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Isoflux Receives National Science Foundation Grant
Isoflux Receives National Science Foundation Grant
Isoflux has been awarded a $150,000 grant by the National Science Foundation to study the deposition of aluminum oxide at low temperatures. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project will be undertaken in collaboration with the University of Arkansas, where researchers have discovered that an Isoflux ICM 10 Coating System can deposit corundum (the stable alpha phase of aluminum oxide) at much lower temperatures than previously reported. The one-year project, which begins in January 2008, will focus on coatings for artificial joints.
Ceramics such as aluminum oxide are valued for their high wear resistance and thermal barrier properties and are used in a wide variety of applications. Current methods for producing these coatings require high temperatures and result in undesirable stresses, limiting the range of potential applications.
Lower deposit temperatures = broader range of applications
The ability to deposit stable crystalline ceramic materials such as corundum at low temperatures significantly broadens the range of important applications in fields as diverse as machine tools, engine components, and prosthetic devices.
A low temperature method for applying corundum coatings has been a goal of researchers for many years, and University of Arkansas scientists have made significant progress through utilizing the unique features of Isoflux’s equipment. This National Science Foundation support will lead to deeper fundamental knowledge about the physics and chemistry of coating processes for a wide range of practical applications.
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