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Success stories in
the materials field
A decade of EU-funded research
success storiesInterested in European research? Research*eu is our monthly magazine keeping you in touch with main developments (results, programmes, events, etc.). It is available in English, French, German and Spanish. A free sample copy or free subscription can be obtained from: European Commission Directorate-General for Research Communication Unit B-1049 Brussels Fax (32-2) 29-58220 E-mail: research-eu@ec.europa.eu Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Research Directorate G – Industrial technologies Unit G3 ‘Value – added materials’ E-mail: jose-lorenzo.valles@ec.europa.eu Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Success stories in
the materials field
A decade of EU-funded research
M. Chamberlain and J.L. Vallés
Directorate - General for Research, Industrial technologies
2008 Unit G3 ‘Value – added materials’ EUR 23581 ENEUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers
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Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008
ISBN 978-92-79-09669-3
DOI 10.2777/96506
Photo cover: © SARTORIOUS AG – SEM image of an affinity membrane with open pore structure.
© European Communities, 2008
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Table of contents
4 Purpose-designed materials key
to transformation of European industry
7 Success stories in FP5
8 One-step process to complex, high performance steel parts (2002-2006)
9 Nanocomposite ceramics make longer-lasting artificial joints (2001-2004)
10 Biotechnologically produced organic chemicals from biomass
offer new potentials (2003-2005)
11 Spinal inserts relieve lower back pain (2001-2005)
12 Enzyme-based sensors allow bio-process optimisation (2002-2006)
13 Single-crystal superalloys make aero-engines safer (2002-2007)
15 Success stories in FP6
16 Multifunctional nano-materials sourced from renewable cellulose (2004-2006)
17 Interactive materials beat bottlenecks to new pharmaceuticals (2004-2008)
18 Advanced surface technology makes turbines more efficient (2004-2006)
19 Bioartificial pancreas could end insulin injections for diabetics (2004-2006)
20 Nanostructured superconductors pave the way
to high temperature/high magnetic field applications (2005-2008)
21 Bioprocessing improves on natural materials (2004-2007)
22 Novel intermetallic alloys for ‘green’ applications (2004-2009)
23 Ligand bank speeds process development (2004-2006)
24 Hepatocyte constructs point the way to liver re-growth (2005-2008)
25 Magnetoelectric films promise power-saving electronic devices (2006-2009)
26 Polymer nanocomposites reduce power demand
for electrochromic eyewear (2004-2007)
27 Nanocrystalline Si films to cut cost of optoelectronics (2005-2008)
28 Water-borne adhesives eliminate solvent use (2004-2007)
29 Organics bring prospect of faster electro-optics (2004-2007)
30 Tailored molecules lay foundation for efficient nanodevice
production (2004-2007)
31 How clean are self-cleaning windows? (2004-2007)
32 ‘Smart’ packaging vital to a sustainable future (2004-2008)4 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Purpose-designed materials key to transformation
Mankind’s progress in using materials to improve the Drivers of innovation
quality of life marks major milestones in the march of
civilisation – from the stone age, through the bronze and Advanced materials with a high knowledge-content
iron ages, and on into the silicon age of nowadays. Cur- providing new functionalities, improved performance
rent trends suggest that the next era could be identified and greater versatility in application are critical drivers of
as the age of nanotechnology. innovation in virtually every sector – from transport and
construction to energy, electronics and healthcare.
At present, a great deal of the world’s manufacturing
capacity is becoming concentrated in the lower-wage Research into such knowledge-based materials will not only
economies of the developing nations. Much of this pro- contribute to the development of new markets and emerg-
duction is currently underpinned by western technology; ing technologies, but also to increasing the competitiveness
but there is evidence that – even in a globalised market- of traditionally less knowledge-intensive industries – textiles
place – research and development also tend to migrate and clothing, for example – that are under particular threat
towards the centres of industrial activity. Capitalising from the lower-cost manufacturers.
on Europe’s innovative strengths to retain a mastery of
materials is one key aspect of an effective response to Europe already has a powerful presence in materials
this challenge: it is vital in enabling the EU to maintain science. Its universities and research centres are key play-
lasting competitiveness and safeguard employment in ers; while industrial enterprises in areas such as chemicals,
the region. electronics, aeronautics and transport are also develop-
ing fundamental knowledge that is helping to secure
European creativity initiated the industrial revolution of the international leadership in several strategic domains.
18th and 19th centuries, which saw rapid progress from
a world dominated by manual labour to one driven by Although newly emerging nanotechnologies are expect-
mechanical manufacturing and characterised by a prolif- ed to offer the greatest long-term prospect of radical
eration of scientific discovery. This triggered a huge increase innovation, they will certainly depend to a great extent
in the consumption of natural resources and energy, which on materials technologies. Meanwhile, the broader fields
has now reached a scale that most acknowledge will be of materials research remain extremely important in the
unsustainable in the longer term. Today’s need is to har- medium term. Breakthroughs will come not only from the
ness technologies that will continue to meet growing new materials themselves, but also from new concepts
human aspirations, while minimising the use of raw mate- in processing and product design, exploiting renewables
rials, consuming less power, exploiting renewable assets, and finding better ways to manage the reuse of finite
and minimising waste and environmental pollution. resources. A fundamental necessity is to break through the
classical boundaries between material types that have
In short, this requires a transformation from resource-inten- characterised European thinking over past decades.
sive approaches towards a knowledge-based European
society, capable of achieving sustainable development
and growth. It implies a shift from quantity- to quality-
based paradigms of production and consumption; from
mass-produced single-use products to new concepts EU funding on Materials Research under FP5 and FP6
of higher-added-value, eco-efficient products, processes
and services.
