Materials Research at VTT

1. Materials Research at VTT Anne-Christine Ritschkoff Jari Koskinen

2. VTT’S MISSION VTT produces research services that enhance the international competitiveness of companies, society and other customers at the most important stages of their innovation process, and thereby creates the prerequisites for growth, employment and wellbeing.

3. THE OPERATING MODEL AND THE STRUCTURE C U S T O M E R S VENTURES Commercialisation of research output, venture activities and spin-offs STRATEGIC RESEARCH Management of the self-financed and jointly-funded research EXPERT SERVICES Consulting services, testing, certification BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Management of the contract research Management, support processes Advisory boards RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Projects Competence management (7 knowledge clusters and 46 knowledge centres)

4. VTT´s staff profile STAFF STRUCTURE Research scientists 59% Other research staff 22% Planning, office and IT personnel 15% Management 3% EDUCATION OF STAFF Doctors 16% Licentiates 7% Other university degree 52% College level and polytechnic 23% Basic level 2% Number of personnel: 2 780

5. VTT´s turnover by type of incomeTurnover 217 M€ in 2006

6. VTT´smaterials research • Materials research has a very strong role in the technical research at VTT • estimated volume in 2006 • 300 man years • 30 M€ annual turnover • total volume covers over 10% of VTT´s research activities • Materials research in Finland • estimated volume • 2500 man years • 200 M€ annual turnover

7. Horizontal focus areas leading to change in several industries Human-technology interaction Application-oriented system and software development Business models and technology VTT´s FOCUS AREAS OF FRONT END RESEARCH Platforms for new ideas and technologies Novelty by combination New technologies Manufacturing and integration methods for electronics and optics Converging networks Social media and software Digital world Functional and nanomaterials Sensors and sensor networks Intelligent systems and machines Systems biology ICT-based service technologies Digital built environment Biorefinery Zero-emission energy systems Sustainable development

8. VTT Technology focus areas INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES High performance telecom Data refinement TECHNOLOGY IN THE COMMUNITY Safety and security Building performance Transport systems and networks MICROTECHNOLOGIES AND ELECTRONICS High performance sensors and instruments Heterogenous integration ENERGY Energy systems and economics Nuclear energy Distributed energy Energy and emissions in transport INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT Operating research Plants & production systems Vehicles & machines Industrial management BIO- AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES Food processing Drugs and diagnostis APPLIED MATERIALS New materials for machinery, buildings and consumer products Upgraded fibre-based products Performance of products and structures under extreme exposures

9. Applied materials research • Focus areas: • Materials for machinery, buildings and consumer products, upgraded fibre-based products, performance of products and structures under extreme exposures • Business drivers, impacts and potential • Quest for more carefree, durable, safe and economical products in various industrial and consumer applications • Demand for sustainable growth, reduction of environmental impact: less materials, durable materials, recyclable materials, beneficiation of natural fibre-based raw materials • Broadening of range of application of existing products and systems • Technology focus and scientific goals • Materials for machinery, buildings and consumer products: new and modified materials and methods to bond materials into composites and structural systems • New fibre-based products; added value wood products • Performance of products and structures under long-term or extreme exposures • VTT's strengths and opportunities • Long tradition of product development and performance assessment of materials and products in various applications and assessment of products under • Wide range of experimental equipment and facilities for the development • Close contacts with customers

10. Nanomaterials for manufacturing industrial and consumer products Structures Structures and structural systems in buildings, infrastructure, machinery etc. Fibres and polymers for manufacturing industrial and consumer products Applied Materials Research Materials for buildings and living Building materials and products Materials at home and at work Functional Materials for manufacturing industrial and consumer products Materials in machines and in process plants

