New Technology Combining Diamond and Niobium: Replaces Iron and Cobalt, Increases Hardness and Resistance of Materials, and Promises to Revolutionize Construction and Industry Worldwide

The Union of Niobium with Diamond Can Be Used in Civil Construction, Pavements, Metallurgical Industries, Power Plants, and More, Due to Its High Performance, Durability, and Solidity.

New technology produced from diamond and niobium powder, with a high degree of hardness, resistance, and non-toxic properties, is the innovation that promises more innovation and efficiency for civil construction and the oil industry in Brazil and around the world.

The innovative project, with a high degree of hardness, resistant and non-toxic, designed for the oil industry and civil construction, was developed by the CAPES scholarship holder Meysam Mashhadikarimi for his doctoral degree in the Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN).

Technology Can Be Used in Civil Construction, Pavements, Metallurgical Industries, Power Plants, Bridges, and Other Structures

The technology that promises to revolutionize civil and oil construction can be used in the renovation of road pavements, airport runways, modernization of metallurgical industries, nuclear power plants, bridges, and other structures, due to its high performance, durability, and solidity.

Mashhadikarimi states that his research resulted in the creation of a composite product for the manufacture of diamond tools, called condensed diamond body, which is the result of the combination of diamond powder with pure niobium.

With characteristics that present greater hardness, this combination results in a compound with lower porosity and greater wear resistance during its use in civil construction and industry. To achieve this result, it was necessary to find a suitable bonding element that would prevent the diamond from losing its solidity and hardness, becoming more fragile. Studies showed that the use of pure niobium would be ideal for the performance of the compound.

Replacing Conventional Bonding Elements, Such as Iron and Cobalt, with Niobium Reduces the Risk of Worker Contamination

The mixture of these two substances allows the new material to have unique and valuable characteristics for the civil construction sector and also in general industry. “The sintered diamond body with pure niobium binder has no porosity and greater hardness, factors that together result in greater wear resistance,” he explains. The new technology can be used in the renovation of roads and airport runways, in the modernization of metallurgical facilities, nuclear power plants, bridges, and other structures, due to its characteristics.

“We replaced cobalt with niobium with the aim of reducing failures and increasing its lifespan,” said the doctor in Materials Science and Engineering from UFRN, Meysam Mashhadikarimi. Furthermore, replacing conventional bonding elements, such as iron and cobalt, with niobium reduces the risk of contamination for workers in civil construction and industry during machine handling, as the material is non-toxic.

The work has already been patented and has had its industrial application recognized, ensuring higher quality for infrastructure, civil construction, and industry in potential future projects.

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