Nanocomposite Thin Films and Coatings Processing, Properties and Performance

Materials development has reached a point where it is difficult for a single material to satisfy the needs of sophisticated applications in the modern world. Nanocomposite films and coatings achieve much more than the simple addition of the constitutents ? the law of summation fails to work in the nano-world. This book encompasses three major parts of the development of nanocomposite films and coatings: the first focuses on processing and properties, the second concentrates on mechanical performance, and the third deals with functional performance, including wide application areas ranging from mechanical cutting to solar energy and from electronics to medicine.