FP6
€458.2 million
142 projects
FP5
€349.9 million
301 projectsA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 5
of European industry
Priority topic for EU support New levels of performance
Materials research was identified as a strong candidate for As FP6 gives way to FP7, the latest models of manufac-
EU support under successive RTD Framework Programmes. turing industry continue to identify materials as a prime
It clearly warrants investment in multidisciplinary and multi- factor in increasing the value of products and their per-
sectoral transnational collaboration in order to reach critical formance. New research will focus on multifunctional
mass, and is an essential component of the emerging materials and functionalised surfaces with tailored prop-
European Research Area. erties targeting a wide range of applications, while also
taking account of potential impacts on health, safety and
In the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) covering 1998- the environment throughout their entire life-cycles.
2002, Materials was classified as a ‘generic activity’,
playing a supporting role to key actions in the Competi- Emphasis will continue to be placed on the benefits to
tive and sustainable growth (GROWTH) programme. be obtained from exploration of nanotechnologies and
A total of 301 projects in Materials Research received EC biotechnologies to produce manufactured materials that
funding of €350 million. outperform those found in nature. Calls for proposals will
foster a multidisciplinary approach that involves chemis-
The FP6 (2002-2006) budget was nearly 31 % larger, with try, physics, engineering sciences, and theoretical and
a Community contribution of €458 million to 142 gen- computational modelling.
erally larger-scale Materials projects under the Theme
‘Nanotechnologies and nano-sciences, knowledge-based Materials characterisation, design methods and simulation
multifunctional materials and new production processes techniques are also crucial to improve our understanding
and devices’ (NMP). of materials, in particular the structure-property relation-
ships at different scales, and to extend the ability to employ
A selection of success stories from these two periods is virtual materials in the design process. Support for the
outlined in the following pages. integration of nano-molecular-macro levels in chemical
and materials technologies will give rise to new concepts
and processes in key areas such as in catalysis, and in pro-
cess intensification and optimisation, which have great
relevance to many sectors of European industry.
Total number of projects in FP5 per subarea (€349.9 million) Total number of projects in FP6 per subarea (€458.2 million)
Polymers and Catalysis and
Polymers and
their composites chemical Catalysis and
theirs composites
technologies chemical technologies
36 19
53 Materials with 25
Materials with high mechanical
high mechanical performances
performances 8
41
Biomaterials and
medical implants
48
27
27
Biomaterials and
Materials for medical implants
46 information
Materials for 21
technologies
information
technologies Materials for 12
energy applications 22
58 Materials for energy
Surface engineering Surface engineering applications
and coatings and coatingsÆ Success stories in FP5
Types Number of EC funding
contracts
AM 8 €0.9 million
CR 73 €32.8 million
MC 40 €4.8 million
NAS 1 €1.4 million
NAS2 9 €1.6 million
RS 163 €299.1 million
TN 7 €9.3 million
Grand Total 301 €349.9 million
AM = Accompanying Measures
CR = Cooperative Research (CRAFT) Projects
MC = Marie Curie Actions
NAS = New Acession States Actions
NAS2 = New Accession States Actions 2
RS = Research Projects
TN = Thematic Networks
The 301 projects supported correspond to the following
topics published in the calls:
• Cross-cutting generic materials technologies
• Advanced functional materials
• Sustainable chemistry
• Expanding the limits and durability of materials8 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
One-step process to complex, high performance steel parts
(2002-2006)
Thixoforming is a promising technology that combines To respond to this challenge, the scope of work within
the advantages of casting and forging for the production the project covered the following fields:
of near-net shaped piece parts. Forged parts have excel- • adaptation and re-design of an automotive part to the
lent mechanical properties, but cannot be realised with requirements of thixoforming;
the degree of shape complexity that is possible with cast- • adaptation and modification of various steel grades;
ing. The main drawback of casting, however, is that due • inductive heating of the steel billets, control and
to eventual defects and a dendritic microstructure, the handling;
parts are not suitable for safety-relevant applications. • basic forming tests and FEA (finite element analysis)
simulations;
In thixoforming, the raw material is heated to above its • process development (engineering) and automation;
liquidus temperature, which causes it to behave thixo- • development of tool materials for thixoforming of steel;
tropically, i.e. its viscosity decreases with time due to shear • testing of the redesigned and thixoformed parts under
stresses. Thanks to this effect, it is possible to produce high industrial conditions;
quality parts with improved shape-forming capability. • determination of the economic benefits.
Æ Lean, green process Æ Project successes
The main objective of the project ADAPTED STEEL PARTS Automated process demonstrated. By the end of the
was to develop technology and equipment for the series project a fully automated process line for the production
production of thixoformed steel parts. Furthermore, it of a secondary air-flange (SKL-Flange) was available and
had to be proven that the developed process would be a small series of these parts was produced.
able to compete, both economically and ecologically,
with other contemporary production technologies. Special steel developed. A low carbon steel grade,
known as C38L2T, was developed specifically for thixo-
forming purposes and investigated to determine the opti-
mal rolling and casting conditions.
Simulation model validated. A simulation model for
the inductive heating of steel billets was developed and
Stages for the production of experimentally validated. Experiments were carried out
SKL-flanges by drop forging to characterise the behaviour of selected steel grades
(above), re-designed SKL-flange when formed under semi-solid conditions.
produced by thixoforming in
only one step (below). System concepts realised. Concepts for the handling
system, tool and heating device of an automated thixo-
forming production line were introduced and realised.
G5RD-CT-2002-00684 – Adapted Steel Parts
Development of adapted steel parts forged under semi-solid conditions for the industrial market
Total cost: €1 937 154 | EC contribution: €1 208 575
Project duration: December 2002 – June 2006 (43 months)
Coordinator: Dirk Fischer – IFUM – Institute of Metal Forming and Metal Forming Machine Tools,
Leibniz University of Hanover, GermanyA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 9
Nanocomposite ceramics make longer-lasting artificial joints
(2001-2004)
Today, more than 500 000 hip- and knee-joint replace- Æ Project successes
ments are fitted annually throughout the European Union.
