Mechanical properties of nanostructured carbon layers grown by CVD and PLD techniques

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) have been proven to be among the most successful techniques for growing the entire spectrum of carbon films, which can be used in a wide range of technical applications. Here an investigation has been performed to explore the effect of different growing techniques (PLD and CVD) and process parameters (such as deposition time and substrate type) on the films' morphology and mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the grown thin films were characterised by means of nano/micro indentation and scratch test techniques. It was observed that the thickness of the Al2O3 interlayer (between the Fe catalyst nanoparticles an…