The jet engine is one of the most jaw-dropping feats in the history of human engineering.

But jet engines shouldn't be possible, said Ben Beake, director of materials research at Micro Materials, a Welsh equipment testing company.

"The incoming air is above the melting point of the metal below, which is obviously not a good thing," he explains, noting that air temperatures are well above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Jet engine designers solved this problem by applying Heat-resistant ceramic coating to the engine blades. Now, researchers are developing stronger coatings that will allow engines to run hotter.

"If you make it hotter, there are huge savings in fuel and carbon dioxide," Dr. Bick said. He estimates that by raising the temperature by about 30 degrees Celsius, 8% of fuel can be saved.

That’s the power of coatings – they fundamentally change the functionality and performance of the underlying material. Few people realize their importance, but these coverings and finishes can enhance the performance of high-performance machines or ensure that expensive equipment can survive the harshest environments.

Dr. Beake and his colleagues are tasked with pushing coatings to their limits to understand how strong or effective they really are. His clients don't always get the results they want. "We've destroyed your coating," he remembers telling a missile manufacturer a few years ago. "They stormed off," Dr. Bick said.

In addition to exposing the coating to high temperatures, Micro Materials has a "woodpecker" device, a tiny diamond stylus that repeatedly taps the coating in random locations to test its durability.

Recently, the company partnered with UK-based Teer Coatings to test a product that could be applied to satellite components, including gears and bearings used in various moving parts.

The company's Zhang Xiaoling said this is a tricky task because the coating must protect these components from dust particles and radiation in space before launch (when they are exposed to atmospheric humidity on the ground) and in orbit. Influence. However, she claims the company has achieved the desired results.

But in addition to protecting the spacecraft, the coating can also prevent astronauts from getting sick.

Biofilm—the sticky accumulation of bacteria in pipes— Grow faster in low gravityFor example, this could be a problem for water supplies or machinery that transports fluids on the space station or future spacecraft.

"Biofilms are known to cause mechanical failure," says Kripa Varanasi of MIT. "You don't want this."

Professor Varanasi and his colleagues developed a series of coatings that make surfaces smooth and thereby prevent biofilm formation. Tests of such coatings in an experiment on the International Space Station found that works as expected.

The idea behind the coating is to mix a solid material and a lubricant together. It is then sprayed onto the inside of the pipe or tube, which makes the interior surface very smooth.

The Varanasi professor has previously made headlines for developing similar coatings Inside of toothpaste packaging – This way you can get out every last bit of toothpaste. He and his colleagues are commercializing the technology through their spin-off company LiquiGlide.

Smoothness is perhaps an underrated attribute. Nuria Espallargas of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and colleagues have developed a silicon carbide coating for use in aluminum manufacturing or repair equipment.

It's a nonstick frying pan solution, which means the layer of molten aluminum won't stick to this expensive device. However, the precise function of this special coating is currently a mystery.

"To be honest, we really don't know how it works and the mechanism is currently unclear," Professor Esparagas said.

Nonetheless, the coating is available commercially through her spin-off company Seram Coatings. Atlas Machine and Supply, a U.S. company that manufactures and repairs industrial machinery, has tried it.

"The real benefits are extending the life of the tools and improving the quality of the products produced," said Chief Innovation Officer Jeremy Rydberg.

Without the coating, Atlas would have to rebuild the roller tools it uses to machine aluminum every two days, he said. The annual cost is $4.5 million. But the new coating means the tools can be used for a full week instead of just a few days, cutting annual rebuilding costs to about $1.3 million.

Andy Hopkinson, managing director of Safinah Group, points out that paints can do some amazing things, but they don’t always work as expected. Safinah Group is often called upon to investigate when problems arise with coatings.

"We're seeing a lot of problems in parking lots right now where their passive fire protection systems are peeling off," he said, referring to the fire-resistant coatings sometimes applied to concrete structures.

His company also found that coatings applied to commercial ships did not always prevent barnacles and other marine life from clinging to the hulls. The problem, known as biofouling, increases friction, meaning ships The engine has to work harder – and burn more fuel.

While there are some coatings that promise to help, boat owners don't always choose the right coating for their vessel. Dr Hopkinson said the choice should depend on where the ship was sailing, how long it was idle rather than moving, etc.

The cost of fixing such problems can run into thousands or even millions of pounds. "Typically, paint costs 1 to 2 percent of the project cost. The problem is, when something goes wrong, the cost increases exponentially," Mr. Hopkinson said.

Still, researchers in the field say there are still many opportunities to improve coatings and develop new coatings that could greatly improve the performance of future machines or infrastructure.