Advanced Materials and Composites

With 'Advanced materials and Composites' we indicate a general category that includes nanostructured materials, eco-materials (ecoplastics, biopolymers etc.), technical textiles, metals and alloys bearing various properties (memory, luminescence, breathable ...), nanofluids, technical ceramics, metal foams and polymers , stickers etc.

For all these products ALFATESTLab may be a reliable interface for measurements of viscoelastic properties, molecular weights and branching of polymers, particle size and morphology, porosity, and for high resolution SEM images with microanalysis.

Properties such as particle size, morphology, porosity, water absorption and rheology have a crucial impact on the performance of products such as cements or mortars and on the evaluation of degradation phenomena from natural stones (marble, stone, granite ...) and artificial materials (mortars, plasters).

Cements
Particle size distribution, particle morphology and surface area are parameters that for several reasons influence the cement resistance. Rheological properties characterization can instead help in the understanding of the polymerization phenomena (curing). Finally moisture absorption by buildings may affect their lifetime and should therefore be controlled.

Metals
In the metal powders, particle size distribution, morphology, surface area and density may be cause of shoddy compaction and sintering processes. SEM images in high resolution, however, allow an accurate assessment of any imperfections on the final product.