Francesco Bignoli
PhD thesis title: Novel nanostructured metallic thin films with enhanced mechanical properties deposited by pulsed laser deposition
Academic Tutor: Carlo Spartaco Casari
Academic Supervisor: Damien Faurie, Matteo Ghidelli and Andrea Li Bassi
PhD cycle: 36° (see all student profiles of the same cycle > LINK)
BSc: Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology, Politecnico di Milano
MSc: Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology, Politecnico di Milano
Scientific stay at Institut Pprime at Poitiers, France 04/10-10/10/2021 / Scientific stay at Karlsruhe Institute of technologies, Karlsruhe, Germany 18/09-21/10/2022
Energy for Motion grant for “Conference Award” awarded by the Energy Department of Politecnico di Milano (2022)
Thesis abstract
In my PhD project I examine the potential of PLD for the synthesis and mechanical characterization of two classes of emerging metallic thin films, namely metallic glasses (MGs) and complex compositional alloys (CCAs).
Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) offers the possibility to control the morphology of the film by simply changing the deposition pressure inside the machine. Films deposited in vacuum will have a compact structure due to the atom-by-atom growth caused by the high energies within the plasma plume. The addition of a gas reduces the plasma energy and causes a cluster-assembled growth of the film (nanogranular structure).
Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) offers the possibility to control the morphology of the film by simply changing the deposition pressure inside the machine. Films deposited in vacuum will have a compact structure due to the atom-by-atom growth caused by the high energies within the plasma plume. The addition of a gas reduces the plasma energy and causes a cluster-assembled growth of the film (nanogranular structure).
Personal interest in my research theme
What I like about my PhD project is the possibility to advance in a novel field with all its complexities and challenges. The use of pulsed laser deposition for the deposition of metallic films is quite new and the possibility to obtain new nanostructures with enhanced mechanical properties is an exciting prospect.
I also enjoy the fact that I learned how to use many different instruments for the structural and mechanical characterization of thin films like scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brillouin light scattering (BLS) and nanoindentation.
I also enjoy the fact that I learned how to use many different instruments for the structural and mechanical characterization of thin films like scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brillouin light scattering (BLS) and nanoindentation.
