Patent ID: 8475705

Claim:
A batch or continuous process for fabricating a low porosity nanolaminate environmental energy barrier material comprising continuous parallel individual layers of at least two different nano-materials in which the adjacent layers have a different composition, said individual layers being numerous enough and thin enough so that the properties of the nanolaminate are mainly determined by the unbroken interfaces between the adjacent individual layers and to a lesser degree by the properties of the materials comprising the individual layer; said process comprising the steps of: a) selecting the material composition of nanopowders for each type of layer, the exact sequence of the dissimilar layers, the structure and chemistry of the interfaces, as well as the thickness of each type of the layers in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the layers as a result of a computer-assisted design of the interface atomic and microscopic structure and interfacial properties, as well as thermodynamic and kinetic stability; b) selecting and refining the nanopowders so that the particle size is at least 3-10 times smaller than the final layer thickness; c) forming at least two pastes or two slurries with different nanopowders by adding a solvent and at least one additive selected from the group consisting of a binder, a lubricant, a dispersing agent, a stabilizer, and a plasticizer; d) adjusting the viscosity of the slurries and the pastes; e) forming a green nanolaminate from the pastes or slurries by a process selected from the group consisting of spraying, rolling and pressing; f) de-watering and de-gassing the green nanolaminate, prior to sintering or pressure-assisted consolidation, to remove all the volatile components; and g) densifying the green nanolaminate to at least 95% of theoretical density utilizing one or more techniques selected from the group consisting of rapid sintering, hot pressing, dynamic compaction, and hot rolling applied while, at the same time, minimizing grain growth of the two or more different nanomaterials comprising the individual layers in said nanolaminates; wherein each of said individual layers in the nanolaminates are 1-1000 nanometers in thickness; the porosity of the low porosity nanolaminate environmental energy barrier materials is less than 5%; and wherein the interfaces between the layers control the properties of the low porosity nanolaminate environmental energy barrier material.