Such procedures are extremely successful in restoring Fracture-resistant nanocomposites. BIOKER developed
mobility to sufferers from arthritic and other degenerative a new family of alumina-zirconia nanocomposites ex-
conditions. However, the average lifetime of a hip pros- hibiting fracture resistance properties beyond those so
thesis, for example, is around 10 to 15 years – with active far achieved with oxide ceramics, opening the way to
and heavyweight patients being particularly prone to application in orthopaedics.
premature failure. This clearly poses a quality-of-life
problem for younger and other vulnerable recipients. Novel process developed. The nanocomposites were
Moreover, revisionary surgery can increase the cost of obtained by an innovative industrial process using powder
the original operation by a further 70 to 100 %, adding alkoxide mixtures. A thorough study of the fatigue behav-
around €260 million a year to EU medical costs. iour of these composites was conducted to establish the
safe operating range.
Alumina-zirconia
Sophisticated prototypes manufactured. Prototypes
nanocomposite powders
Æ Search for more
obtained by a reaction- of complex shape, with roughness as low as 2 nm, were
precipitation route, as durable materials successfully prepared by using pressure casting technology
starting powders for longer coupled with a new 3D polishing method able to cope
lasting ceramic implants. Ceramic materials are now considered as alternatives to with the shape complexity of the implants. Polished pro-
the common metal femoral heads articulating against an totypes were used to validate tribological performance and
acetabular cup of polyethylene, or to a metal-metal bear- their adaptability in biomedicine.
ing device. These materials appear to be ideally suited for
joint prosthesis because of their hardness, which results in Extensive testing completed. The long-term perform-
low wear rates and excellent biocompatibility. ance of prosthetic hip and knee joint specimens was
evaluated in simulators, in order to compare wear and
However, ceramic materials are known to be brittle and fatigue behaviour with that of commercial products.
susceptible to slow crack growth. Consequently, signif- Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and particle debris analyses
icant in-vivo failure is reported by the orthopaedic were performed, showing clear superiority to conventional
community, due to the failure of the currently used alu- materials. Finally a dossier relevant to hip and knee com-
mina ceramic components after periods in service. ponents was prepared in accordance with the requirements
of Directive 93/42/EEC.
To provide longer lasting and secure hip implants, there is
a clear need for ceramic materials with high stability and
improved mechanical properties compared with alumina.
In the three-year BIOKER project, a consortium of research
institutes and industrial partners from three EU countries
therefore investigated the development of alumina nano-
composites to form ceramic-ceramic implants with potential
life-spans of more than 30 years.
G5RD-CT-2001-00483 – BIOKER
Extending the lifespan of orthopaedic implants: development of ceramic hip
and knee prostheses with improved zirconia toughened alumina nanocomposites
Total cost: €4 101 087 | EC contribution: €2 050 540
Project duration: January 2001 – August 2004 (44 months)
Coordinator: Ramon Torrecillas – INCAR-CSIC, Madrid, Spain10 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Biotechnologically produced organic chemicals
from biomass offer new potentials (2003-2005)
Making polymers and other organic chemicals from bio- Æ Project successes
mass could be a sustainable alternative to today’s reliance
on fossil fuels. Industrial biotechnology, also referred to as The main findings of the BREW study can be summarised
‘white biotechnology’, is already making considerable in- as follows:
roads in the production of pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals
and specialty chemicals, but questions remain about the Energy use is key. Using white biotechnology for bulk
scope and extent of its potential role in the manufacture chemicals production offers very substantial opportuni-
of bulk chemicals. In the Support Action BREW, a con- ties to reduce non-renewable energy use, greenhouse
sortium of six European institutes and nine large-scale gas emissions and related environmental impacts; but the
chemical companies studied which products might be made challenge is primarily economic. Most of the 14 products
in this way, and whether it could be environmentally studied already exhibit lower non-renewable energy use
preferential, economically attractive and acceptable in terms and greenhouse gas emissions when manufactured
of risks and public acceptance. biotechnologically, with maize as the feedstock. Greater
savings would be made if lignocellulosic feedstocks could
be used in the future, while fermentable cane sugar
Savings of non-renewable energy would be even more economical.
(1 PJ = 1 Petajoule = 1015 Joule = 23.9 million tons of oil equiv.)
8 000
7 000 Economic conditions crucial. In an unfavourable eco-
6 000 nomic climate (low oil prices, high sugar prices, etc.) the
5 000 share of bio-based chemicals remains marginal (see fig-
4 000
ure, case ‘LOW’). Under more favourable conditions – i.e.
3 000
2 000
up to 85 US$/barrel oil and 70-200 €/t fermentable sug-
1 000 ar, substantial technological innovation and 3.0 % p.a.
0 Non-renewable energy growth – by the year 2050 up to two thirds of the non-
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 savings and greenhouse gas renewable energy can be saved compared with the
High – Lignocellulosics emission reduction in the amount required to produce the same compounds from
High – Starch scenarios HIGH and LOW for petrochemical feedstocks. This equates to 7 600 PJ non-
Low
lignocellulosics and starch renewable energy use and to 480 million tonnes CO2
as feedstock (EU-25, until equivalents in the EU-25 (see figure, case ‘HIGH’).
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction
(million tonnes CO2 equivalents) year 2050).
600 Land use and Macroeconomic savings. Total land use
500 for bio-based chemical production is relatively low in
400 most scenarios. The economic assessment shows that
300
white biotechnology offers substantial macroeconomic
savings, reaching up to €75 billion by 2050.
