Materials which are formed by the joining of two materials to achieve the combination of properties that cannot be obtained in the original materials. These materials offer the great advantage, a significant design flexibility. This means that there is the possibility to design and manufacture the material according to the exact specifications required. This possibility is much more important than it might seem at first, since it implies that, starting from the most efficient design (ex aerospace structures, a car, the hull of a boat or an electric motor), can manufacture material likely to build such a device. These compounds can be selected to achieve unusual combinations of stiffness, strength, weight, high temperature performance, corrosion resistance, conductivity or hardness.
Typical composite materials are:
- Composite building materials (concrete, concrete, ...)
- Fiber Reinforced Plastics
- Metal compounds
- Ceramic Composites
Composite materials are used in the automotive, marine, aviation, aerospace, electronics, orthopedic surgery, sports equipment and construction, replacing metals and other materials in many applications.
CIT UPC we provide companies and institutions our knowledge and experience in the field of composite materials, in Materials Technology, offering:
- The study of structure and structural integrity, reliability and service performance of metal matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites and ceramic nanocomposite.
- Coatings and multilayer materials (thermal barriers, piles of solid oxide fuel, ...).
- Development of new characterization techniques in micro and nano mechanics.
- Development of nano-structured compounds.
- Foams multifunctional.
- Bio compounds. Design and characterization of biomaterials for replacement, regeneration and / or repair tissue and organ function, and controlled drug release.
RELATED PROJECTS
- A research team from the UPC, in collaboration with the company B. Braun Surgical, has created a ceramic and biocompatible catalyst that captures greenhouse gases and transforms them into useful chemical products in a more sustainable way and at a lower cost than current technologies. The technology has successfully passed the pilot phase through joint projects with companies from different sectors.
- The Biological Treatment of Gaseous Pollutants and Odours Group (BIOGAP) at UPC is participating in the BIOMETCRI project, which aims to implement an innovative biotechnological process to recycle batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles, recovering valuable metals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, and manganese.
- A team of researchers from the materials and structures area of CATMech at UPC is participating in a circular economy project to study the feasibility of using canemuixa, a by-product of hemp, in five applications in the building sector.
- The protection of infrastructures is a commercial and environmental challenge as it enables the useful life of these elements to be lengthened and avoids the early generation of residues.
