Ceramics Research in Canada
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CUICAC Universities Queen's University McMaster University University of British Columbia Ecole Polytechnique Technical University of Nova Scotia
Kingston, Ontario Hamilton, Ontario Vancouver, British Columbia Montreal, Quebec Halifax, Nova Scotia
Industries Ltd. The Joint project with McMaster University includes work on sodium/hydrogen beta alumina. Hydronium beta/beta prime aluminas have been fabricated by ion exchange of Na/K alumina for steam electrolysis and fuel cells operating at 300°C. The collaboration with Almax has created materials and testing techniques for the production of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics. (These materials are being developed for ultrasonic transducers.) Another project with Almax involves the design of an alkali metal thermoelectric generator using a ceramic Naconducting membrane. Other work in piezoelectrics at Queen's has included fabrication of highly oriented PZT thin films using radio-frequency and direct-current planar magnetron sputtering. The films are being used for surface acoustic wave Substrates, high frequency bulk wave transducers, and electro-optic devices. Reactive sputtering of metal targets under high oxygen partial pressure is being developed as a method for fabricating complex oxides. Other thin film technologies, and thermal and electron beam evaporation, are being used to produce high efficiency electroluminescent display panels based on ZnS.
Coatings for Conduction and Erosion Resistance
Ceramics research at the Technical University of Nova Scotia takes place in the Department of Engineering Physics. Interest focuses on perovskites, which have resistivities of WA to 108 Cl cm, making them useful for magnetohydrodynamic devices, fuel cells, and electrolysis applications. The selective Substitution and mixing of different perovskite phases can be used to achieve chemically compatible ceramics for application as insulators, resistors or conductors in microcircuitry, and as high current electrodes for use at high temperatures and under severe oxidizing conditions. These perovskites have been successfully plasma-sprayed onto expanded nickel grids to form electrocatalysts. Coarse particles of Ni-Cr form a preliminary bond coat with the fine electrocatalyst particles deposited on these larger particles. There was no significant loss of electrocatalytic properties or mechanical degradation after 100 hours under simulated operating conditions. Long-term tests in progress are using commercial electrolyzer equipment for such application as the electrolysis of alkaline solutions. ^ Contmued
Research in Canadian Universities
Focusing on Electronic Materials
Work in ceramics at Queen's University is centered in the Department of Physics, Applied Solid State Group. It focuses on electronic materials, including transition metal glasses (V205:P205), semiconducting or metallic oxides (V0 2 or LaCr03), and fast-ion conductors based on Na, F", and Ag+ Compounds. Other research groups at Queen's are involved in analysis. One group uses an accelerator-based method for
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