200
100
0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
High – Lignocellulosics
High – Starch
Low
G5MA-CT-2002-00014 – BREW
Medium and long-term opportunities and risks of the biotechnological production of bulk chemicals from renewable
resources – the potential of white biotechnology
Total cost: €892 529 | EC contribution: €451 890
Project duration: January 2003 – April 2005 (28 months)
Coordinator: Martin K. Patel – Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 11
Spinal inserts relieve lower back pain (2001-2005)
Back pain is a major problem afflicting the workforce in Æ Bid to mimic natural tissues
industrialised countries today. Low back pain is the second
most common cause of missed work days and is the lead- Using a problem-solving approach, the partners of the
ing cause of disability between the ages 19-45. It is the DISC project aimed to carry out breakthrough research
most prevalent principal impairment in occupational inju- to mimic the natural structure of the disc tissues and to
ries, and eight out of ten people will have a problem with engineer biofunctional devices that would assure dura-
back pain at some time during their lives. Intervertebral bility, safety and easy surgical implantation. Additional
disc degeneration is one of the major causes of low back goals included the reduction of implant failure rates, an
pain. Currently available artificial disc implants for the spine increase in biocompatibility and minimisation of surgery
are less than ideal, because they require complex surgical time and costs.
procedures for placement, and are prone to wear and
degeneration.
Æ Project successes
Acellular nucleus substitutes. By its completion, the
PEGVS-peptide gels work had led to the development of two acellular inject-
loaded with bone able nucleus substitute materials: one was made from a
marrow stem cells: hyaluronic-acid-based photo-linked derivative; the other
14 days (left) and contained three main components – PEG-acrylate, PEG-
28 days in culture mercaptopropionate and a starter for polymerisation.
(right).
Stem-cell-loaded nucleus substitutes. One cell-loaded
nucleus material – the amide of hyaluronic acid (HYA) –
can act as a delivery system for nucleus and stem cells, and
is capable of supporting cell growth, as well as being
injectable, biocompatible, biodegradable and exhibiting
appropriate mechanical properties. A second, which is
a PEGVS-peptide hydrogel showing similar capabilities,
was also delivered under the project.
Intervertebral disc prostheses. An artificial disc was de-
HYA-based gel loaded Biomimetic Composite signed and prepared, consisting of two end-plates made
with bone marrow stem Intervertebral Disc of hydroxyapatite-reinforced polyethylene composite and
cells: 14 days in culture. Prosthesis. a composite hydrogel as annulus-nucleus system.
Cell culturing techniques. The partners developed tech-
niques for the isolation and culturing of marrow stem cells.
G5RD-CT-2000-00267 – DISC
Novel intervertebral disc prostheses
Total cost: €6 000 564 | EC contribution: €2 842 166
Project duration: January 2001 – July 2005 (54 months)
Coordinator: Luigi Ambrosio – National Research Council of Italy,
Istituto per i Materiali Compositi e Biomedici, Naples, Italy12 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Enzyme-based sensors allow bio-process optimisation
(2002-2006)
Affordable and rapid sensing techniques are required in Æ Extremely demanding criteria
many different fields: biotechnological processes for the
food, drinks and pharmaceutical industries; synthesis of The MATINOES project aimed to develop optical sensors
biofuels; waste processing and environmental protection. using enzymes as biochemical transducers incorporated
There is a need for continuous in situ monitoring of reac- into hybrid coatings placed on an optical surface. Desired
tants in biotechnological production processes, often under advantages include robustness to sterilisation procedures,
harsh reaction conditions, where analytes of interest include stability and reliability over an extended period, applica-
glucose, fructose, glycerol and oxygen. tion over a wide dynamic range, no interference with the
sterile barrier, insensitivity to protein adsorption and sur-
When such processes are controlled by off-line sampling face growth, and resistance to degradation or enzymatic
and remote analysis, the time delays in results feedback breakdown.
prevent optimisation. In some cases, the bio-reactants may
be too low in concentration or unsuitable for direct detec- The work comprised several stages:
tion, requiring enhancement by an appropriate transducer. • development of inorganic-organic hybrid coatings
But many transducers cannot directly measure bio-reactants (Ormocer®) to immobilise enzymes and fluorescent
due to interference by pH or temperature, making it neces- chemical transducers as claddings on optical compo-
sary to immobilise biomolecules as chemical transducers at nents such as lenses and fibres;
the detection site. • purification and modification of enzymes for immobi-
lisation into the optical coatings;
• development of optical detection systems for on-line
monitoring of bioreactions by fluorescence;
• testing of sensor prototypes in a laboratory biotechno-
logical reactor and in real biotechnological processes.
Laboratory bioreactor
with two MATINOES
probes (optical oxygen Æ Project successes
sensor and optical
glucose sensor). Layers optimised. Double and single layer coatings have
been optimised for immobilisation of enzymes for sens-
ing glucose over a concentration range of 0-30 mmol/l,
with a detection limit of 0.5 % (vol) and activity over
30 days in a bioreactor.
Sensor probe Target molecules detectable. Enzymes have been
deconstructed to show immobilised to sense sucrose, alcohols, lactose and
details of probe ending. D-amino acids.
Instruments tested. Instrumentation and sensors to
measure oxygen and glucose were installed in a fermen-
Tessellation of various optical tation vessel of industrial partner Moorepark, and the
sensors using enzymes glucose sensor was validated using fermented apple juice
as biochemical transducers, (cider) provided by a commercial cider producer.
incorporated into
hybrid coatings. Wide dissemination. The project generated over 50 pub-
lications and presentations; one patent was filed and
a DVD was produced to explain the sensor operation and
applications.
