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Mission
To promote research, development and engineering in the science and
technology of materials for specific applications in
specific areas such as nuclear, automotive and biomedical.
The Center for Materials Science and Technology (CCTM) is one of the eleven R&D centers at IPEN. The center involves approximately 30 PhDs plus other scientists, engineers, technicians, graduate and undergraduates students totalizing more than a hundred people.
The mission of CCTM is to promote research, development and engineering in the science and technology of materials for specific applications (nuclear, automotive, biomedical and others). CCTM researchers collaborate with researchers of universities, industry, technological incubators and other research institutes. In several cases the work of development is finalized with pilot plants or product prototypes.
The following pages present some of the R&D work in materials development accomplished at CCTM during the years 2002 to 2004, involving advanced ceramics for structural and wear applications (silicon nitride, silicon carbide, alumina, and so on), bioceramics (synthetic hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate and titanium alloys) for applications in medicine and dentistry and metallurgical processing of ceramic raw materials (nanosized powders).
CCTM has played a major role in the area of corrosion of spent nuclear fuel elements used in research reactors. Coupons of Al alloys used in IPEN made fuel elements for the IEA-R1 reactor were exposed in the reactor spent fuel storage section and withdrawn after one year to evaluate the extent of corrosion as a function of alloy composition, crevices, bi-metallic effects, coupon orientation and water chemistry.
Researches on powder metallurgy processes and products are active at CCTM. Examples are high speed steels for wear resistant parts, intermetallic compounds and rare earth based magnetic materials.
Processes for composites fabrication and characterization are also in development at CCTM. Metal matrix composites are obtained by either spray forming or powder metallurgy. Polymer matrix composites reinforced by carbon fibers manufactured by filament winding technique are currently being characterized.
Another area of development work at CCTM that can result in technological innovation is the materials and technologies for self-sustained environment. Research activities are concerned to attend the industrial processing needs to solve the final waste problems, like as production control, inertization, recycling or incorporation in materials with aggregated economic value.
Arnaldo H. P. de Andrade
Manager
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