The design of Self-Lubricating Nanocomposite Thin Films for High Temperature Tribological Applications. This is a new project in the areas of nanocomposite thin film technology and multi-scale modeling aimed at designing and subsequently producing and characterizing novel nanostructures that combine a hard transition metal nitride or carbide with a soft noble metal for applications that require high temperature lubrication (300-1000 °C).

Fundamental Study of the Mechanical Properties of Ceramic-Based Nanocomposite Coatings (funded by MTC). This objective of this proposal is to investigate novel nanocomposite structures with superior mechanical properties by carrying out a systematic experimental and computational study to understand the factors that contribute to the performance of these materials.