NSF Award
9903569
This Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project aims to develop two spray (flame and cold spray) processes to produce nanostructured coatings. In flame spraying, the proposers will use liquid feedstock to produce powdery deposits and convert them to dense coatings by heat treatment. Spray synthesized powders will be micro consolidated and used as solid feedstock in cold spray process to produce in situ nano coatings. In Phase I, studies for understanding the formation and grain growth in nanostructured coatings will be carried out. In Phase II, the proposers will use this knowledge to design and develop nanocomposite coatings that exhibit grain growth resistance, and test them in actual application environments. Thermally sprayed protective coatings are widely used in many industries for protection of the system components. Nanostructured coatings, with their superior properties, can lead to quantum jump in the life and performances of these components. Recent attempts to produce nanocoatings by spray processes showed that grain coarsening occurs during the coating production. Since nanocomposites can exhibit grain growth resistance, study of the nanocomposite coatings can lead to preparation of nanocoatings with desired characteristics.<br/><br/> Successful completion of this program will lead to commercial application of nanostructured coatings in many industries, inducing investments during Phase-III.
