl, have graphite cores.
"The meeting's goal is to promote information exchange among the operators of commercial nuclear power plants in former Soviet nations," said Mark Petri (RAE). Argonne is helping organize the meeting, which is hosted by the Ukrainian International Nuclear Safety Center in cooperation with Kiev State University.
Under the Soviet Union, Petri explained, plant safety was the responsibility of organizations in Moscow, not the plants themselves. As a result, there was little communication among plant operators.
"After the U.S.S.R. broke up," he said, "many plants lost their nuclear experts as Russian-trained nuclear engineers went home. This made knowledgeable safety communication among plant operators even more difficult."
Holding the meeting in Kiev calls attention to the continued growth of International Nuclear Safety Centers (INSCs) in the United States and former-Soviet nations, said Argonne's Jeffrey Binder (RAE). Binder manages the United States' INSC, which is headquartered at Argonne-East.
The U.S. and Russian INSCs were the first, founded in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Centers now exist in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian center is the newest," said Binder. "Holding the meeting in Kiev is a way to welcome Ukraine into the community. This is the sixth annual meeting, and the first one held outside Russia."
In addition to helping organize the conference, Argonne assists former Soviet nations in assessing the safety of their commercial nuclear power plants, identifying possible vulnerabilities and developing programs to mitigate them.
Forum-6 is sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. More information about the conference is available online.
Since 1992, Argonne has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to transfer knowledge and technology to former Soviet nations to improve the safety of their commercial nuclear power plants to meet internationally accepted standards.
The Advanced Photon Source has been reorganized to enable future growth and enlargement of its scientific and technological impact.
"The APS is at an exciting but challenging juncture," said Associate Laboratory Director J. Murray Gibson. "We must focus more of our activities on facilitating user science. We want to be the most productive light source in the world. I take my hat off to our people who have built, innovate and operate APS, for putting us in a wonderful position to reach this goal in the next few years."
Other driving forces for change were budget challenges and a recent review by the Department of Energy. The review praised the APS machine performance but emphasized the need for attention to user science. Budget pressures unfortunately forced a reduction in staffing levels, especially in accelerator support.
Development of the successful Low-Energy Undulator Test Line has been curtailed to redirect resources to machine enhancements and user support. APS remains involved in fourth-generation light source development as a major partner in the Linac Coherent Light Source project at Stanford.
"With these changes behind us, I am confident not only that we will be more effective in our primary mission, but also that we will see future budget growth," said Gibson.
The number of divisions within APS has been reduced by one. The three remaining divisions are roughly equally sized -- the Accelerator Systems Division (ASD), the APS Operations Division (AOD) and the Experimental Facilities Division (XFD).
The former User Program Division has been removed, with the User Administration and Beamline Controls groups transferred to AOD, and the X-ray Physics, Optics Fabrication and Metrology groups transferred to XFD.
A new Collaborative Access Team (CAT) Operations Support group has been created in AOD.
Within XFD the four groups representing the Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation CAT have been combined under a new associate division director position, which will be filled after an international search.
Some other groups were removed and consolidated. For instance, all computer support APS-wide is now combined under one group in AOD.
Dennis Mills has accepted the position of deputy associate laboratory director.
"I am delighted to have someone of Denny's experience and wisdom to advise and help me, as part of the senior management team with the division directors and myself at APS," said Gibson.
These changes will free up resources to support the users. A two-day retreat will be held in May, when approximately 50 users and 50 APS staff will discuss APS strategic plans.
More information can be found at the APS Web site.
Beginning Monday, April 15, the Argonne/University of Chicago Shuttle will operate on an extended schedule. The route and stops will remain the same.
More information on the Argonne/University of Chicago Shuttle service is available online; see "On the Web," below.
Questions or comments about the expanded schedule should be directed to the university's Diana Jergovic at jergovic@uchicago .edu.
| Schedule | |
| Leave university | Arrive ANL |
| 7:15 a.m. | 8 a.m. |
| 9:45 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. |
| 11:45 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| 1:45 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. |
| 3:45 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. |
| Leave ANL | Arrive university |
| 8:15 a.m. | 9:30 a.m. |
| 10:45 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 12:45 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. |
| 2:45 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. |
| 5:15 p.m. | 6:15 p.m. |
The Argonne Club Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament will begin Monday, June 3.
