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Soutenance publique de thèse de doctorat en Sciences physiques - Loris Chavée

Uncovering the growth mechanisms of coatings deposited by physical vapor deposition on complex 3D substrates

Catégorie : défense de thèse
Date : 03/10/2025 15:00 - 03/10/2025 18:00
Lieu : Adam Smith
Orateur(s) : Loris Chavée
Organisateur(s) : Stéphane Lucas

Jury

  • Prof. Robert SPORKEN (UNamur), Président
  • Prof. Stéphane LUCAS (UNamur), Secrétaire
  • Dr Emile HAYE (UNamur)
  • Prof. Jochen SCHNEIDER (RWTH Aachen)
  • Dr Andreas PFLUG (Fraunhofer IST)
  • Dr Philippe ROQUINY (AGC Glass Europe)
  • Prof. Stephanos KONSTANTINIDIS (Université de Mons)
  • Dr Dennis BARTON (Fraunhofer IST)

Résumé

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) on open-cell foams is a growing field in materials science. However, very little is known about how PVD coatings grow inside these porous substrates. This is crucial information for a deeper understanding of PVD coating growth and for designing efficient foam-based devices. To address this issue, this thesis investigates the growth of TiO₂ coatings deposited by PVD on open-cell foams using experiments and numerical modeling.
 
In this thesis, a literature review outlines the benefits and drawbacks of PVD deposition on open-cell foams, the use of PVD-coated foams in hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction catalysis, batteries, and supercapacitors, and highlights the difficulty of accessing the interior of coated foam. To circumvent this problem, a numerical approach is proposed.
 
Subsequent work links deposition parameters with coating properties and photocurrent generation. It shows that optimal photocurrent generation can be obtained by adjusting the thickness and crystal structure of deposited coatings.
 
Moreover, using a combination of experimental and modeling techniques, this thesis investigates the behavior of particles during their transport inside open-cell foams and highlights the depth-resolved properties of the deposited coatings, which provides valuable information to optimize the design of future foam-based devices.
 
Finally, this study proposes a new approach for designing advanced materials by employing porous foam masks. Porous masks are used to maintain a high energy flux reaching the substrate and change the energy flux’s main component, while reducing the deposition rate. This affects the crystal structure of the deposited coating.

 

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