Ceramic Coatings for metal machine parts
The ceramic coating for pipelines and other specialized
metal parts developed by Dr. Florin Esanu and others at the Alberta
Research Council uses a combination of ceramic solutions applied at high
temperatures to a specific surface.
The patent application for the coating process
utilizes ceramic particles applied as part of a complex matrix with
other materials: "The coating comprises a ceramic matrix formed by a
high temperature interaction between fine vitreous particles and the
solid content of a ceramic liquid precursor, such as the solid component
of a ceramic sol; and a filler comprising one or more materials selected
from the group of ceramic, glass, and metal particles, the filler being
integrated in the matrix."
The application also specifies that the filler
material may contain ceramic particles of "alumina, silica
" and other
chemicals, as well as other particles "from the group of metallic
particles consisting of aluminum, stainless steel, and nickel alloys."
The coating can be either sprayed on to a target
surface, or dip coated by immersing a product into the coating solution.
Further heating of the coating solution after initial application
creates an initial ceramic layer, which can be enhanced by applying
another ceramic sol (a solution with microscopic ceramic particles
uniformly distributed) that covers the first coating. A second heating
then creates a ceramic matrix with integrated filler particles.
International Polymers Canada (IPC), an
Edmonton-based coatings specialist company, was granted the commercial
production and marketing license for Esanus process.
High Tech Ceramics
The Heritage Community Foundation is pleased to
present this episode of the Innovation Alberta radio series,
courtesy of Porcupine Stone Productions and Cheryl Croucher.
The research of Dr. Bryan Kolb and others put the
Univeristy of Lethbridge on the world map in terms of neurological
research. This resulted in the creation of the Canadian Centre for
Behavioral Neurosciences, housed in the Neurosciences building at the
University of Lethbridge.
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