Advanced Material Uses

Material selection in hydrogen environments is critical. Atomic hydrogen diffuses through a material’s matrix, migrates and accumulates at grain boundaries (creating pressure), and weakens the material by promoting cracking and reduced ductility. It’s like the tiny sugar ants in your house — hydrogen finds every crack and crevice. And like those ants, hydrogen-induced cracking can spread quickly, even in materials that are normally very ductile. NASA (Jonathan Lee) published an excellent reference summarizing alloys that are susceptible or tolerant in hydrogen service (https://lnkd.in/esPAHaX9). Copper, aluminum alloys, and some stainless steels generally perform well, but extreme environments—like rocket engines—demand specialized materials. NASA has led materials development and unique testing for decades to help solve this problem. In recent years, NASA and industry partners advanced NASA HR-1, a high-temperature alloy designed for high-pressure, hydrogen-rich environments (“HR” stands for hydrogen resistance) produced using additive manufacturing (AM). With growing interest in hydrogen across various industries, we’re maturing this alloy and expanding the body of knowledge. Material development and characterization efforts are led by Colton Katsarelis and Po-Shou Chen. Here are a some of our papers with more in work: https://lnkd.in/efUgSmaH https://lnkd.in/eiGyvTes https://lnkd.in/eD_SUwPq https://lnkd.in/eXHBPW3u https://lnkd.in/gNVHBqSF https://lnkd.in/ebyiJ6F3 https://lnkd.in/eA_2HRVP https://lnkd.in/eUfsWQMz https://lnkd.in/ewf8k_GE https://lnkd.in/eXHBPW3u https://lnkd.in/epcZyres https://lnkd.in/e9spTNe9 #additive #3Dprinting #hydrogen #sustainability #additivemanufacturing #rockets #nasa #aerospace #energy NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Everyone talks about semiconductor chips. Almost nobody talks about the ceramics that make those chips possible. A modern semiconductor fab contains dozens of precision ceramic components operating in some of the harshest manufacturing environments on Earth. High temperatures. Reactive plasmas. Corrosive chemicals. Extreme vacuum conditions. Without advanced ceramics, chip manufacturing simply stops. Here are just a few ceramic components found inside semiconductor fabs: 🔹 Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) 🔹 Focus Rings 🔹 Gas Distribution Plates (Showerheads) 🔹 Wafer Lift Pins 🔹 Edge Rings 🔹 Chamber Liners 🔹 Insulator Rings 🔹 Process Kits 🔹 Ceramic Bearings 🔹 Wafer Guides 🔹 CMP Components 🔹 Vacuum Break Components 🔹 RF Isolation Parts 🔹 Quartz and Ceramic Boats 🔹 Pedestal Components And that's just scratching the surface. In total, more than 50 different ceramic parts can be found across deposition, etch, lithography, CMP, ion implantation, diffusion, and packaging equipment. Why ceramics? Because they offer: ✅ High temperature stability ✅ Plasma resistance ✅ Chemical inertness ✅ Electrical insulation ✅ Ultra-low contamination ✅ Exceptional dimensional accuracy Materials commonly used include: • Alumina (Al₂O₃) • Aluminum Nitride (AlN) • Silicon Carbide (SiC) • Yttria (Y₂O₃) • Quartz • Zirconia (ZrO₂) The opportunity for India? As India builds fabs, OSAT facilities, display fabs, and compound semiconductor plants, demand for semiconductor-grade ceramics will grow rapidly. Most discussions focus on chips. But the real opportunity often lies in the thousands of components that make chip manufacturing possible. A nation that masters semiconductor consumables, materials, and equipment parts gains far more than manufacturing capacity. It gains supply chain resilience. Precision ceramics may never make headlines. But they are one of the most important building blocks of the semiconductor industry. #Semiconductor #AdvancedMaterials #PrecisionCeramics #Manufacturing #MakeInIndia #DeepTech #ChipManufacturing #MaterialsScience #IndiaSemiconductor #SupplyChain ~~~~ If you are looking to invest in semiconductors and need expert insights, drop us a DM.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released their report on “Geopolitics of the energy transition: Critical materials”. Loads to unpack in the report, so have made some useful pointers here. 🔥The Energy transition will be mineral- and metal-intensive. As the transition progresses, demand for many materials is projected to grow. Already, a mismatch between supply and demand for several minerals is evident, with particularly high levels observed for lithium. 🔥Assessment of the criticality of materials is dynamic and continuously changing owing to economic, geopolitical and technological factors. The definitions of critical materials are not universally acepted and factors for determining criticality remain subjective and location-specific which compounds the problem. 🔥There is no scarcity of reserves for energy transition minerals, but capabilities for mining and refining them are limited. In the short to medium term, market constraints are likely to emerge, partly due to underinvestment in upstream activities. 🔥The mining and processing landscape of critical materials is geographically concentrated, with a select group of countries playing a dominant role. In the mining of critical materials, dominant positions are held by Australia (lithium), Chile (copper and lithium), China (graphite, rare earths), the Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt), Indonesia (nickel) and South Africa (platinum, iridium). This concentration becomes even more pronounced in the processing stage, with China currently accounting for 100% of the refined supply of natural graphite and dysprosium (a rare earth element), 70% of cobalt, and almost 60% of lithium and manganese. 🔥Supply chains are currently vulnerable to diverse geopolitical risks. Interruptions in the supply of minerals can affect multiple industries and reverberate throughout the economy. Supply shortages and related risks could arise, particularly in the short to medium term, as demand for selected materials increases, and mining and processes remain concentrated. 🔥Helping developing countries to realise new opportunities in supply chains could improve resilience while narrowing the global decarbonisation divide. A key question is whether the energy transition supports developing countries to not just increase their exports of primary ores but to also move up the value chain and attract higher-margin activities such as mineral processing. 🔥Regional co-operation could help countries capture a greater share of the value of producing minerals. Rather than pursuing one-on-one deals with - often - foreign companies, co-ordinated regional approaches could be more effective in ensuring that conditions attached to foreign investment are favourable for mineral rich countries. 🔥A renewables-based energy transition, if well-planned and executed, can rewrite the legacy of extractive industries. #renewableenergy #energytransition #minerals #mining

