Structural, thermostructural and functional materials

The mainly developed materials are the advanced ceramics: materials characterized by structural performance of high mechanical and wear resistance at very high temperature and pressure, and specific features like biocompatibility, electrical, optical, etc. that may arise in particular conditions.

The advanced ceramics can be used as monolithics, composites or coatings and the laboratory activities are mainly focused on the development of:

• composite and monolithic ceramics for structural and thermostructural applications in mechanics and energy production;
• fibre reinforced ceramic composites for structural and thermostructural applications in transports, aerospace, energy, nuclear energy and construction industry;
• transparent ceramics for power lasers and optical windows;
• biocompatible and bioinhert ceramics for orthopaedic prostheses and dental devices;
• ceramic and organic/inorganic thin films for optical, electrical, photocatalytic and hydrophobic/oleophobic functionalities;
• anticorrosion coatings for ceramics and composites used for energy production, transports and industry applications;

The developed materials include:

• oxides and mixed oxides: zirconia (ZrO2), alumina (Al2O3) yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG, Y3Al5O12), mullite (3Al2O3ž2SiO2), zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA), silica (SiO2), etc.
• non oxides: silicon carbide (SiC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), silicon carbide/aluminium nitride (SiC/AlN), aluminium nitride (AlN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), molybdenum silicides; (Mo5Si3), molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), etc.
• fibre reinforced composites: Cf/C, SiCf/SiC, Cf/SiC, Cf/SiCO, oxide fibre/SiCO, Basaltf/SiCO.
• coatings: mullite, barium stronzium aluminosilicate (BSAS), alumina, silicon carbide-molybdenum silicide (SiC-MoSi2), SiC, carbon.
• thin films: silica, alumina, titania (TiO2), zirconia, Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO), silicon carbide, carbon.