<em>PADUA</em>

The seat carries out research and technology transfer in different areas of chemistry, materials and energetics

VISIT

PADUA PADUA
Headquarter

<em>MILAN</em>

Research activity in Milan concerns the properties and technology of structural and functional materials, fluid dynamics, and diagnostics or reactive systems.

VISIT

MILAN MILAN
Organizative Unit

<em>GENOA</em>

ICMATE-Genoa has expertise in the fields of physical chemistry of interfaces and in the preparation of powders, ceramics and composites of functional oxides.

VISIT

GENOA GENOA
Organizative Unit

<em>LECCO</em>

ICMATE-Lecco is one of the few centers in Italy able to operate in the secondary metallurgy of advanced metallic materials

VISIT

LECCO LECCO
Organizative Unit

Static and dynamic measurements of surface tension and wettability on liquid alloys and/or ceramic materials as a function of temperature and working atmosphere. Wettability and density measurements of both pure metals and liquid alloys. Evaluation of the surface oxidation state.

  • EQUIPMENT:
    • Equipments operating up to 1600 °C in a vacuum or controlled atmospheres for measurements of surface tension, wettability, vapor-liquid and solid-liquid interactions of metallic and ceramic systems and for joining processes. The devices are equipped with measuring systems of the oxygen partial pressure, gas flow control, mass spectrometer, real time sample image acquisition and processing;
    • Induction furnace with graphite heater for measurements in reducing static atmospheres up to T≈1600 ° C. Temperature control through optical pyrometer;
    • Furnace with platinum heater (Tmax ≅ 1200 °C) with ionic sputtering and four solid state electrodes for measurements as a function of oxygen partial pressure;
    • Furnace with molybdenum silicide heater (Tmax ≅ 1550 °C), working chamber in alumina double tube with controlled composition gas flow in the cavity; control of the oxygen content in the inlet and outlet of the working atmosphere;
    • Furnace with tungsten heater (Tmax  1500 °C) for measures under a vacuum or inert gas atmospheres.
    • 3 Apparatus for the study of corrosion by liquid metals equipped with solid state electrode for measuring the oxygen content in the metal bath (T max ≅ 1000 °C);


  • The thermogravimetric and calorimetric analyses allow estimating the stability or degradation of a material/compound with temperature and to measure phase changes or conversion temperatures. The TA SDT Q600 instrument provides simultaneous measurement of weight change (TGA) and true differential heat flow (DSC) on the same sample from RT to 1.500 ̊C. TGA/DSC measurements can be performed under controlled atmosphere (dry air, wet air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium) with digital mass flow controllers. Secondary reactive gases (O2, Ar/H2 mixtures) can be carried directly on the sample. Recommended sample quantity is in the 3-20 mg range.
    TGA/DSC analyzer can be connected to a residual gas analyzer (RGA) Hiden-HPR20 QIC with a capillary sampling system fitted to the purge exhaust gas exit of TA SDT Q600. The HAL 7 quadrupole scan range is comprised between 1 and 300 a.m.u., leading to the identification of gaseous compounds generated during the TGA/DSC scan.

    There is also a dilatometer for the evaluation of shrinkage and / or expansion of pellets of standard size in the range 500 / 5000μm. The materials analyzed can be of various nature (polymers, glasses, ceramics, metals as bulk or powders). By varying the temperature (from room temperature to 1600 ° C with maximum ramp of 20 ° C / min) is recorded dilation and evaluated the coefficient of expansion. The measure of pellet bending and/or softening at high temperature is also possible.

    TGA-RGA


    • EQUIPMENT:
      • TA-Instruments SDT-Q600
      • Hiden HPR-20 QIC EGA
      • Netzsch DIL 402PC
    Dilatometer
  • Thermo-gravimetric or calorimetric analysis allows to investigate the sample behaviour as a function of the temperature. Important information can be obtained regarding the sample thermal stability, weight modification, oxidation and corrosion, degradation temperature, specific heat, melting enthalpy, phase transition etc..
    The Netzsch STA 449C Jupiter® (Simultaneous Thermal Analysis) operative in IENI-CNR is a simultaneous thermos-analyser and provides Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Thermal analysis (DTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC).

