Dr.
Shane Aaron Catledge
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Research
Assistant Professor
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[Resume] |
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Polishing a diamond anvil for experiments in high pressure physics. |
Diamond growth chamber showing hydrogen-rich plasma |
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My research focuses primarily on the development of
biomedical implant materials for both replacement and regeneration of tissues
such as bone and vascular tissue. To this end, I am developing hard carbon
films on metal implant surfaces for wear resistant applications and also
developing porous scaffolds for regeneration of new tissues. We use a
deposition technique called microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition
(MPCVD) to produce the carbon-based films with a range of structures and
properties. I am particularly interested in nanostructured diamond coatings,
which are characteristically very smooth, very hard, and contain both
nanocrystalline diamond and amorphous carbon components. We have shown that
these coatings bond very well to titanium alloy metal surfaces, exhibit
hardness of up to 80% that of natural diamond, and provide excellent
resistance to brittle fracture. Our processing technique for producing such
films has been patented.
We are currently developing techniques for coating nanostructured diamond
onto other technologically important metals such as cobalt chrome alloy and
steel. The primary challenge in doing this is to insure adequate adhesion of
the diamond film to the metal surface. For porous scaffold development, we
use a process called electrospinning that results in an interconnected porous
mesh that can be engineered with nanoscale-diameter fibers and a tailored
mechanical and degradation properties. |
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This website was last revised on: 14 Sept 2007 |
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