Wednesday Seminar Series

Professor Katherine Faber, Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science presents Coatings for 18th Century Porcelains and 21st Century Engines

The earliest known coatings, paints made of dirt or charcoal mixed with a binder of spit or animal fat, can be dated to ~ 35,000 years ago.  Cave paintings of the era provide a window into life in the Paleolithic era.  Today the role of coatings can be either decorative, as in works of art, or functional, providing protection from temperature, environment, impact or wear. In this presentation, an example of each will be highlighted:

• An 18^th century nano-structured coating produces a lustrous surface finish on European porcelains; 
• A ceramic environmental barrier coating for next-generation aerospace and power generation engines prevents the diffusion of reactive species to the structural ceramic substrate.

Both examples will illustrate how the tools of materials science are used to understand coating structure and properties.