Covetic materials

Abstract

This disclosure provides a graded composition including at least a first, second, and third material property zone each having a crystallographic configuration distinct from other zones. In some implementations, the graded composition has a first material in the first material property zone including a metal, the first material composed of metallic bonds between metal atoms present in the first material property zone; a second material that at least partially overlaps the first material in the first material property zone including carbon, the second material composed of covalent bonds between the carbon in the second material and the metal in the first material; and, a third material that at least partially overlaps the second material property zone including carbon, the third material composed of covalent bonds between the carbon of the third material. Each crystallographic configuration may include a cubic crystallographic lattice, a hexagonal lattice, a face or body-centered cubic lattice.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A graded composition defined by a plurality of material property zones each having a distinct crystallographic configuration, the graded composition comprising:
 a first material disposed within a first material property zone and including a metal, a plurality of metal atoms, and a number of metallic bonds between the plurality of metal atoms;   a second material that at least partially overlaps the first material, the second material including carbon covalently bonded to the metal in the first material; and   a third material that at least partially overlaps the second material, the third material including covalently bonded carbon.   
     
     
         2 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , wherein each of the distinct crystallographic configurations includes any one or more of a cubic crystallographic lattice, a hexagonal lattice, a face-centered cubic lattice or a body-centered lattice, or a hexagonal close packed (HCC) metal lattice. 
     
     
         3 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon is in atomic form. 
     
     
         4 . The graded composition of  claim 3 , wherein at least some carbon atoms are organized into a coherent graphene plane. 
     
     
         5 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , wherein the metal of the first material is organized as a matrix or a lattice. 
     
     
         6 . The graded composition of  claim 5 , wherein the metal comprises copper. 
     
     
         7 . The graded composition of  claim 6 , further comprising a copper-carbon lattice formed by covetic bonding between the carbon and the copper. 
     
     
         8 . The graded composition of  claim 7 , wherein the copper-carbon lattice has a carbon loading between approximately 60% and 90%. 
     
     
         9 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon is loaded in a homogenous manner. 
     
     
         10 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more highly uniform covetic quenched layers. 
     
     
         11 . The graded composition of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more highly uniform covetic quenched layers are based on a quick quench method. 
     
     
         12 . The graded composition of  claim 1 , wherein at least of the carbon or the metal is sprayed by a plasma flame. 
     
     
         13 . The graded composition of  claim 11 , wherein a depth or a thickness of the quenched layers are based at least in part on distances between the plasma flame and a substrate of the graded composition. 
     
     
         14 . A nanocarbon infused metal coating configured to be applied onto a substrate, the coating comprising:
 a first material disposed in a first material property zone and bonded to the substrate, the first material including carbon atoms arranged in a first crystallographic formation and covalently bonded to the substrate; and   a second material disposed in a second material property zone that at least partially overlaps the first material property zone, the second material including metal atoms and covalently bonded carbon atoms arranged in a second crystallographic formation.   
     
     
         15 . The graded composition of  claim 14 , wherein the first crystallographic formation is different than the second crystallographic formation. 
     
     
         16 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , wherein carbon loading is in a range between approximately 10% and 40%. 
     
     
         17 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , wherein carbon loading is in a range between approximately 40% and 80% 
     
     
         18 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , wherein carbon loading is in a range between approximately 80% and 90%. 
     
     
         19 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , wherein the second material further comprises a metal alloy. 
     
     
         20 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , wherein the substrate is a metallic surface of an airborne vehicle. 
     
     
         21 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 14 , further comprising a silicon-containing ceramic. 
     
     
         22 . The nanocarbon infused metal coating of  claim 21 , wherein the silicon-containing ceramic is configured as an infrared obscurant. 
     
     
         23 . A composition of matter having a first and second material property zone, the composition of matter comprising:
 a first predominantly carbon-based layer defined by carbon atoms in a first crystallographic formation having covalent bonds between the carbon atoms and non-carbon atoms; and   a second layer substantially disposed over the first predominantly carbon-based layer, the second layer having non-carbon atoms and further carbon atoms in a second crystallographic formation.   
     
     
         24 . The composition of matter of  claim 23 , wherein the first predominantly carbon-based layer is within the first material property zone and the second layer is within the second material property zone. 
     
     
         25 . The composition of matter of  claim 23 , further comprising an interface where carbon atoms of the first predominantly carbon-based layer form covalent bonds with the substrate.