🌍 Material Selection in Piping Systems – Engineering Beyond Copy-Paste! Selecting piping materials isn’t just about following a catalogue—it’s about making the right engineering judgment to ensure safety, reliability, and lifecycle cost efficiency. Every project, environment, and process condition demands a tailored approach. 🔑 Key Factors in Material Selection: ✅ Pressure & Temperature Ratings → Compliance with ASME B31.3, B31.4, B31.8. ✅ Corrosion Resistance → NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 for sour service; protection against H₂S, CO₂, chlorides. ✅ Mechanical Strength → Verified by ASTM impact testing and Charpy V-notch toughness. ✅ Weldability & Fabrication → Preheat, PWHT, filler compatibility, hardness control. ✅ Cost vs. Performance → Striking a balance between upfront CAPEX and long-term OPEX. ✅ Service Environment → From cryogenic to high-temp, seawater to sour hydrocarbons. 💡Common Material Choices in EPC Projects: 🔹Carbon Steel (ASTM A106, A53, API 5L) → The workhorse material for oil, gas, and steam; cost-effective but prone to corrosion → requires coatings/inhibitors. 🔹Low-Temperature Carbon Steel (ASTM A333 Gr.6) → Maintains toughness down to -45°C, making it essential for LNG and cryogenic service. 🔹Stainless Steels (304L, 316L, 321, 347) → Ideal for corrosive environments; 316L provides superior chloride resistance. 🔹Duplex & Super Duplex (2205, 2507) → Excellent combination of strength and chloride resistance; critical for subsea pipelines and risers, but requires strict welding controls. 🔹Low Alloy Steels (ASTM A335 P-Grades, A182 F-Grades) → Designed for high-temperature service in refineries and power plants with improved creep resistance. 🔹Copper-Nickel Alloys (90/10, 70/30) → Preferred in seawater cooling, desalination, and marine environments due to outstanding resistance to marine biofouling. 🔹Nickel Alloys & CRAs (Monel, Inconel, Hastelloy) → Extreme corrosion resistance in chemical plants, offshore topsides, and high-temp oxidation service—high cost but unmatched performance. 🔹Non-Metallics (HDPE, PVC, FRP, GRE) → Corrosion-free alternatives for utilities, drainage, and firewater systems; lightweight but limited by temperature/pressure. 🔹Clad & Lined Pipes (SS/Inconel clad CS, GRE lined) → Cost-effective solution for sour service and aggressive environments, combining CS strength with alloy corrosion resistance. 💡 Bottom Line: Right material selection = Safe Operation + Longer Service Life + Cost Optimization. This decision is not made in isolation—it requires collaboration between process, mechanical, materials, and quality teams, backed by standards and project-specific risk assessments. ✨ Found this helpful? 🔔 Follow me Krishna Nand Ojha, and my mentor Govind Tiwari,PhD for insights on Quality Management, Continuous Improvement, and Strategic Leadership Let’s grow and lead the quality revolution together! 🌟 #Piping #MaterialSelection #Engineering #OilAndGas #EPC #Quality #Corrosion #Reliability

