Ceramics have unique thermal, mechanical, chemical and electrical properties and are used as coatings on metallic substances. The North American market for high-performance ceramic coating services in 2004 was estimated at $1.1 billion. This is expected to increase to $1.6 billion by 2009 at an annual average growth rate of 7.6%.
Thin ceramic coatings deposited by vapor deposition techniques are widely used as wear and corrosion resistant coatings. The thickness of these coatings is less than 10 mm, as a thick coat could suffer from high internal stress and brittleness. In applications that require thicker ceramic coatings, a thermal spray is used to produce the coating. This increases its resistance to corrosion. Other applications for thick ceramic coatings include thermal barrier coatings (TBC) for gas turbine and diesel engine applications. The materials used include a number of zirconia based coating formulations.
Ceramic coatings are widely used in the paper and pulp industry. The coatings on press rolls of modern paper machines have large surface areas of several tens of square meters. In addition to the rolls, ceramic coatings are used to increase wear and corrosion resistance of other components in the paper and pulp industry. The ceramic coatings used in these applications are alumina and chromia based compositions.
A number of university laboratories are active in research related to ceramic coatings. They study coating adhesion, solar energy absorbent coatings and anti-corrosive coatings. Engineers from Purdue University are investigating the use of ceramics in aircraft engines and are looking at the possibility of producing more durable diesel, aircraft and gas-turbine engines. Ceramic coatings could also be useful in protecting engine parts from extreme heat.
Ceramic coating has a high-temperature stability; it is also corrosion resistant and durable. It provides substantial environmental and economical benefits, including lower maintenance and decreased operating costs.
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