Tailoring through Colloidal Processing Group

Tailoring through Colloidal Processing

The aim of our group is the processing of ceramic and metallic materials through the use of colloidal techniques. The use of slurries is focused on both the fabrication of different 2D and 3D shapes as well as on the design of complex microstructures in order to control the properties of the materials.

Crack bridging by Nickel Products of micro‐and nanotechnology offer several advantages over conventional macroscopic functional structures: lower energy consumption, higher efficiency, and many unexplored but possible benefits arising from the properties of the materials at micro‐and nanometer scales. The thermodynamic aspects of small systems are characterized by the significance of interfaces, edges, and corners as necessary structural elements. Not only are their densities important but also their respective spacing and relative proportions, which eventually lead to well defined properties.

Our current interest is focus on the Colloidal Processing of full-nanostructured systems that can be structured in films/layers within the micro-range thickness, as well as in nanoparticles dispersion in micrometric matrixes. Following green chemistry rules (catalytic processes, atomic efficiency, energy efficient use, shorter synthesis, innocuous solvents, etc.), we have been developing feasible synthesis methodologies for the production of submicronic and nanometric particles. We use particle surface modification to effectively combine customized particles and tackle main colloidal processing challenges that connect the nano and macro-scales. Today, we are mainly involved in the advance of processing methodologies for CerMet performance in pioneering structural applications (COMETAS) and innovative magnetic shielding implementation with transferable proposes (ACAM).

Efforts are addressed through the manipulation of particle networks towards the development of new macroscopic materials acting at atomic, molecular, or macromolecular levels. ZrO2 nanosized Compared to the current state‐of‐the‐art in nanoparticle compaction, we deem that Colloidal Processes have a great range of interesting characteristics, including the scalability (from <1μm to 1mm), flexible structures, superior assembly rates, and tightly‐packed nanoparticulated solids. The abundance of potential applications substantiates the search of new strategies for the fabrication of such structures. In this field, challenges in the control of particles arrangement must be met with relevant knowledge in the colloidal chemistry of suspensions.

Control of the stability of suspensions demands a deep knowledge of surface charging mechanisms in liquids, where click chemistry and self-assembling play a relevant role. Beta Nickel Hydroxide To produce particle arrays, the understanding of particle dynamics in polar and non‐polar solutions is required. More specifically, particle‐liquid and particle‐particle interactions must be firstly established in systems where dispersants, ligands and surfactants will drive array formation. Consequently, we are also interested in the innovative applications of experimental tools (Spectroscopic techniques, AFM, TEM SEM, DLS, rheology, etc.), in the characterization of surface morphology and composition of particles, electrokinetics and flux behaviour of colloidal suspensions, and the microstructure of processed materials from atomic to microscopic level (from vacancies to defects and porosity).