This research programme aims to contribute to the transformation of Flanders' and European manufacturing industry into a knowledge-based sector with new, high added-value products and services, capable of competing successfully in the globalised marketplace.
Its research activities anticipate the global economical and societal trends in the materials technology field:
- Multifunctional, high-added value products tailored to the customers needs: the required multi-functionalities can be reached through the bottom-up synthesis of (nano-)materials, using suitable material combinations during powder processing, joining and surface coating of materials;
- Flexible processing of materials: dry plasma surface treatments for example enable the much more accurate and fast switching of process parameters compared to conventional wet chemical based processing. The bottom-up 3D fibre deposition technology developed at VITO allows the elegant and versatile preparation of porous metallic and ceramic functional structures;
- Environment friendly processing in view of the scarcity of raw materials and the abundance of waste materials: bottom-up material synthesis results in the optimal use of raw materials and minimal waste products. Modern dry surface processing yields much less environment harmful effluents than do conventional wet chemical based techniques.
The surfaces of materials and components have basic functions to be able to meet the high requirement profile for industrial applications. Apart from protection against corrosion and wear, today's coatings have adjustable and tailorable characteristics. Surfaces with integrated functions, multifunctional coatings (electrical, optical, biofunctional, …) and nano-based layer systems are just a few examples of pioneering technological solutions that are currently being developed.
Ceramic technologies enable the combination of unique electronic, magnetic, electromagnetic, mechanical and biological properties and can thus be applied under extreme environmental conditions such as high temperatures or in chemically aggressive environments.
Aluminium, magnesium, titanium or steel - lightweight metal design has a great market potential. Top-selling industries, such as automotive, aerospace and railway transportation make increasingly use of lightweight metal design solutions in order to save considerable resources and costs.
In this lively and rapidly developing materials technology area of research, VITO's research activities are focused on:
- Plasma surface treatments for the functionalisation of surfaces and particles;
- Laser technology for joining, tooling and surface hardening and cladding;
- Powder processing of ceramic and metallic materials, including biomaterials;
- Measurement & testing for the micro-structural, mechanical and tribological properties of materials and surfaces, including modelling support.
Surface technology, joining techniques and powder processing represent key technologies for the bottom-up synthesis of materials that enable the sustainable production of high added-value components tailored to the customers' specifications, and yielding a minimum of waste.
Top-down vs. bottom-up manufacturing: Top-down manufacturing starts with bulk materials which are then 'sculptured' down, until the features that are left are fit for purpose. Bottom-up manufacturing involves creating objects or materials from individual atoms or molecules or clusters thereof, and then joining them together in a specific fashion. Nature uses the bottom-up approach, e.g. in cell proliferation, shells, nacre, crystal growth.
Laser surface treatments hold much promise in applications where the excellent coating properties of laser coatings are sought, such as in offshore anti-corrosion applications and high-added value wear prevention applications (turbines, mould and dies, …).
An emerging technique in advanced surface functionalisation is low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma technology. Indeed, recent developments in the field of atmospheric plasma technology create new perspectives beyond the current state-of-the-art surface treatments.
Compared to low-pressure plasma batch processing for example, atmospheric plasma's enable in-line processing at industrial scale at higher deposition rates and a much lower investment cost. Plasma techniques also offer environmental advantages and more flexible processing compared to conventional wet chemical processes.
Using this novel technology, we are targeting the following types of surface functionalisation:
- Controlled and permanent adhesion and release properties of foils, tuning of hydrophobic/hydrophilic material surfaces for printing and joining, etc.
- Immobilisation of bio-active molecules for the bio-functionalisation of surfaces e.g. textiles for wound healing, anti-fouling surfaces, bio-catalytic surfaces, biosensors, anti-microbial parts, etc.
- Enhancing the reliability of components by improving its friction and wear properties, and corrosion resistance. For the latter the research is aimed at plasma polymerised conjugated polymers, which opens perspectives towards active electronic applications in the long term.
The increasing life expectation of our citizens demands new solutions for the challenges posed on the quality of life and our health care system.
Numerous materials and designs have been developed to interact with biological systems, either as such or within a more complex biomedical device. The compatibility with the body, the assistance of the body function to be replaced and the mechanical and performance requirements posed on the material necessitate a multidisciplinary approach.
The trend to connect materials technology with biotech has been encouraged by the world-wide interest in regenerative medicine, or tissue engineering. New approaches are emerging, combining the knowledge of material science, medicine and biology in order to maintain, restore or enhance the tissue or organ functions. The long term aim is building organs and tissues, in- or outside the human body, using biocompatible and biodegradable materials, together with patient specific cell technology to stimulate and fasten the healing process.
The strategic research activities of VITO aim at the tailored synthesis of functionalised structures with controlled porosity, in order to provide added value to the different generation tissue engineering scaffolds. The research focuses on improved substrate materials making use of advanced 3D powder processing techniques, as well as on the surface functionalisation by micro-texturing, by coating and the incorporation of controlled drug delivery systems.
The validation of such biomedical research requires extended in vitro and in vivo screening, which is carried out in close collaboration with complementary partners in biomedicine.
Recent reports.