Nitride chemistry yields new technologies
Nitrogen-based chemistry holds great potential to provide advanced materials for many different industrial fields. These materials include ceramic foams, advanced polymer coatings and semiconductors. The EU-funded FUNEA (Functional nitrides for energy applications) project supported research in this area by promoting interdisciplinary collaborations and training young researchers. Eight European research groups and five industrial partners made up the FUNEA research consortium. Together, they developed new ways to synthesise, process and characterise new nitride chemicals, with the potential for new commercial and industrial uses. The consortium trained 13 researchers in practical and technical skills to further their own nitride chemistry research. Researchers developed a number of advanced compounds during the project. For instance, FUNEA produced a number of nitride-based ceramic foams that can be used for filtering engine emissions and separating gases. Another type of foam may be useful as a particulate filter for diesel engines. Other researchers created materials that could be used to generate and store hydrogen gas, or as components in light-emitting diodes and sensors for high-temperature environments. Lastly, project members produced a high-temperature coating that could help reduce vehicle emissions in the near future. The training and research promoted by FUNEA will move the state of the art forward in the exciting field of nitride chemistry.
Keywords
Nitride chemistry, coatings, hydrogen, advanced materials, ceramic foams, FUNEA
