Low Friction Coatings on Glass and Ceramics (1) Intellectual Merit: The idea of the Low Friction on Glass and Ceramics symposium is to introduce a new topic at The American Ceramic Society's (ACerS) 107th Annual Meeting (April 2005) and explore new applications and possibilities in the field of glass and ceramics. The speakers, who are predominantly from the tribology community, are being asked to present talks and give thought to applications of low friction coatings that are specifically applied to glass and ceramics. In general, what is required is a low friction, hard, wear resistant layer which is well bonded to the substrate. Surface treatments need to be optimized for each tribological application. There is extensive interest in biocompatibility of ceramics with modified surfaces for artificial implants such as teeth, hips, heart valves and retinal implants as they provide excellent chemical durability, wear resistance, biocompatibility, environmental friendliness, and esthetics. Development of ceramic restorative materials is a high research priority due to environmental concerns associated with metals waste and disposal. Catastrophic effects of surface flaws are minimized or eliminated by depositing surface coatings. The recent overview by Grill* on diamond-like carbon coatings as biocompatible materials shows them to be very promising for this area, though extensive clinical trials are not complete. Biocompatibility will be a large component of the symposium. As well as bio applications, other extreme environments will be examined in applications where superhard coatings are needed such as in abrasive tools. The session will stimulate interest, discussion and ideas by bringing together a variety of different disciplines and outlooks. (2) Broader Impacts of the Symposium This is a one day meeting that can easily be attended from anywhere in the United States. In addition we have attracted international speakers. It is a new subject area for the American Ceramic Society annual meeting, which welcomes new ideas and incentives to increase membership. Novel aspects include a luncheon with students, who will be invited to bring a poster, an extended abstract and their resumes to the session. The organizers have made a special effort to have a large proportion of female invited speakers and have attracted four from the total of ten. The Symposium Chair (and Primary Co-PI) will give an informal presentation on life at a national laboratory and be open to questions on the career of a scientist at such institutions. The Secondary Co-PI is a postdoctoral student. He will be receiving valuable first hand experience on how to organize a symposium and will also be available at the luncheon to answer questions on life at a national laboratory as a postdoctoral student. Overall, this symposium will be a very stimulating environment to launch a new area of discussion with a diverse and interesting set of participants. The day will culminate in a dinner to cement relationships, initiate collaborations and discuss future funding of possible projects. Papers of invited speakers will be published in a special journal issue: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
* Diamond and Related Materials 12 (2003) 166-170
