<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

  • EQUIPMENT:
    • Arc Melting System "MAM-1"-Bühler for melting highly reactive metals and with very high melting temperatures (up to T [Simbolo] 3000 °C);
    • Induction generator (10kW) for alloys preparation;
    • Resistance furnace CARBOLITE-SPLIT (T max ≅ 1100 °C);
    • Microhardness measuring instrument Micro indenter Leica VM HT MOT.
  • In the laboratories for synthesis there are various apparatus, with the possibility of performing different methods of synthesis, preparation of pellets and film deposition.
    In particular, there are two microwave ovens: one dedicated to synthesis in solution or in the solid state and the other, using the appropriate carousel, for mineralization and dissolution of samples (mainly for quantitative determination of elements).
    Solutions and suspensions, as well as cleaning of the specimens, can be prepared through a bath sonicator and to a sonicator tip immersion exploiting the cavitation caused by ultrasonic waves in liquid media.
    Solid state synthesis, mixtures, compounds, alloys, suspensions, etc., can be prepared by means of planetary ball milling. The kinetic energy of rotation of a number of ball that slides with high energy inside the jars is exploited: size, number and material of balls are chosen according to the hardness and the quantity of the substances used. For particular syntheses (solvothermal) or for heat treatment under pressure an autoclave is used which can operate up to 350 ° C and 200 bar even in corrosive atmospheres (container made of steel resistant to corrosion or Teflon).
    Thanks to an uniaxial press, and to various molds which differ in shape and size, powders can be compacted to obtain pellets that can be thermally treated in high temperature furnaces for the consolidation or sintering.
    In addition, the film deposition ca be performed via spin coating thanks to the dedicated tool: by rotating a sample, a solution or suspension is spread on its surface. The final coating depends on the speed of rotation, on the amount of substance onto the sample and the cycles performed. Another possibility is the spry deposition where a solution or suspension can be nebulized over a substrate by a nozzle that can operate with a gas flowing (generally nitrogen or argon). The use of a pantograph allow the precise deposition over also large size samples.
    In the case of dangerous substances, or highly sensitive to the normal atmosphere, it is used a glove box that allows the manipulation in the sealed chamber in an inert atmosphere controlled and free of oxygen and moisture.
    In addition, the equipment of laboratories also includes a centrifuge, two hoods to handle powders and solvents, a filter hood for acids and one for solvents.

    Microwaves
    Uniaxial press (40 tonn)
    Sonicator

    • EQUIPMENT:
      • Microwave Rotosynth Milestone
      • Microwave Ethos One Milestone
      • Uniaxial press Mignon EA/SS Nannetti
      • Sonicator bath CP104 EIA
      • Sonicator tip Sonics VibraCell
      • Glove Box UNIlab LMF MBraun
      • Planetary mill Pulverisette Fritsch 6
      • Planetary mill Pulverisette Fritsch 7
      • SCS G3P-8 Spincoat Cookson Electronics
    Planetary ball mill
    Spin coating
  • The available glove-boxes are systems which allow to operate under inert and controlled atmosphere (nitrogen); they are equipped with a freezer, a system to run reactions at low temperature or reflux, and a microscope to set crystals sensible to air.
    Glove-boxex are used to handle products sensible to oxygen and humidity and to produce different kinds of chemicals reactants.
    The fields of interest are catalysis, thin film deposition via the CVD and ALD techniques up to energetics.

    Glove-Box chambers

    • EQUIPMENT:
      • Glove-Box chambers
  • EQUIPMENT:
    • Teflon reactors (1-8 L) equipped with pumps for reagents dosing for the liquid phase synthesis of (nano)powders of functional ceramic materials;
    • Vessels (125 mL) for hydrothermal synthesis;
    • Cold isostatic press (up to 2000 bar) for the forming of ceramic specimens;
    • Box and tubular furnaces for sintering and heat treatments in air up to 1800 °C;
    • Vertical oven for heat treatments in a controlled atmosphere up to 1500 °C.

Processing of ceramic materials: powder synthesis, forming and sintering.


The metal synthesis lab in Lecco present a unique combination of melting furnaces that allows the production of nearly all types of alloys or metallic materials, whether refractory, reactive, highly boiling…
Ingots can be produced weighting from few grams to some kilograms. The available technologies include: Plasma Arc Melting (PAM) furnace, Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) furnaces, and Electric Arc Melting furnace. Self- propagating High temperature Synthesis (SHS) has recently be added as alternative synthetizing technique that consider mixed powder as starting material.
Again, an additive manufacturing system (Selective Laser Melting) on powder bed is available for complex metallic components.
With this lab it is possible to study new materials as well as to provide small batches for other laboratories or processes.

Leybold Plasmalab3000 plasma melting furnace



  • EQUIPMENT:
    • Balzers SVG10 Induction melting furnace
    • Leybold LK6/45 Arc melting furnace
    • ASEG Galloni VCM III Induction melting furnace
    • Leybold Plasmalab3000 Plasma melting furnace
    • SHS reaction chamber
    • Selective Laser Beam Melting system for metal powders
      characterized by a Laser power of 400W, and a working area of 250 mm x 250 mm x 300 mm.
Balzers SVG10 Induction melting furnace
Leybold LK6/45 arc melting furnace

ASEG Galloni VCM III induction melting furnace
Selective Laser Melting – Renishaw AL 400