International. A recent technological breakthrough was presented at the Leibniz Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken/Germany, where they developed a new composite material that prevents corrosion of metals, even under extreme conditions, in an environmentally friendly way.
Carsten Becker-Willinger, representative of the research development program, commented: "What makes this layer so special is its structuring: the protective particles are organized like tiles. Similar to a wall, several layers of particles are arranged in a staggered pattern at the top of each other, resulting in a highly structured self-organized barrier."
The protective layer is only a few millimeters thick and prevents the penetration of gases and electrolytes. It is protected from corrosion caused by aggressive aqueous solutions, such as solutions of salts or aqueous acids.
After thermal curing, the compounds adhere on metal substrate, are resistant to abrasion and impact. For this purpose, it also supports a highly mechanical load. The new material can also, therefore, be used with sand or mineral powder without wear.
The composite material can be deposited by spraying or with other wet chemical processes and cured at temperatures of 150 to 200°C. It is suitable for steel, metal alloys or copper; panels, tubes, sprockets, tools or engine parts in any shape can also be coated.
The special mixture consists of a solvent, a binder and nanoscale platelet particles, but without chromium VI or other heavy metals.
