The LACAMI and WINFAB platforms contribute to the creation of a new anti-corrosion super material

With the support of the LACAMI and WINFAB platforms, researchers at UCLouvain and the WEL Research Institute - in collaboration with the CNRS and the universities of Namur, Antwerp and Eindhoven - have developed a new type of coating with exceptional mechanical properties: a nanolaminate that alternates thin layers of amorphous Al₂O₃ alumina - typically 100 nm - with even thinner layers of aluminium.

Their results are published in Nature communications.

This coating offers the highest known combination of strength, ductility (deformability) and toughness (resistance to crack propagation), while benefiting from the excellent corrosion resistance of Al₂O₃.

The applications envisaged are numerous, particularly in technologies involving harsh environments combining corrosion, erosion, wear and mechanical stress.

From article "Un nouveau super matériau anticorrosion"