G5RD-CT-2002-00752 – MATINOES
Novel organic-inorganic materials in opto electronic systems for the monitoring and control of bio-processes
Total cost: €1 998 158 | EC contribution: €1 229 987
Project duration: November 2002 – March 2006 (39 months)
Coordinator: Patricia Scully – CEAS, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 13
Single-crystal superalloys make aero-engines safer (2002-2007)
The future operation of aero-engines and industrial gas tur- • characterisation of short and long crack propagation in
bines is closely linked with higher efficiency, lower costs and single-crystal superalloys. The experimental programme
increased safety. These requirements can be met as a result included simple and complex loading conditions as well
of improvements to both materials and design methods. as more complicated specimen geometries;
Because first-stage turbine blades and vanes are subjected • development of fracture mechanics methodologies to
to severe and complex thermo-mechanical loading under account for the behaviour of single crystals – including
degrading environmental conditions, their design has more advanced methods in terms of mechanistic models
a major impact on the engine as a whole. and local approaches to fracture that involve the coup-
ling between all the significant physical and mechanical
Significant progress in materials processing and enhanced processes;
properties has led to the use of single-crystal superalloys • application of these methodologies for the life assessment
in both small and large blades, with intricate cooling of single-crystal superalloy components, the service lives
arrangements. However, these materials can only be of which are controlled by short crack behaviour.
used to full advantage if improved and well-validated
life methodologies are introduced in the design and
maintenance stages. Æ Project successes
Improved life prediction methods will result in superior and Insight into parameters. Acquired creep-fatigue crack
lighter turbine components, with longer service life than growth data have established the effect of loading fea-
current design methods allow. This will lead to a reduction tures such as varying frequency, dwell period, temperature,
in the consumption of raw materials and also to a signifi- load ratio and the oxidising environment – as well as the
cant decrease of operating costs, since it will also increase role of crystallographic orientation, a key issue for the
the interval between costly replacement of parts. application of single crystal superalloys.
SEM micrograph of single
crystal superalloy along Design models producing results. Specific deformation
models are now well integrated in the finite element codes
the crack path.
Æ Understanding single-crystal
used by the industrial partners and can be applied in the
superalloys design assessment of actual components.
The goal of SOCRAX project was to determine how more Simulation reproduces damage modes. Creep-fatigue
efficient use could be made of single-crystal superalloys models based on fracture mechanics have been extended
in gas turbine blades for both aero-engines and land- and applied to single crystal superalloys, and mechanistic
based gas turbines. The specific objectives of the work models have been developed to simulate the complex
programme were: coupling of crack tip inelastic deformation, oxidation, local
damage and crack.
Predictions stand the test. The life prediction crack
Simulation of the plastic growth methods were finally validated on complex test-
wake zone due to crack piece geometries and loadings representative of actual
growth under loading aeronautical and industrial gas turbine components.
with overloads.
G5RD-CT-2002-00819 – SOCRAX
Expanding the limits of single crystal superalloys through short crack fracture mechanics analysis
Total cost: €3 438 112 | EC contribution: €2 096 740
Project duration: December 2002 – February 2007 (51 months)
Coordinator: Franck Gallerneau – Office National d’Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA),
Structure and Damage Mechanics Department, Châtillon, FranceÆ Success stories in FP6
Types Count of Sum of Eff
Contracts Contract Amount
CA 2 €1.5 million
IP 16 €158.3 million
IP SME 2 €6.8 million
NoE 14 €102.9 million
SSA 9 €2.3 million
STREP 99 €186.4 million
Grand Total 142 €458.2 million
CA = Coordination Actions
IP = Integrated Projects
IP SME = Integrated Projects dedicated
to Small and Medium Enterprises
NoE = Networks of Excellence
SSA = Specific Support Actions
STREP = Specific Targeted Research Projects
The 142 projects supported correspond to the following
topics published in the calls:
• Knowledge-based multifunctional materials
• Development of fundamental knowledge
• Understanding materials phenomena
• Modelling and design of multi-functional materials
• Interfacial phenomena in materials
• New generation of tools for advanced materials characterisation
• Methods of computational modelling of multifunctional materials
• Technologies associated with the production, transformation and processing
of knowledge-based multifunctional materials and biomaterials
• Mastering chemistry and creating new processing pathways
for multifunctional materials
• Surface and interface science and engineering
• Materials processing by radically innovative technologies
• Development of nanostructured materials
• ‘Intelligent‘ biomaterials for tissue repair and regeneration
• Tribology-related surface engineering for multifunctional materials
• Advanced materials processing
• Development of nanostructured porous materials
• Multifunctional ceramic thin films with radically new properties
• Engineering support for materials development
• New materials by design
• New knowledge-based higher performance materials for macro-scale applications
• Materials by design: bio-inspired materials and organic/inorganic hybrid materials
• New knowledge-based higher performance multi-materials
for macro-scale applications
• Measurement and testing of new multi-functional materials
• Mapping and foresight activities on multi-functional materials
• Materials by design: multifunctional organic materials
• Materials for solid state ionics16 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Multifunctional nano-materials sourced from renewable cellulose
(2004-2006)
In the AEROCELL project, ten partners from universities, The overall objective was to understand the various ways
research institutions, SMEs and industry focused on of producing aerocellulose, and subsequently to tailor the
producing completely new types of ultra-light nano- process to the requirements of a series of applications:
or submicroporous multifunctional cellulose materials • a carrier system for detergents, cosmetics or nutrition;
(collectively described as ‘aerocellulose’) that might be • a carbon cylinder for electrochemical uses;
used for packaging, batteries, electrodes for fuel cells, • a biodegradable and compostable material.
super-capacitors, encapsulation for cosmetics and nutrition,
thermal insulation and much more.
