The European Ceramic Society
Laboratory sheet
Portugal
Materials and Ceramic Engineering Department, University of Aveiro
Director : Rui F. Silva
Email : rsilva@ua.pt
Phone : +351 234370354
Address : Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Website : http://www.ua.pt/demac
Research topics :
- Valorisation of industrial and agricultural/fisheries wastes and by-products: development of a range of valuable materials (ceramics, magnetic oxides, pigments, absorbents for pollutants, catalysts, biomaterials, sustainable construction materials, energy materials, biomimetic oxides) from local Portuguese wastes and by-products.
Contact information:
João Labrincha, Robert Pullar, Paula Seabra, Rui M. Novais
jal@ua.pt ; rpullar@ua.pt ; pseabra@ua.pt ; ruimnovais@ua.pt
- Tableware ceramics produced from industrial wastes: production, at the industrial level, of tableware ceramic products made of high percentages (> 95 wt.%) of industrial by-products and wastes from the same sector/company and from other sectors (e.g. electroplating sludges as colouring agent).
Contact information:
Paula Seabra, João Labrincha
- Energy materials for sustainable fuels production using concentrated solar light: development of porous ceria ceramics to be used as catalysts to split water or CO2 under solar irradiation to produce hydrogen and CO (syngas). Solar thermochemical fuel production (STFP). Novel 3DOM porous ceria catalysis made from both cork (ecoceramics) and produced by 3D printing.
Contact information:
Robert Pullar
- Cork-templated porous 3DOM biomimetic ecoceramics: development of cork-derived ceramics, by converting cork wastes into ceramics (metal oxides), while maintaining the porous and lightweight 3D ordered microstructure of hexagonal cells found in cork. Biomimetic / biomorphic materials created in this form include magnetic ferrites, ceria and titania.
Contact information:
Robert Pullar, Rui M. Novais
- Waste-based porous alkaline activated materials for environmental applications: highly porous alkali activated monoliths and spheres produced from wastes, namely those generated by the paper-pulp industry and by the aluminium refinery, exhibiting tailored porosity and suitable thermal and adsorption properties. These materials are envisioned as insulating and moisture buffer applications for buildings or in environmental remediation (metals and dyes removal from aqueous media, or in biogas generation as anaerobic digester enhancers).
Contact information:
Rui M. Novais, João Labrincha
- Functionalisation of ceramic surfaces to achieve of photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties: development of novel photocatalytic TiO2-based materials that are active under visible light irradiation. Use as coatings for traditional ceramic products.
Contact information:
David Tobaldi, Paula Seabra
david.tobaldi@ua.pt ; pseabra@ua.pt
- Additive manufacturing of technical dense alumina-zirconia 3D structures
Contact information:
Susana Olhero, Paula Torres
susana.olhero@ua.pt ; ptorres@ua.pt
- Additive manufacturing by robocasting of hardmetal
Contact information:
Filipe Oliveira, Martinho Oliveira
- Multifunctional composite scaffolds for bone regeneration, drug delivery and cancer treatment by magnetic hyperthermia
Contact information:
Susana Olhero, Paula Torres
susana.olhero@ua.pt ; ptorres@ua.pt
- Flexible patches for transdermal drug delivery based on self-setting bioceramic composite microneedles
Contact information:
Susana Olhero, Paula Torres
susana.olhero@ua.pt ; ptorres@ua.pt
- Cellular ceramics for catalytic and electrochemical applications: processing, functionalization and testing of highly porous ceramic materials (aluminas, zirconias, spinels, perovskites and their composites, industrial wastes like red mud) for catalytic combustion, biomass gasification and electrochemical recovery/separation processes.
Contact information:
Andrei Kovalevsky, Jorge R. Frade
akavaleuski@ua.pt ; jfrade@ua.pt
- Ceramic thermoelectrics for high-temperature energy harvesting: development of various oxide-based thermoelectric materials and thermoelectric composites with superior performance and hybrid functionalities for waste heat and solar energy harvesting.
