Wear and corrosion of materials cause large losses of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in developed countries. Protective coatings are the most widely used solution to address the problem.
For this reason, surface engineering is a critical technology that underpins the competitiveness of industry in Europe. Important sectors such as energy, aerospace, automotive, and the tool industry depend heavily on surface treatment.
It is estimated that almost 80% of all these industries depend on protective coatings.
Although various coatings have been developed in recent years, two have dominated the field of protective coatings:
- Hard Chromium: Hard chromium plating has been the most widely used coating method for protecting components operating in high wear and corrosion environments for decades. This is due to the high hardness and anti-corrosive property of chromium’s natural ability to react with oxygen. However, the extremely negative environmental impact of the hard chromium process, associated with the use of carcinogenic devitalized chromium, has led to a series of directives and legislation from the European Commission on the restriction of this process.
- WC-Co cermet coatings: These coatings are widely used to improve the wear resistance of mechanical components. These coatings are used to improve the performance of these coatings in the field of reinforced concrete. However, recent studies have shown that WC-Co particles are toxic in a dose and time-dependent manner.
The innovative technology developed at GREENCOAT is based on the integration of nanoparticles into the production line of electrodeposition or thermal spraying to develop protective nano-composite multi-functional coatings.