The tournament is open to Argonne and DOE employees of any skill level. Games are played at lunch time at the outdoor basketball court in Argonne-East's 600 area. Partial teams and individuals are welcome.
For the tournament's 10th anniversary, an all-star team is being assembled, comprising both recent players and those who were part of the tournament when it began in 1993.
Deadline for registration is Friday, May 17. To register, call Johnny Reed (PFS) at ext. 2-7987, Leon Reed (HEP) at ext. 2-4478 or Mike Bubulka (OSS) at ext. 2-7519.
The winners of Argonne's Rube Goldberg Machine contest for Chicago-area high schools will receive their first-place trophy and demonstrate their winning machine at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 25, in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
Plainfield High School defeated 10 other Chicago-area high schools at Navy Pier Feb. 15 by building the best, most-reliable machine to secure, raise and wave a national flag in 20 or more steps.
Plainfield will compete for the 2002 Illinois state championship against five other Illinois high schools Saturday, May 4, at the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. Plainfield was Illinois state champion in 2000 and 2001.
Argonne's Division of Educational Programs and Office of Public Affairs sponsored the February contest in collaboration with the Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University. The Illinois state championship is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois, Urbana. Both contests are licensed by Rube Goldberg Inc.
Argonne Credit Union members elected four new board members to replace retiring directors at the 2002 annual membership meeting.
The current Argonne Credit Union board of directors includes Vice Chairman James Miller, Treasurer Dennis Hennebry (PFS), Donald Krok, William Vroman (RPS), David Poyer (DIS), James Radke (PFS) and Alice Strelau. Dee Wernette, Bonnie Dixon (MCS), Board Secretary Timothy Klosowski, Credit Union President and CEO Marite Plume, Edy Haus (OCF-PRO) and Board Chair Bradford Stacy (AOD).
Newly elected Board Chairman Bradford Stacy (AOD) said he plans to work closely with the new board and management to address membership growth, advancing technology and facilities needs.
The credit union has more than $130 million in assets and 12,000 members. It offers a complete range of financial services to employees and family members who work at Argonne-East, Argonne-West and Fermilab.
The Argonne Credit Union's "First Time Home Buyer Workshop" can help house hunters figure out how much house they will be able to afford and how to determine the best type of mortgage.
Participants will also learn about credit reports and the loan application process.
The workshop will be held at the Lisle/Naperville Hilton Hotel Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. To reserve a seat, call ext. 2-5800.
Tickets for a concert by Czech Nonet will be sold in the Building 213 Cafeteria Lobby the week of April 15 from noon to 1 p.m. Admission to the concert is $20.
The ensemble will perform at Argonne-East's Building 402 Conference Center 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21.
Information on the concert and details on security procedures are posted on the Arts at Argonne Web site.
Special dinner
A special dinner will be served in the Argonne Guest House the evening of the concert from 5-7 p.m. Cost is $23.45 per person. For reservations, call (630) 739-6000.
Eric Seaborg, son of Nobel Laureate Glenn Seaborg, will speak on his father's "Adventures in the Atomic Age" at a Director's Special Colloquium Tuesday, April 16, starting at 2 p.m. in the Building 402 Conference Center.
Eric Seaborg will discuss the choices, timing and circumstances that led to his father's success, discuss his father's encounters with U.S. presidents and share some personal insights. Eric Seaborg collaborated with his father on his recently published autobiography, "Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington."
A chemist, Glenn Seaborg worked on the Manhattan Project, and served for a decade as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. He won a Nobel Prize for the discovery of plutonium and other elements -- including seaborgium -- and advised presidents from Harry S. Truman to George H. W. Bush.
Colloquium to honor Asbury
A Director's Special Colloquium in memory of Joseph Asbury, former deputy to the Argonne director, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Argonne-East's Building 402 Auditorium.
Speaker will be John H. (Jack) Gibbons, president of Resource Strategies and former science advisor to the president. He will speak on "Global Science and Technology Challenges for the 21st Century."