Contact information:
Andrei Kovalevsky, Shahed Rasekh
akavaleuski@ua.pt ; shahedvrm@ua.ptv
- Decoration techniques for glass and ceramics & structural and microstructural characterization by x-ray and electron microscopy
Contact information:
Augusto Lopes
- High-temperature electrochemical energy conversion and storage: development of materials (electronic and mixed ionic-electronic conductors for fuel and oxygen electrodes, electrocatalysts, electrolyte materials) and novel concepts for solid oxide fuel/electrolysis/reversible cells.
Contact information:
Aleksey Yaremchenko , Jorge Frade
ayaremchenko@ua.pt ; jfrade@ua.pt
- FLASH sintering as an alternative sustainable sintering technique for ceramics: FLASH is a very fast, low-temperature sintering technique, in which an electric field is directly applied to a green body. FLASH has a high potential to be applied to different materials (ceramics, composites, layered structures) and scaled up for industrialization.
Contact information:
Ana M. Senos, Paula M. Vilarinho
anamor@ua.pt ; paula.vilarinho@ua.pt
- Advanced bio micro electromechanical systems for tissue engineering: the piezoelectric effect is exploited in tissue engineering. Electrically-active materials/surfaces may be electrically functionalized platforms that can stimulate tissue regeneration promoting direct (in-situ) integration of implants in the host tissue or direct tissue growth.
Contact information:
Paula M. Vilarinho, Maria Helena Fernandes
paula.vilarinho@ua.pt ; helena.fernandes@ua.pt
- Smart coatings for glass food packaging: development of smart clear and transparent food packaging glass that allows the product to be "SEEN" (keeping the package transparent), but acting as a barrier to the penetration of UV-visible radiation in the wavelength range of 250-500 nm into the interior, avoiding the loss of quality of the product contained therein.
Contact information:
Paula Ferreira, Maria Helena Fernandes, Paula M. Vilarinho
pcferreira@ua.pt ; helena.fernandes@ua.pt ; paula.vilarinho@ua.pt
- Smart analog ceramic components for radio system design: Solutions based on materials / devices performance allowing a smooth variation of its resonance characteristics by changing the permittivity should be used. Construction of dual variable smart components Based on the known tunability of the dielectric permittivity of nonlinear Ba1-xSrxTiO3 (BST) dielectrics.
Contact information:
Paula M. Vilarinho, Nuno Borges de Carvalho
paula.vilarinho@ua.pt ; nbcarvalho@ua.pt
- Strain tuning of the next generation of lead-free sodium potassium niobate thin-films for Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMs): development of lead-free piezoelectrics based solutions, such as potassium-sodium-niobate (K1-xNaxNbO3, KNN). Nevertheless, electromechanical performance improvement is required for its viability as an alternative to PZT. For that we are exploiting compositional / strain design in KNN thin films.
Contact information:
Paula M. Vilarinho, Maria Elizabete Costa
paula.vilarinho@ua.pt ; elisabete.costa@ua.pt
- Flexible piezoelectric materials for sensors, actuators and nanogenerators: FLEXIDEVICE’s goal is to design sustainable nanoengineered functional materials for emerging flexible electronics and mechanical energy harvesting. 1) Processing and characterization of metal oxide flexible biodegradable composites; 2) Evaluation of structure-microstructure-property relationships; 3) Design of laboratorial scale prototype devices for sensing, actuation and energy generation.
Contact information:
Paula Ferreira, Paula M. Vilarinho
pcferreira@ua.pt ; paula.vilarinho@ua.pt
- Cold Sintering – as an alternative sustainable sintering for advanced ceramics: Cold Sintering Process (CSP) relies on a second phase that facilitates mass transfer for densification, that occurs at low temperatures (120-200°C) and over a short time (minutes) when uniaxial pressure is applied. CSP is exploited for advanced functional electroceramics, namey lead free ferroics.
