Advanced Ceramic Composite & Coating

Through materials engineering based on elements doping and fiber incorporation, the team developed a series of novel ceramic materials formulations and growth/coating processes for various applications from aerospace, marine & offshore, defence, urban sustainability to biomedical industries. By improving/tuning the physical and mechanical properties of ceramic materials, the functional coatings and ceramic composite components show enhanced thermal, mechanical, optical and electrical properties.

Materials of interest:

Ceramic oxides
Ceramic carbides & nitrides
Ceramic composites

Capability

1. Ceramic composite synthesis and sintering

Nano-size particle mill
Planetary Centrifugal Vacuum Mixer
3D printing of ceramic composites
Gas protective/vacuum tube furnace (up to 1200 oC)
Hybrid microwave assist furnace (Carbolite, up to 1600 oC)
In-situ high temperature furnace (TOMMI, up to 1750 oC)
High-speed spark plasma sintering (SPS) (Ed-Pas III, up to 2800 oC)

2. Thin film growth & coating techniques

Electron-beam evaporation
Combinatorial ultra-high vacuum (UHV) pulsed laser deposition (PLD)
High temperature ultra-high vacuum (UHV) sputtering with surface treatment & characterization (XPS)
Thermal spray coatings: atmospheric plasma spray (APS) & High velocity oxy-fuel spray (HVOF)

3. Smart energy saving & self-cleaning coatings

Transparent conductive coatings
Multi-functional heat rejection coating
Smart thermo-chromic (TC) coating
Visible light photocatalytic self-cleaning coating

4. Surface enhancement & protective coatings

Direct surface plasma oxidation & nitridation
Plasma Electrolyte Oxidation (PEO) coatings
Thermal barrier coatings
Wear resistance coatings
Corrosion resistant coatings

5. Unique materials characterization techniques

Mechanical properties: hardness, wear, friction & fatigue
Thermal stability: in-situ high temperature XRD (up to 1200 oC) & in-situ high temperature furnace (up to 1750 oC)
Stress measurement: x-ray stress analyser & centre hole drilling
Optical properties: temperature dependent IR-VASE Spectroscopic Ellipsometer (2 to 30 microns)
Corrosion testing: salt spraying, solution-based electrochemical testing & hot corrosion testing in reactive gas (ASTM standard testing or customized research under unique condition)

Highlights / Achievements (list of selected patents)

Method to fabricate highly conducting and transparent zinc oxide at room temperature
Method of improving the transparency and conductivity of transparent conducting oxide for various applications
Multi-functional heat rejection coatings
Method of treating thermal barrier coating
Large area layer controlled growth of transition-metal chalcogenides
Carbon nanotubes reinforced wear resistant ceramic coating

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