Severe Corrosion Effects on Fasteners Observation: The footage presents a concerning view of fasteners, specifically bolts and screws, that have undergone severe corrosion. The corrosion has progressed to the extent that these fasteners are fully cut and have completely failed, posing a significant risk to structural integrity and safety. Corrosion-Resistant Fasteners and Bolt Types: 1. Stainless Steel Bolts: Highly resistant to rust and ideal for high-moisture environments, ensuring durability in structural applications. 2. Galvanized Steel Bolts: Zinc-coated to resist corrosion, significantly extending their lifespan in harsh environments. 3. Nickel-Plated Bolts: Offer good corrosion resistance, suitable for varied applications requiring both aesthetic and functional integrity. 4. Titanium Bolts: Exceptionally resistant to corrosion, perfect for marine and harsh industrial conditions. 5. Polymer-Coated Bolts: Epoxy-coated fasteners providing enhanced corrosion resistance for diverse applications. Safety Concerns: 1. Compromised Structural Integrity: The complete failure of fasteners due to corrosion means the structure they support is at high risk of collapse or failure under load. 2. Immediate Danger: There is a high risk of catastrophic failure, which can lead to significant property damage and potential loss of life. 3. Operational Hazards: Corroded fasteners are difficult to inspect and maintain, increasing the risk of sudden, unexpected failures during operation. Recommendations: 1. Immediate Action: Replace all corroded fasteners with corrosion-resistant alternatives to prevent imminent failures. 2. Material Upgrade: Use stainless steel, galvanized steel, or titanium fasteners based on environmental conditions and load needs. 3. Protective Coatings: Apply zinc, epoxy, or other corrosion-resistant coatings to new fasteners. 4. Environmental Controls: Reduce exposure to moisture, salt, and corrosive agents with dehumidifiers or barriers. 5. Routine Inspections: Establish a strict inspection schedule to catch early signs of corrosion. 6. Load Analysis: Ensure new fasteners can handle required loads without failure. 7. Training and Awareness: Educate personnel on corrosion prevention, early detection, and timely interventions. Conclusion: The severe corrosion observed is a serious structural and safety concern. It requires immediate intervention to replace the compromised fasteners with corrosion-resistant alternatives, implement protective measures, and establish regular inspection and maintenance protocols. This proactive approach will help maintain the structural integrity and safety of the environment, preventing potential catastrophic failures. #Engineering #CorrosionPrevention #StructuralSafety #Fasteners #MaterialUpgrade #InspectionSchedule #ProtectiveCoatings #GalvanizedSteel #StainlessSteel #TitaniumBolts #RiskManagement #Maintenance #SafetyFirst #LoadAnalysis #EnvironmentalControl

A fighter jet is not just engineering. It’s a supply chain map. The IISS recently published a breakdown of the materials used in an advanced combat aircraft. Aluminium. Titanium. Gallium. Neodymium. Dysprosium. Samarium. And extensive use of structural composites. What we are looking at is not only aerospace technology. It is industrial dependency. Each element represents: • geographic concentration • refining bottlenecks • energy intensity • political exposure Composites, for instance, are not just about weight reduction. They represent chemical know-how, process control, certification capability, advanced manufacturing depth. We often talk about innovation as if it were mainly software. But advanced industry is still very physical. Very material. Very supply-chain intensive. And increasingly exposed. The real competitive advantage for nations — and for companies — is no longer only design excellence. It is control over critical materials, processes and industrial ecosystems. What looks like a fighter jet is actually a map of global interdependence. And of strategic risk.

