The working team possesses a complementary set of skills, expertise and facility that guarantee the success of the project. In addition, two end-users are committed to validate the developed materials in conditions representative of the working environment as promise of potential results commercialization.
The Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC, former ISTEC), Faenza (Italy), is a research institute belonging to the National Research Council of Italy and representing the core of national science systems with excellence in the field of ceramics and material sciences for space applications.
Research activities at ISSMC range from the basic study and characterization of raw materials, to the development of ground-breaking components. The aim of the research at ISSMC is the design of innovative ceramic materials of different nature with controlled physico-chemical or thermo-mechanical properties, through structures engineering and processes control. Research topics belong to four main areas: High-Tech, Bioceramics, Energy and Environment, Cultural Heritage.
In the field of structural ceramics, ISSMC has developed expertise regarding ceramics for technical and structural application including oxides and non-oxides based materials for a variety of industrial applications. ISSMC team is internationally recognized for its expertise on bulk and fiber-reinforced ultra-high temperature ceramic composites (UHTCs and UHTCMCs) that cover the basic science, up to the production of complex prototypes, as testified by more than 160 papers on these classes of materials published on international journals and invited contributes to international symposia.
NATO Project Director
Dr. Laura Silvestroni
laura.silvestroni@istec.cnr.it
ITS SASA is a leading research organization in Serbia specialized in photovoltaic energy, with expertise in the production and storage of photovoltaic energy. The mission of ITS SASA is to encourage and promote fundamental and applied research in those areas of engineering and natural sciences that focus on the development of multifunctional nanostructured materials, biomaterials, sensor systems and photovoltaic power sources, as well as the storage of power obtained from those sources.
The aim of the research conducted at ITS SASA is to develop innovative technologies that can be applied in the industry and society, and to promote high technologies nationally and internationally. These include multifunctional materials, multiferroic materials, sensors, sintered ceramic materials, polymer composite materials, biomaterials and materials for application in medicine and pharmacy, as well advanced materials and technologies seeking to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic elements and innovative energy conversion and storage technologies and methods with the aim of enabling the transition of Serbia’s power system to renewable power sources.
The activities of ITS SASA rest upon high academic and ethical values, the principles of Open Science, social responsibility, as well as on the full awareness of the institute’s strengths and weaknesses and readiness to seek solutions
Partner Country Project Director
Dr. Nina Obradovic
nina.obradovic@itn.sanu.ac.rs
MS&T – The Missouri University of Science and Technology is one of the leading research universities in the United States with 98 degree programs in 39 disciplines. Missouri S&T was founded in 1870 as the Missouri School of Mines and was one of the first technological institutions west of the Mississippi River. Located in Rolla, Missouri about 160 km west of St. Louis in the region known as the Ozarks, Missouri S&T is an accessible, safe and friendly campus.
Missouri S&T offers degrees in engineering, the sciences, liberal arts, humanities and business, with master’s and Ph.D. programs available in many of the science and engineering programs and master’s degrees in biological sciences, business administration and technical communication. With nearly 9,000 students enrolled on campus and online, Missouri S&T is big enough to accommodate a diverse population, yet small enough for individuals to build high visibility, impactful careers.
Co-Director
Prof. William G. Fahrenholtz
billf@mst.edu
Industrie Bitossi, founded in 1962 and located in Vinci, near Florence (Italy), is the largest producer of high density sintered alumina grinding media and occupies a prominent position also in the production of ceramics for wear resistant applications.
Bitossi is particularly interested to the development of materials for individual protection (i.e., body armor) that could constitute a valuable alternative to the commonly used alumina. Relevant to the project, it will give access to the SUSPENCE team to ballistic testing where the developed materials can be evaluated compared to conventional materials. In addition, Bitossi is going to expand its production line to non-oxide ceramics and, hence, all process-related information generated by the project will be of interest to them.
The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA), located in Capua near Neaples (Italy), has experience in the fields of space and aeronautics from more than 35 years and owns a unique Plasma Wind Tunnel Complex, as well as other large technological labs for developing, testing, simulating and qualify advanced ceramics and composites for aerospace applications. As such, the SUSPENCE team will rely on CIRA’s staff for an overall guide in the development of materials for hypersonic applications and during the final arc-jet test on the UHTC sharp model.