    Netzsch STA 449C Jupiter®

    The analysed sample (few tens of mg) undergoes a pre-set thermal programme by the simultaneous thermo-analyser. The measured physical characteristics are the weight variation, the absolute temperature and the temperature variation with respect to a reference. All the parameters are collected at the same time.
    STA 449C can operate over a wide temperature range from 25 to 1600°C in controlled atmosphere (air or nitrogen) in static or dynamic mode or in vacuum, thus operating in strictly controlled conditions also on sensitive samples.

    • EQUIPMENT:
      • Netzsch STA 449C Jupiter®
  • Quantitative analyses of trace and ultra-trace elements are performed by using a mass spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma source (ICP-MS) and quadrupole analyzer. Typically the samples analyzed are liquid solutions injected into the system and then ionized by the plasma. However, the concentrations of elements can be analyzed directly from solid matrix by laser ablation.

    The Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) allow the surface analysis of conductive and insulating materials, with the possibility of having the qualitative determination of almost all elements up to concentrations of ppm or, for some elements , ppb. The principle of operation is as follows: the sample to be analyzed is placed in a chamber at 10-9 mbar and is sputtered by a collimated beam of O2+ ions bombarding the surface and causing the emission of particles and their ionization. These particles are focused into the analyzer quadrupole and identified as mass/charge ratio. The potential of the sample surface (if insulator) is compensated with a low energy electrons beam. With this technique the elemental in-depth distribution up to few µm depth can also be analyzed.

    ICP-MS with laser ablation

    SIMS

    • EQUIPMENT:
      • ICP-MS Thermo Elemental X7 Series
      • Laser New Wave Nd:YAG 213 nm
      • SIMS
      • Ion gun VG Fisons DP50B
      • Quadrupole analyzer Hiden EQS1000
      • Electron Gun LEG31F VG Microtech
  • The laboratory is equipped with a Thermo-Fischer Scientific ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy) iCAP 6300 DUO . The instrument is suitable for simultaneous multi-element analysis over the spectral range from 166 to 847 nm. Radial or Axial view configuration of the instrument are available, depending on the sample and elements of interest.
    The instrument provides the qualitative and/or quantitative determination of inorganic elements in the analysed sample, upon the necessary sample mineralization.
    Detection Limits are in the ppb or sub-ppb range for most elements and concentration can be evaluated with high accuracy and precision.
    The analysis is non-conservative, but only few milligrams of each sample are sufficient for the determination.

    Thermo Fischer Scientific iCAP 6300 DUO

    • EQUIPMENT:
      • Thermo Fischer Scientific iCAP 6300 DUO

This laboratory is equipped with testing machines able to perform a great number of mechanical tests, namely tensile, low- and high-cycle fatigue, thermomechanical fatigue, crack propagation, creep and stress relaxation tests up to 1200°C.

Tests are usually performed on samples, according to international standards. In order to meet the requests coming from industrial partners, a system able to stress components with complex geometry was set.

Alloys of interest to industry are tested, such as nickel based superalloys (either polycrystalline or single crystal), intermetallics (TiAl), titanium alloys, oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys, low- and high-alloyed steels, stainless steels, copper alloys. Tests on pure metals, such as copper or nickel, are performed for research purposes.

Materials interesting to industry are usually serviced in the energy area, in particular in power generation (gas turbine, nuclear plants), in aviation or in advanced manufacturing.

  • EQUIPMENT:
    • Two servo-hydraulic testing machines up to 200 kN and 100 kN for low-cycle fatigue tests and thermomechanical fatigue tests in air and in vacuum up to 1200°C (induction heating system);
    • One servo-hydraulic testing machine up to 100 kN for low-cycle fatigue tests and crack propagation tests in air and in vacuum up to 1000°C;
    • One servo-hydraulic testing machines up to 100 kN for fatigue tests on components;
    • One electromechanical testing system up to 100 kN for fatigue tests in air up to 1000°C;
    • Three electromechanical testing machines up to 50 kN for tensile, creep and stress relaxation tests in air up to 1200°C;
    • Fifteen creep testing machines working up to 30 kN and 1200°C;
    • Two machines for rotating bending fatigue tests;
    • Durometer for Vickers, Rockwell and Brinell hardness tests;
    • Two muffle furnaces for heat treating up to 1200°C.
    • Furnace Naberterm Top 45, Tmax 1300 °C
    • Setup for high temperature microthermocouples (25-120 micron) preparation
Set up for high temperature tensile test and stress relaxation test
Creep testing machines

Equipment for fatigue tests: (a,b) low cycle fatigue and thermomechanical fatigue and (c) rotating bending fatigue