We Need to Talk About Rare Earths — and Why Your Q4 Plans Might Be in Jeopardy After 28 years in semiconductors, I’ve seen vulnerabilities we’ve learned to live with—but shouldn’t have. Three days ago, China dramatically expanded its rare earth export controls: ➡️ Five new elements added to the restricted list ➡️ Dozens of refining technologies now controlled ➡️ Foreign companies using Chinese materials or tools now need Chinese export licenses—even with no Chinese firms involved Defense? Denied outright. Advanced semiconductors (14nm and below)? Case-by-case. These rules take effect November 8. Let that sink in—Beijing now has approval authority over parts of your production line. Over 90% of rare earth processing happens in China. For heavy rare earths? It’s 100%. Last April’s restrictions drove 40–65% price spikes. This new round is broader, more targeted, and has extraterritorial reach we’ve never seen before. Yes, we’re making progress—Neuron Magnetics’ rare-earth-free designs, Tesla’s 25% reduction, the Pentagon’s $439M push—but we’re still producing <1% of China’s 2018 output. We optimized for cost. Now we’re paying for fragility. Supply chain diversification isn’t strategy anymore—it’s survival. Are you adapting, hedging, or still assessing the impact? Let’s discuss. #Semiconductors #SupplyChain #Manufacturing #RareEarths #IndustryInsights #ChipShortage

Energy is one of the key research and innovation priorities identified in the Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership, published by the Commission last month. Advanced materials can help in the energy transition by decreasing production costs, increasing efficiency, and making production more sustainable (for instance by using lower amounts of critical raw materials).   At the JRC we are looking closely at the gap between demand and innovation, with a particular focus on high-impact areas and supply chain resilience. Advanced materials can be good for innovation in many clean energy technologies, but they often face barriers to widespread adoption. We need to ensure that more efficient, sustainable alternatives reach the market faster.   Our latest science for policy brief deals with how advanced materials can decrease the use of critical raw materials in clean energy technologies. This would make our supply chains more resilient and increase the EU’s strategic autonomy.   In particular, optimising the properties and composition of materials could lead to:   - the elimination of cobalt and nickel from electric-vehicle batteries, and possibly even replacing lithium with sodium; - the steady reduction of rare-earth content in permanent magnets for wind turbine generators; - the introduction of new chemical solvents for carbon dioxide capture with improved environmental and thermodynamic performance, such as ionic liquids.   We are preparing a full report to be published this autumn, so stay tuned!   Read the brief here: https://lnkd.in/eP9GbpdZ   Nicola Magnani, Patrícia Alves Dias, Guillermo Martínez Castilla , Evdokia Tapoglou, Teodor Kuzov, Johan Carlsson, Michalis Christou, EU Science, Research and Innovation #AdvancedMaterials #CriticalRawMaterials #SupplyChains #EnergyTransition

Rare earth elements are suddenly everywhere, and not just in mining reports or geopolitical headlines. They have become central to everything from EV motors and wind turbines to smartphones and defense systems. But the deeper you go, the more complicated the story becomes. The extraction process is environmentally destructive, the supply chains are highly concentrated, and there are very few scalable alternatives. In my latest Substack post, I explore why REEs (rare earth elements) are becoming a critical bottleneck in deep tech innovation. More importantly, I highlight how startups are stepping in with real solutions. Here are a few insights: - Permanent magnets, which rely heavily on REEs, are at the core of EV motors and wind turbine generators. - Extracting REEs is harmful to the environment, often producing radioactive waste and toxic byproducts. - The global supply is concentrated in a small number of countries, which adds strategic and political risk. Fortunately, innovation is happening: Companies like Niron Magnetics, Inc., Phoenix Tailings, Turntide Technologies, and others are proving that cleaner tech isn’t just possible, it’s scalable. The rare earth challenge is not only a materials science issue. It is also a design problem, a systems problem, and a supply chain problem. As with many foundational shifts in technology, the most promising solutions are coming from startups that are reimagining how things are built. If you are working at the intersection of deep tech, climate, and advanced manufacturing, this is a topic you will want to watch. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/g4Y9HtgJ #DeepTech #ClimateTech #RareEarths #AdvancedManufacturing #Startups #VC #EVs #Sustainability #HardwareInnovation