Project
SURFERA-PLUS is established as a consortium whose mission is the creation of scientific and technological value in the field of **surface and coating technologies**, providing innovative added value to the Spanish industrial fabric through the research, development, and transfer of new advanced products and services. The NETWORK also aims to consolidate itself as a **centre of excellence** recognised both nationally and internationally by industry and the R&D ecosystem, through the generation of joint activities in applied research, technological training, exploitation, internationalisation, and co-creation-based societal communication.
The NETWORK defines a global strategy aimed at achieving scientific-technological excellence objectives, industrial R&D positioning objectives, scientific and technological staff training objectives, and international projection objectives, structured around two major lines of work:
Coatings for extreme conditions, through (a) coatings for protection against high temperatures, corrosive environments, and extreme load; (b) surfaces and coatings for friction and wear under extreme contact; (c) microstructured coatings for applications subjected to high friction and corrosivity; (d) barrier coatings for critical gases; and
Intelligent surfaces and coatings, through (a) surfaces and coatings with optical response; (b) surfaces and coatings with chemical-catalytic response; (c) sensorised surfaces.
Todas las tecnologías desarrolladas tienen clara aplicación en los sectores de energía y transporte. Y serán desarrolladas con un enfoque transversal Safe & Sustainable by Design para garantizar la seguridad y la sostenibilidad de las soluciones desarrolladas a lo largo de su vida. Es decir, se aplicará el concepto Green Chemistry, consistente en directrices que proporcionan el marco para un diseño sostenible, dando lugar a productos más seguros en todas las etapas del ciclo de vida y reduciendo el riesgo desde la primera etapa del proceso de producción.
CIDETEC’S role in the project:
CIDETEC participates in the SURFERA-PLUS project as an expert partner in two very specific lines: Material synthesis and printing technologies for sensorisation, and Electrochemical surface technologies. For both, it has state-of-the-art equipment and technologies that enable the full value chain, from scientific-technological research for the generation of new knowledge to scaling-up.
Material synthesis and printing technologies (printing):
- Equipment for the synthesis of new functional materials for printed electronics.
- Equipment for 2D printing of materials (Screen Printing, Inkjet Printing), SMD component hybridisation (Pick & Place) and 3D printing (FMD).
- Electronics for the controlled activation of printed devices.
Surface (electro)chemical technologies:
- Laboratory for (electro)chemical processes such as electrolytic cells, potentiostats, and electrolyte analysis equipment (IPC, IC, automatic titrator, TOC).
- Several equipped pilot plants, with tanks up to 400 L and auxiliary systems (heating, bubbling, mechanical stirring, filtration and solution recirculation) for the development and optimisation of treatments/coatings at pre-industrial scale. Modular automated system including an in-line multiparameter analyser, PLC and PanelView control, additive dosing systems.
- Robotised and automated paint and brush-plating booths.
- Chemical, morphological, structural characterisation laboratories and evaluation of coatings, materials and components (mechanical properties, corrosion and wear resistance, etc.), featuring equipment such as SEM/FESEM and confocal microscopes, AFM, X-ray fluorescence, microhardness tester, tribometer, and various corrosion-testing equipment (corrosion cells, NSS and CASS chambers, tribocorrosion, localised corrosion).