TRR 87 Pulsed High Power Plasmas

 

Pulsed High-Power Plasmas for the Synthesis of Nano-Structural Functional Layers

RWTH participant: Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV)

Plasma technology is used in many technical areas and has been described as one of the key technologies of the 21st century. Alongside traditional fields of application, this technology is also being increasingly used in the finishing of plastics. Nevertheless, a number of questions still remain unanswered, for example regarding the fundamental relationships between plasma physics and material properties.

For this reason, through SFB-TRR 87, the IKV has joined forces with research teams from RWTH Aachen University and Ruhr University Bochum with the aim of examining fundamental problems in the development of plasma-supported layers.

Spokesperson for the SFB is Professor Dr.-Ing. Peter Awakowicz, Chair of General Electrical Engineering and Plasma Technology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

The SFB is divided into three research areas:

Project Area A covers layer systems on metal substrates for tribological applications, Project Area B deals with new functional layers for increasing the barrier effect on plastic substrates (project area B), while Project Area C will support the first two areas with studies on elementary principles of plasma processes.

In close cooperation with its partners, the IKV will perform research in two subprojects of project area B: the development of large-area strain-tolerant barrier layers on PET films and, based on the example of PP, the influence of material properties – e.g. orientations and internal stresses – on the plasma process.

This SFB will bring together scientists from the fields of plasma physics, plasma technology, materials science, material technology, mechanical engineering and chemistry. They will research the influence and the potential of high-performance plasmas, starting with the atom in the gaseous phase to the performance characteristics of new, theoretically conceived material systems.