Æ Project successes
Æ New research correlations Samples characterised. More than 500 aerocellulose sam-
ples were produced and characterised. A major problem of
This project is a good illustration of the need to bring shrinkage during supercritical CO2 drying was addressed
together multidisciplinary teams to prepare new advanced and remedied by an optimised drying process.
materials based on integrated knowledge, inventing novel
processes and opening new application fields for bio- Pyrolysis loss reduced. Another problem of enormous
degradable materials from renewable resources. Preparation mass loss (A DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 17
Interactive materials beat bottlenecks to new pharmaceuticals
(2004-2008)
The market for biopharmaceuticals is growing fast – and In order to establish such design procedures, the Integrated
continued research advances plus projects in the pipeline Project AIMs combined multidisciplinary expertise from
are likely to foster further growth. An ageing population 24 scientific and industrial partners representing 12 Euro-
and the associated increase in diseases like cancer and pean countries to:
disorders of the cardiovascular, autoimmune and central • design new interactive materials with improved perform-
nervous systems provide significant demand for new ance in the purification of monoclonal antibodies;
biopharmaceuticals. With oncology as the focal point for • improve understanding of material/product interaction by
many biotechnological projects, the use of monoclonal experimentally validated molecular modelling strategies;
antibodies to target specific cells is an area of particular • develop new purification technologies with high capacity;
interest. • integrate material and process design to enhance process
efficiency at an early development stage;
• establish reliable computer-aided design strategies with
Æ Beating the bottlenecks high flexibility.
However, the emerging drugs also pose a challenge for
the global healthcare system, since their production is Æ Project successes
expensive and capacities are limited. Recent develop-
ments in the production of cell supernatants have shifted Enhanced separation media produced. New chroma-
the bottleneck towards the purification part of the pro- tographic beads with tuneable properties and enhanced
cess. Effective technologies are needed to provide fast, mechanical stability were developed and produced, as
cost-effective and sustainable design of downstream were affinity membranes with open pore structures of
processes for new biopharmaceuticals. significantly enhanced capacity.
Interactions predicted. The partners predicted the inter-
action between support, ligand, and product for different
types of system.
Working systems developed. As well as developing
a continuous chromatographic unit for the purification
SEM image of an of monoclonal antibodies with ion-exchange materials,
affinity membrane with the team developed and scaled-up a multi-stage aqueous
© SARTORIOUS AG
open pore structure. two-phase extraction unit for the purification of mono-
clonal antibodies.
Process modelling accomplished. New computer
models permitted detailed investigation of the chromato-
graphic, membrane separation and extraction processes.
Final structure of the system IgG
(green), ligand (orange), linker
© POLITECNICO DI MILANO
(yellow), and support (blue).
NMP3-CT-2004-500160 – AIMs
Advanced interactive materials by design
Total cost: €19 712 232 | EC contribution: €11 400 544
Project duration: April 2004 – March 2008 (48 months)
Coordinator: Andrzej Górak – University of Dortmund, Germany18 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Advanced surface technology makes turbines more efficient
(2004-2006)
Raising the efficiency of turbines by increasing their work- The detailed project objectives were to:
ing temperatures is of key importance in both the energy • enhance coating adhesion strength by simultaneously
generation and aeronautical fields. A breakthrough has melting the coating and the substrate surface;
been provided by the development of thermal barrier • reach surface coating densities and toughness close
coatings (TBC) deposited by plasma spray. With the use to the theoretical bulk values by extremely fast surface
of new e-beam-based technologies, significant further quenching from the melt without affecting the substrate
improvement can be expected. material;
• obtain hitherto unavailable chemical coating compositions
by combining multilayer coating and surface alloying;
• develop a self-diagnostic coating (or sensor coating) by
Æ Innovative surface
insertion of luminescent oxides in the yttria-stabilized
engineering zirconia (YSZ) top layer;
• derive a methodology for ‘on-line’ temperature measure-
In the ASTERIXE project, 11 partners from five European ment employing the above-mentioned sensor coatings in
countries aimed to develop innovative surface treatments EBPVD production technology.
leading to high performance barrier coatings suitable
for operation in high temperature, highly corrosive envi-
ronments under high mechanical stress conditions. They Æ Project successes
sought to open new routes to surface engineering by
combining electron beam physical vapour deposition PEB treatment densification was shown to double bond-
(EBPVD) coating and a pulsed electron beam (PEB) surface coat lifetime, while an additional improvement was obtained
post-treatment process. by Zr surface alloying. Dopant insertion improved the
TBC stability, enabling it to withstand temperatures up to
1 500 °C.
The feasibility of on-line temperature measurement at
up to 1 400 °C inside a thermal barrier sensor coating
Samples under realistic produced by EBPVD was achieved with suitable dopant
test conditions. insertion. This significantly exceeds the initial project tar-
get of 800 °C. The ability to monitor the thermal history
of the TBC using the sensor coating technology was also
demonstrated.
These very promising results related to both bond-coat
and YSZ layers open the way for a new generation of
thermal barrier coating systems of advanced and multiple
functionality.
NMP3-CT-2003-505953 – ASTERIXE
Development of advanced surface technology for extended resistance in extreme environment
Total cost: €2 768 847 | EC contribution: €1 638 667
Project duration: January 2004 – December 2006 (36 months)
Coordinator: Pierre Juliet – CEA – Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique, Grenoble, FranceA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 19
Bioartificial pancreas could end insulin injections for diabetics
(2004-2006)
Four to five million people in Europe and about 80 million Device tested in mini-pig. Two new models of type 1
worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes characterised by diabetic pig were developed. Sterile macrodevices were
deficient insulin secretion and resulting in hyperglycaemia implanted into normal mini-pigs and their biocompatibil-
(an elevated concentration of glucose in the blood). ity studied after up to 92 days of implantation. Despite the
This doubles the risk of death from coronary diseases and induction of fibrosis, there was no observable inflamma-
can lead to acquired blindness or chronic renal failure. tory response, nor any significant effect on the peripheral
immune system.
