Abstract: Computer implemented methods and apparatuses for controlling automated retailing through an online auction service are described herein.

Abstract: A diamond-like carbon-containing material useful as a coating for electronic devices including field emission devices and color television tubes, the coatings having both low secondary electron emission coefficients of less than unity and electrical resistivity tunable over a range of from about 10e−2 to about 10e16.

Abstract: The invention relates to fluorine-doped coatings which include a diamond-like composition containing carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine on various substrates. Preferred substrates include flexible substrates, precision-edged substrates, and electrosurgical instruments. The present invention also relates to a method of making a substrate coated with a fluorine-doped diamond-like coating which includes positioning the substrate in a vacuum coating chamber and depositing a diamond-like composition containing carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine onto the substrate by co-deposition of clusterless particle beams comprised of ions, atoms, or radicals of the carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine, the mean free path of each particle species being in excess of the distance between its source and the growing particle coating surface of the substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improved diamond-like nanocomposite composition comprising networks of a-C:H and a-Si:O wherein the H-concentration is between 40% and 80% of the C-concentration and having a coefficient of friction against steel which is smaller than 0.1 in air with a relative humidity up to 90%, or in water. The invention relates also to a process for depositing the composition on a substrate in a vacuum chamber. The composition comprises preferably 30 to 70 at % of C, 20 to 40 at % of H, 5 to 15 at % of Si and 5 to 15 at % of O and can be doped with transition metals.

Abstract: A diamond-like carbon-containing material useful as a coating for electronic devices including field emission devices and color television tubes, the coatings having both low secondary electron emission coefficients of less than unity and electrical resistivity tunable over a range of from about 10 e.sup.-2 to about 10 e.sup.16.

Abstract: A method for preserving the precision-edges of a precision-edged substrate by applying to a the substrate a corrosion resistant coating comprising a diamond-like solid state material having interpenetrating atomic scale networks comprising a first diamond-like carbon network stabilized by hydrogen, a silicon network stabilized by oxygen, and optionally at least one network made from dopant elements or dopant compounds containing elements from Groups 1-7b and 8 of the periodic table.

Abstract: An electrically tunable coating and method for its fabrication and deposition comprising, as a coating on a substrate, a diamond-like nanocomposite solid-state material having interpenetrating atomic scale networks of carbon in a diamond-like carbon network stabilized by hydrogen, a glass-like silicon network stabilized by oxygen, and optionally at least one additional network of dopant elements or dopant compounds having elements from groups 1-7b and 8 of the periodic table.

Abstract: A method for inhibiting corrosion of a substrate by applying to a substrate a corrosion resistant coating comprising a diamond-like solid state material having interpenetrating atomic scale networks of class of diamond-like solid state materials formed from interpenetrating networks comprising a first network of carbon in a diamond-like carbon network stabilized by hydrogen, a silicon network stabilized by oxygen, and optionally at least one network made from dopant elements or dopant compounds containing elements from groups 1-7b and 8 of the periodic table.

Abstract: An erosion resistant coating for optically transmissive substrates formed from a diamond-like nanocomposite structure which contains interpenetrating networks of a diamond-like carbon matrix stabilized by hydrogen, a silicone glass-like network stabilized by oxygen, and optionally, at least one network formed from elements and compounds from groups 1-7b and 8 of the periodic table.

Abstract: A method for making aluminum nitride whiskers comprising reacting a reactant bed of aluminum, alumina, ammonium chloride, with a metal-containing carbon catalyst in the presence of a nitrogen gas flow, such that a direct nitridation reaction, a carbothermal reaction and a transport species reaction occur concurrently.

Abstract: A method for making titanium nitride whiskers comprising reacting titanium in the presence of nitrogen in a direct nitridation reaction, concurrently reacting titania in the presence of nitrogen in a carbothermal nitridation reaction, optionally in the presence of a transport species reaction under conditions necessary to make titanium nitride whiskers.

Abstract: A method of making capacitors comprising, providing as the dielectric and/or conductive layers, a material made from a diamond-like nanocomposite solid-state material having interpenetrating atomic scale networks of carbon in a diamond-like carbon network stabilized by hydrogen, a glass-like silicon network stabilized by oxygen, and optionally at least one additional network of dopant elements or dopant compounds having elements from Groups 1-7b and 8 of the periodic table.