Silicon carbide coated foils manufacturing device

Summary

A Ukrainian university has developed a device to be used for the manufacturing of metal-foils with layered coating of silicon carbide, chromium carbide or tungsten carbide by vapor-phase deposition method without mercury electrical contacts. In existing similar equipment the mercury contacts are usually used. They seek partners to improve the device via research cooperation agreement or/and to introduce the device via commercial agreements with technical assistance.

Description

Ceramic–metal composites are an important group of materials that have gained interest recently because of their peculiar properties in particular they use in the steel reinforcement via the layered ceramic coating.
Today’s equipment for applying such coatings often uses harmful mercury electrical contacts, which can adversely affect the environment.
The Ukrainian University is developing the device for coating silicon carbide to a foil, which is heated in a reaction mixture by passing an electric current, have an elongated chamber with an inlet and outlet electrodes-stoppers and is characterized in that the metal chamber is rectangular in a cross section and is closed at the ends by electrically insulated metal electrodes-stoppers. The antennas of the high frequency electromagnetic wave generator are mounted in the chamber and provide additional heating of the sample.
A device for applying a ceramic coating to carbon steel materials:
-makes it possible to obtain ceramic-metal strips of 250 x 300 mm;
-provides uniform ceramic coating of 50µm in one cycle;
-operating power up to 12 kW.
The device can be used in the LEDs production.

The University is looking for collaborations with universities or R&D institutions for joint research in further developing of the product in form of research cooperation agreement.
The University is also looking for industrial companies which interested in using the device in their own production lines, for instance, LEDs production, in form of commercial agreements with technical assistance.

Advantages & innovations

- the device doesn’t use harmful mercury electrical contacts, in comparison with analogues, - opportunity to obtain strips of 250 x 300 mm with uniform ceramic coating, - 40-50% higher values of the tensile strength compared to those produced on other devices.

Stage of development

Under development/lab tested

Partner sought

The university is looking for the research cooperation agreement with universities or R&D institutions for additional research and improvement of the device. The commercial agreements with technical assistance will be preferred in case of industrial partners whish have relevant capacity and interested use the device in their own production, for example, LEDs production. In this case, the partner’s task is to introduce the device into their own production cycle.

Contact/ source: Enterprise Europe Network (europa.eu)