Apart from transplantation of the pancreas or of pancre-
atic tissue ‘islets’, the only form of therapy is to administer Conditioning, sterilization and packaging. A method
insulin by daily multi-injections or implantable pumps. for the preparation of human pancreatic islets led to clear-
ance of contaminants in 94 % of cases, thus demonstrating
Several research groups have developed methods to the feasibility to provide islets for seeding. Ethylene oxide
gather large numbers of pancreas islets from pigs. Unfor- (EtO) was used to sterilize the membranes and the various
tunately, transplantation of these into humans would parts of the device. Specifications for storage and shipping
induce a severe immune rejection, which can probably only in the presence of fluorocarbon were defined.
be avoided by encapsulating them within protective semi-
permeable membranes. Alternative insulin-secreting cells evaluated. Novel
insulin-secreting cells were evaluated and two selected:
As around one million islets are required to restore the gly- RINm5F-GK and MING capable of forming pseudo-islets.
caemic balance of a typical diabetic, this is far from simple. It proved easily possible to accommodate up to several
Various encapsulation methods have been explored in the hundreds of such pseudo-islets in the device.
past, but with only limited success. The BARP+ project
investigated a new system that shows great potential. Graft survival confirmed. Studies demonstrated that col-
lagen had no effect on the viability and functionality of
VEGF effect on vascularisation The goal was to develop a prototype bioartificial pancreas islets. Fluorocarbons were shown to have a beneficial
at the membrane surface suitable for encapsulation of insulin-secreting tissue and effect on tissue preservation and, by preventing cell adhe-
after seven days, respectively small enough for implantation into the human body. sion, to improve cell viability. Moreover, these emulsions
without (above) and with The device is required to provide selective permeability promoted the formation of insulin-producing pseudo-islets
(below) addition to insulin and glucose, while excluding other molecules from ß-cell lines.
of growth factor. responsible for rejection or unwanted toxic effects.
Further development of the device. Membrane
improvement followed two axes: new treatments of the
Æ Project successes polycarbonate film; and conception, testing and devel-
opment of intelligent multilayers. Addition of vascular
Prototype developed. Islets of animal origin were enclosed endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to the surface treatment
in a device formed by a support and a polycarbonate mem- of the membrane or its inclusion in a multilayer established
brane, with an extra-cellular matrix in the encapsulation at the surface induced neo-vascularisation of the system.
chamber to prevent aggregation of the islets. By association A second generation device was manufactured, including
Effect of fluorocarbons of 20 devices in a plate-type support, it was possible to inlets and outlets, with an integrated system of septa to
on cell adhesion. implant up to 20 000 pancreatic islets, as necessary for drain the old material and fill with fresh cells.
testing on a mini-pig.
NMP3-CT-2003-505614 – BARP+
Development of a bioartificial pancreas for type 1 diabetes therapy
Total cost: €3 622 479 | EC contribution: €2 495 600
Project duration: January 2004 – December 2006 (36 months)
Coordinator: Alain Belcourt – CeeD – Centre Européen d’Études du Diabète, Strasbourg, France20 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Nanostructured superconductors pave the way to high
temperature/high magnetic field applications (2005-2008)
High temperature superconductivity is a key enabling tech- In order to achieve these characteristics, the HIPERCHEM
nology for the development of efficient electrical energy project focused on four main areas:
management incorporating renewable energy sources, • advancing the knowledge of the growth of epitaxial
for use in new medical technologies based on magnetic superconducting layers based on two chemical solution
resonance or, in the longer term, in fusion generators. deposition methodologies – metal-organic decomposition
This vision relies on achieving cost-effective conductors and hybrid liquid phase epitaxy;
with high performance at high temperatures in high • preparing nanostructured interfacial oxide templates,
magnetic fields. based on strain-induced self-assembling or track-etched
polymer coatings, which can generate a network of
The goal of mass fabrication of superconducting tapes artificial defects in the superconducting layer acting as
at low cost can be achieved with innovative chemical vortex pinning centres;
solution deposition methodologies, where a multilayered • developing innovative chemical solution processing
structure is generated on a metallic substrate, leading methodologies for the preparation of epitaxial supercon-
to new types of tape known as ‘coated conductors’. ducting film nanocomposites ensuring vortex pinning at
high film thickness;
The architecture of these conductors needs to be as simple • generating simple coated conductor architectures inte-
as possible to minimise manufacturing costs, but supercon- grating the most promising nanostructuring approaches
ducting layers based on the compound YBa2Cu3O7 must for scaled-up production with excellent specifications.
be nanostructured in order to achieve high performance.
Current carrying capacities 100 times higher than those of
copper wires can be achieved. Æ Project successes
World-beating nanocomposites. YBa2Cu3O7-BaZrO3
nanocomposite superconducting films produced by chemi-
cal processing achieved world record performance in terms
of vortex pinning efficiency.
TEM micrograph of a superconducting
nanocomposite. Nanodots of BaZrO3 Structures compatible with epitaxial growth. Oxide
(~10-20 nm) are randomly distributed within nanostructures were prepared by self-assembling and by
a superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 matrix, which track-etched polymer template growth based on chemical
becomes strongly disordered. Non-coherent solution methods. Both interfacial structures are compat-
interfaces promote the formation of ible with the growth of epitaxial superconducting layers.
intergrowths, dislocations and plane buckling,
strongly modifying the nanostructure and Rapid growth rates. Superconducting films (above 1 μm),
superconducting properties. were produced at high growth rates (above 1 nm/s) with
high quality epitaxial structure and high critical currents
by chemical solution processing methods.
Large-scale manufacture possible. Simplified conduc-
tor architectures have been obtained for different types
of flexible metallic substrate that enhance the large-scale
manufacturability of the coated conductors.
