The section Materials Technology initiates its own innovation projects as well. Thermal spraying has well equiped laboratories with several spraying facilities. These laboratories support the industry with the development and application of coatings applied by thermal spraying. All this for a myriad of applications, such as corrosion prevention, thermal barrier coatings or junction technologies. ECN develops its own new technology and machines for thermal spraying as well, like microplasma spraying.
Material characterisation is very important for the evaluation of new developped materials.
The large material laboratory can investigate and characterise the composition, micro structure and building up of materials and coatings. With the available microscopic methods, such as light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy details until 5 nm are made visible on a routine basis. The analysing system connected with the SEM rapidly determines the composition of the investigated material. The particle size distribution of powders can be determined starting with parts of 20 nm. Exotherm and endotherm reactions resulting from phase changes or other fysic reactions can be measured to temperatures up to 1500 C. Thermal expansion of materials can be measured up to 4 mm.