Robert W. Carpick
Associate Professor
Phone: 215-898-4608
Email: carpick@seas.upenn.edu
Office: 271 Towne
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. (1997) University of California, Berkeley
Thesis Title: "The Study of Contact, Adhesion and Friction at the Atomic Scale by Atomic Force Microscopy"
Advisor: Dr. Miquel Salmeron, Senior Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
M.A. (1994) University of California, Berkeley
B.Sc. (1991) University of Toronto
RESEARCH:
We work at the intersection of mechanics, materials, and physics to determine the atomic-scale origins of tribology (friction, wear, adhesion, lubrication) and the connections to the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of materials. We pursue the application of this knowledge to micro- and nano-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), thin film design, and micro- and nano-manufacturing. We explore novel materials including ultrahard carbon films and tailored molecular layers. We focus on experimental techniques including scanning probe microscopy, surface/interface science, and synchrotron radiation.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
Nanotribology of octadecyltrichlorosilane monolayers and silicon: Self-mated vs. unmated interfaces and local packing density effects
E.E. Flater, W.R. Ashurst, R.W. Carpick, Langmuir, in press (2007).
Mechanical instabilities of individual multi - walled carbon nanotubes under uniaxial loading
H.W. Yap, R.S. Lakes, R.W. Carpick, Nano Lett., 7 (5) 1149-54 (2007).
Small amplitude reciprocating wear performance of diamond-like carbon films: Dependence of film composition and counterface material
J.A. Bares, A.V. Sumant, D.S. Grierson, R.W. Carpick, and K. Sridharan, Tribology Lett., 27 (1) 79-88 (2007).
Atomic-scale friction on diamond: A comparison of different sliding directions on (001) and (111) surfaces using MD and AFM
G. Gao, R.J. Cannara, R.W. Carpick, and J.A. Harrison, Langmuir, 23 (10), 5394-405 (2007).
Surface composition, bonding, and morphology in the nucleation and growth of ultra-thin, high quality nanocrystalline diamond films
A.V. Sumant, P.U.P.A. Gilbert, D.S. Grierson, A.R. Konicek, M. Abrecht, J.E. Butler, T. Feygelson, S.S. Rotter, R.W. Carpick, Diam. Rel. Mat., 16, 718-24 (2007).
Predictions and observations of transitions in atomic-scale stick-slip friction
S.N. Medyanik, W.K. Liu, I.-H. Sung, R.W. Carpick, Phys. Rev. Lett., 97 (13) 136106/1-4 (2006).
The use of tungsten interlayers to enhance the initial nucleation and conformality of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) thin films
N.N. Naguib, J.W. Elam, J. Birrell, J. Wang, D.S. Grierson, B. Kabius, J.M. Hiller, A.V. Sumant, R. W. Carpick, O. Auciello, J.A. Carlisle, Chem. Phys. Lett., 430 (4-6) 345-50 (2006).
Lateral force calibration in atomic force microscopy: A new lateral force calibration method and general guidelines for optimization
R.J. Cannara, M. Eglin, R.W. Carpick, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 77 (5), 53701/1-11 (2006).
Mechanical analysis, characterization, and design considerations of vibrations in "beetle"-type scanning probe microscopes
M.J. Brukman, and R.W. Carpick. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 77 (5), 033706/1-7 (2006).
Growth of mechanically fixed and isolated vertically-aligned carbon
nanotubes and nanofibers for nanomechanical testing by DC-plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition
H.Y. Yap, B. Ramaker, A.V. Sumant, R.W. Carpick, Diam. Rel. Mater., 15 (10), 1622-1628 (2006).
Nanotribological properties of alkanephosphonic acid self-assembled monolayers on aluminum oxide: Effects of fluorination and substrate crystallinity
M.J. Brukman, G.O. Marco, T.D. Dunbar, L.D. Boardman, and R.W. Carpick, Langmuir, 22(9) 3988-3998 (2006).
Microparticle manipulation using inertial forces
M. Eglin, M.A. Eriksson, and R.W. Carpick, Appl. Phys. Lett., 88 091913/1-3 (2006).
In-situ wear studies of surface micromachined interfaces subject to controlled loading
E.E. Flater, A.D. Corwin, M.P. de Boer, and R.W. Carpick, Wear, 260 (6) 580-593 (2006).
Cantilever tilt compensation for variable-load atomic-force microscopy
R.J. Cannara, M.J. Brukman, and R.W. Carpick, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 76 (5) 53706/1-6 (2005).
Multiscale roughness and modeling of MEMS interfaces
C. K. Bora, E.E. Flater, M.D. Street, J.M. Redmond, M.J. Starr, M.E. Plesha, and R.W. Carpick. Trib. Lett., 19 (1) 37-48 (2005).
Accounting for the JKR-DMT transition in adhesion and friction measurements with AFM
D.S. Grierson, E.E. Flater, and R.W. Carpick, J. Adhes. Sci. Technol., 19 (3-5) 291-311(2005).
Toward the ultimate tribological interface: Surface chemical optimization and nanoscale single asperity properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond
A.V. Sumant, D.S. Grierson, J.E. Gerbi, J. Birrell, U.D. Lanke, O. Auciello, J.A. Carlisle, and R.W. Carpick, Adv. Mat., 17 (8) 1039-1045 (2005).
SELECTED AWARDS, HONORS and SOCIETIES:
- Editorial Board Member, Tribology Letters (2007-present)
- Faculty Advisory Board, Advancing Women in Engineering (AWE), U. Pennsylvania (2007-present)
- Committee Member, Solid Lubricants Division, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (since 2004; Vice-Chair 2007-08)
- Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award, ASEE Mechanics Chapter (2003)
- 3M Untenured Faculty Award (2002-2004)
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2002)
- Best Overall Mechanics Presentation, ASEE Mechanics Chapter (2001 National Meeting)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (1998-1999)
- Russell and Sigurd Varian Fellowship, American Vacuum Society (1995)
- Member, American Vacuum Society, American Physical Society, Materials Research Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Engineering Education, American Association of Physics Teachers, Society of Engineering Science, Society of Experimental Mechanics
PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS:
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, Engineering Physics Dept. (2000-2006)
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, Surface and Interface Sciences Department, Biomolecular Materials and Interfaces Department (1998-1999)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, Materials Sciences Division (1993-1997)