NMP3-CT-2005-516858 – HIPERCHEM
High performance nanostructured coated conductors by chemical processing
Total cost: €2 341 350 | EC contribution: €1 700 000
Project duration: April 2005 – December 2008 (45 months)
Coordinator: Xavier Obradors – ICMAB – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona, SpainA DECADE OF EU-FUNDED RESEARCH 21
Bioprocessing improves on natural materials (2004-2007)
Over millions of years, nature has evolved fibrous materi- In particular, new applications developed for poultry
als such as wool, silk, leather and feather, with unique feather were shown to offer opportunities for its commer-
physical and chemical structures giving rise to remarkable cial use as a valuable fibre and protein stream. It can thus
combinations of surface and bulk properties. The HIPER- now be regarded as a novel sustainable material, rather than
MAX project team sought to build on these matrices as a waste by-product destined for landfill or burning, with
through bioprocess engineering, introducing innovative all of the associated environmental impact.
enzymatic technologies to modify and improve the estab-
lished materials with a view to their exploitation in various
industrial sectors. Æ Project successes
The project covered five main areas: Target groups identified. New knowledge has been
• analysis and definition of the accessibility of target acquired on the accessibility of target groups for tyrosi-
groups in the natural proteins e.g. amino, hydroxyl, sulf- nase in silk and wool proteins; available transglutaminase
hydryl, carboxyl or carboxamide; enzymes suitable for protein modification; and the
• screening for novel enzymes to catalyse the modification availability of glutamine in wool fibres and leather for
of surface and bulk properties of the protein matrices, fol- transglutaminase (TGase).
lowed by production of those enzymes at pilot scale;
• mechanistic investigations of the enzymatic reactions on Production process innovation. Several important pro-
modelled and real substrates; cess advances were achieved:
• exploitation of novel enzymes for surface and bulk • fibre processing technologies using mixed feather pulps
modification of the protein matrices in order to develop permitted the manufacture of novel packaging materials
engineered materials. such as egg cartons and plant pots that were of compa-
rable quality, if not better, than commercial products;
• phenol- and thiol-containing functional molecules were
incorporated in wool and silk fibres using Trichoderma
tyrosinase;
• enzyme-catalysed functionalisation enabled anti-odour
compounds to be incorporated into leather;
• silk protein-polysaccharide bioconjugates and cross-
linked silk fibroin-gelatin blend films were produced;
• enzyme-catalysed functionalisation of protein-contain-
ing nerve grafts proved possible.
Novel enzyme products. Five novel bacterial TGase genes
were cloned; novel tyrosinase was derived from Tricho-
derma reesei; new sulphydryl oxidases (SOX) were screened
and Aspergillus oryzae SOX was fully characterised.
Wool fibre with grafted gliadin via Prototype egg mould produced
TGase catalysis (bound gliadin was from mixed feather pulp.
detected using a gliadin-specific
antibody and an FITC-labelled
secondary antibody).
NMP3-CT-2003-505790 – HIPERMAX
High performance industrial protein matrices through bioprocessing
Total cost: €4 257 412 | EC contribution: €2 997 283
Project duration: March 2004 – May 2007 (39 months)
Coordinator: Elisabeth Heine – DWI an der RWTH Aachen e.V., Aachen, Germany22 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S I N T H E M AT E R I A L S F I E L D
Novel intermetallic alloys for ‘green’ applications (2004-2009)
Intermetallic alloys are compounds of two or more met- Æ Experiments in space
als, having a variety of attractive properties that can be
exploited in industrial products. Two specific examples Experiments performed in a space environment, such as
under study in the IMPRESS Integrated Project are light- on board the International Space Station or other plat-
weight TiAl alloys and catalytic NiAl powders. forms available to the ESA, provide the team with unique
benchmark samples. They yield critical information about
This five-year initiative brings together a multi-disciplinary microstructural evolution, hydrodynamic effects and defect
team of 160 experts from across Europe and Russia, under formation during the solidification of these special alloys.
the coordination of the European Space Agency (ESA). Its Other space experiments will deliver precise thermo-
scientific objective is to understand the critical links between physical property data unattainable on the ground. The
the processing, structure and properties of these novel combination of experiments, theory, space research and
intermetallic materials. Technologically, the goals are to predictive computer modelling will greatly aid industry in
produce lighter TiAl turbine blades for use in aero-engines its quest to develop the next generation of products.
and stationary gas turbines, and advanced NiAl catalytic
powders for incorporation into hydrogen fuel cells and
hydrogenation reactors. In addition, an ultimate environ- Æ Project successes
mental aim is to develop high-value products that can
significantly reduce CO2 and NOx pollution, in line with the New casting techniques. Mid-way through the project,
Kyoto Protocol and future policies. investment casting techniques have been developed for
the production of prototype TiAl-based turbine blades
for high-temperature application. A patented alloy and
heat treatment process have also been developed, ena-
bling higher performance turbine blades.
Novel hydrogenation catalysts. Production of micro-
metric and nanometric NiAl-based powders using gas
atomisation and vapour synthesis processes has also been
Turbine blades produced by realised. These catalysts have tuneable structures that
centrifugal investment casting. make them useful for a variety of hydrogenation reac-
tions in the chemical industry.
Space tests performed. Launch of the TEXUS 43 and
© ACCESS
44 sounding rockets, with an onboard electromagnetic
levitation device in weightless conditions, permitted pre-
cise measurement of various liquid alloy properties as
a function of temperature and under cooling.
Development of validated computer models of alloy
Electromagnetic levitation solidification, casting and powder production are further
device flown onboard a TEXUS results of the space experimentation.
sounding rocket.
© DLR
NMP3-CT-2004-500635 – IMPRESS
Intermetallic materials processing in relation to earth and space solidification
Total cost: €41 000 000 | EC contribution: €15 887 797
Project duration: November 2004 – October 2009 (60 months)
Coordinator: David Jarvis – European Space Agency, Noordwijk, the NetherlandsYou can also read