Contact information:
Paula M. Vilarinho, Maria Elizabete Costa
paula.vilarinho@ua.pt ; elisabete.costa@ua.pt
- Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics, Composite Materials and Polymers: Additive Manufacturing (AM) is exploited for traditional and advanced ceramics. Binder Jet Printing, Indirect Selective Laser Sintering, Robocasting and Fused filament fabrication (FFF and FDM) are some of the AM processes in use. Also aimed in our studies is the development of optimized ceramics and ceramic composite feedstocks.
Contact information:
Paula M. Vilarinho
- Hard and refractory materials- development of new composites and processes: development of new hardmetals and cermets compositions with the objective of reducing the use of critical materials, as Co, and increasing of the wear and corrosion resistance. Development of refractory nanocomposites for structural and isotope target applications.
Contact information:
Ana M. Senos
- Fabrication of customized granules of hydroxyapatite by spray-drying: Preparation by spray- drying of polymer /ceramic granules for biological applications. Preliminary evaluation of a spray dried polymer as drug delivery
Contact information:
Margarida Almeida
- Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of carbon nanostructures: CVD synthesis and characterization of carbon-based coatings (microcrystalline and nanocrystalline diamond, carbon nanotubes, graphene) for mechanical components, electronics and biomedicine applications.
Contact information:
Rui F. Silva, F.J. Oliveira
- Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ultrathin coatings: Synthesis of oxide films (e.g. TiOx, MnOx, ZnO, Al2O3) by ALD technique for diverse applications such as biosensors, chemical catalysis, energy related fields, corrosion protection of metals. Molecular layer deposition (MLD) of organic-inorganic hybrid materials.
Contact information:
Rui F. Silva, F.J. Oliveira
- Processing and mechanical behaviour of ceramic materials and ceramic matrix composites: Production of covalent ceramic materials (Si3N4, SiC), tough oxide composites (AL2O3-ZrO2-based) and hard metal for tribological applications, namely cutting tools and wear resistant parts.
Contact information:
F.J. Oliveira, Rui F. Silva
Exceptional facilities :
Five electron microscopes (two SEM, TEM, HRTEM, STEM), atomic force microscopes (AFM), GDOES and UV-vis spectroscopies, two X-ray diffractometers (theta-2theta, low-angle and high temperature), 3D optical profilometer, thermal analysis TG/DTA/DSC, powder characterization (BET, laser scanning size evaluation), processing equipment of ceramic materials (milling, pressing, sintering at different atmospheres up to 220°), samples’ preparation equipment (flat lapping, polishing), mechanical testing machines (hardness and micro-hardness, tensile, flexural and compressive testing from RT to 1500°C, fatigue, torsion), and several pieces of equipment for electrical characterization, photocatalysis, biomaterials, electrochemistry, etc.
Financial support programmes :
- European funding: HORIZON2020
- National funding: FCT, PT2020
Any other relevant information :
Short description of the activities: DEMaC has its own mission: to develop cutting-edge research with international recognition in the scientific area of Materials Science and Engineering; to sustain an up-to-date training of excellence for the students; to transfer knowledge to the national industry aiming to help on their competitiveness in the global scenario. The R&D effort developed in DEMaC involves the synthesis and study of the properties of nano and micro structured materials that can be used in different technologies, recycling solutions of different residues, biomaterials, technical and traditional ceramics, composites, corrosion and protection of materials, functional coatings, among others.
Last news
ACerS is offering travelling grants of 1.500 $ to attend the two 2024 ECerS Summer Schools
The grants can be allowed to undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. students from non-European based universities. The 2024 ECerS Summer Schools will be held prior to Electroceramics XIX (Vilnius, Lithuania - School: 17-18 August 2024) and Shaping 9 (Warsaw, Poland - School: 24-25 September 2024)!
2024 ECerS International Ceramist Student Exchange Program – 3rd call!
In the frame of the 2024 ECerS International Student exchange program, ECerS is opening a third call, this time to allow grants to European Students to attend the 2024 Fall meeting of Korean Ceramic Society (COEX) that will be organised by the Korean Ceramic Society in Seoul, Korea, from 16th to 18th October 2024.
Information
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