4. Towards new ultra-hard

4.1 Scientific background

In view of the technical problems raised by the use of diamond on an industrial scale, apart from its cost, an international academic and industrial movement was set up in the second half of the 1980s. We'd like to highlight the European TMR network (Training and Mobility of Researchers "Nouveaux Composés Carbonés Ultra-Durs"), which brought together six partner laboratories in four European countries, including France (1998-2002). The work covered both experimental aspects (preparation of thin-film materials, mechanical and spectroscopic characterizations, etc.) and theoretical aspects (proposals, modeling and characterizations) led by the author. Studies on new ultra-hard, abrasion-resistant materials such as diamond-pinned drill bits, used in heat removal...