11. Current materials research areas Materials for energy and process industry degradation, fracture mechanisms, life cycle management of materials Materials for building and construction wood based and concrete materials coatings, paints and adhesives hybrid nanocomposites Materials for electronics industry electrically functional plastics batteries and fuel cells, energy storages Metal-ceramic materials thermal spraying surface treatments and welding by laser technology Functional materials and coatings functional materials in printing functional materials for paper and boards functional nanostructured materials binders for coatings, adhesives and composites natural polymers and wood based materials stimuli responsive polymer concepts Examples of future areas of research New material solutions new material solutions for energy technology nanostructured materials for harsh conditions Natural based and environmentally feasible materials composite technology biocomposites Functional and intelligent materials bioactive material solutions bioispired materials self-healing concepts for joints and coatings Electronics applications nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and nanolithography quantum computation and quantum information Materials research at VTT is clearly bound to industrial needs

12. Nanomodified Hybrid Polymers • Aim is to develop novel ways to control the electrical characteristics of polymer-based materials: • to improvethe thermal stability of electromechanical materials (piezoelectric charge endures at high temperatures) • to reduce the dielectric constant of materials (nano- and microporous in hybrid polymers) • to improve insulation properties against high voltage Nanocomposite Polymer Capacitor Film: Polyaniline 1-3 wt-% increases AC- and LI- breakdown strength of capacitor grade polypropylene thick films (t=150 µm) while increasing the permittivity by 10%. Energy of the capacitor  εr , U2

13. Microbial adhesion proteins self-assemble at interfaces and can be used for producing one-molecule thick highly ordered surface layers. 10 nm Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) image of a one-molecule thick surface assembled layer of protein. The dimension of the repeating unit is 6 nm. Genetic engineering can be used to modify and functionalize the adhesion protein. AFM image shows individual molecules of a one-molecule thick layer of avidin-protein fixed to the adhesion protein. Adhesion proteins for highly defined surface modifications

14. Functional composites from wood based materials and biopolymers • Combining of wood and wood-based fibres with different materials • plastics • concrete • mortar • ceramics • Innovative hybrid composites with intelligent fibre-based functionality • monitoring, indicating, detecting, actuating • porosity gradients • multi-layered, low density materials with adequate mechanical properties • improved acoustic properties • improved fire and thermal resistance • Justifications • cladding materials with multi-layer structures • interior decorative films or boards with fire resistance and acoustic properites • mobile elements with good sound absorbing properties • flooring materials

15. Functional thin coatings for wood and fibre-based materials • GOALS • Scratch resistance, wear resistance: to increase the utility value and durability of wood and fibre based products by organic-inorganic hybrid coatings • Surface modification: to modify surface properties in order to tailor printability (water and oil absorption) and soil repellancy properties of fibre based products • Barrier properties: to produce barrier properties such as controlled moisture behaviour, gas permeability and UV-shield • Formability: to develop elastic, durable binding solutions for mouldable fibre based products such as cardboards • Application: to preliminarily clarify cost effective application methods for promising coatings and treatments Surface free energy affects e.g. to soil repellancy, cleanability and printability of surfaces. Surface energy can be affected by chemical structure and topography of surface. Adhesion of nanostructured hybrid sol-gel coatings to organic matrix is greatly increased by covalent bonding

16. H2O PNIPA T < LCST T > LCST hydrophilic hydrophobic Smart Filter - adaptable pore size • Fiber filters coated by PNIPA polymer • At temperatures <TLCST. The volume of polymer is expanded state ( the polymer binds water molecules). Fibers are "thick" and pores are "small". The system is highly hydrophilic. • At temperature >TLCST , the polymer rejects water molecules out and the volume of the polymer decreases dramatically. Now the fibers are "thin" and pores are "large". The system is hydrophobic. Now we have a filter with adjustable pore size! The washing can take place easily.

17. Contact information Anne-Christine Ritschkoff, PhD. Co-ordination of Applied Materials Strategic Research Anne-christine.ritschkoff@vtt.fi Jari Koskinen, PhD. Technology Manager Advanced Materials Jari.koskinen@vtt.fi