LED&MAT is a materials science and engineering laboratory focused on sustainability and surface engineering. It develops solutions such as low-friction coatings, insulating nanomaterials and 3D printing to optimise efficiency and productivity across a range of sectors.
Surface Engineering
LED&MAT is a laboratory specialising in the development, implementation, production and characterisation of thin coatings using a process known as cathodic spraying. These coatings can be applied to various components and materials to increase their functionality, quality and performance, especially in demanding environments. We work in partnership with various industries to offer protective coatings and functional surfaces for a wide range of sectors, including tools and moulds, transport, energy, medical technology, aerospace, textiles and agriculture.
Types of applications and coatings:
At Led&Mat, we develop multifunctional coatings that go beyond simply protecting component surfaces. Our coatings protect against wear but can also provide real-time information about a process's operating temperature. Although the typical application of these coatings is to measure the temperature at the cutting edge of cutting tools, the potential applications of these systems extend to various industrial sectors and a wide range of needs, from monitoring to quality control.
For the application of these responsive materials, the laboratory has the capacity to:
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The anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation protection provided by thin films produced by PVD offers a number of significant advantages, as they form a physical barrier between the substrate (the part to be coated) and aggressive environments, preventing oxidising agents or corrosive substances from coming into contact with the surface of the base material. Ceramic coatings, such as nitrides and carbides, are examples of the excellent combination of corrosion and oxidation resistance, high hardness and good wear resistance, which gives these coatings excellent performance in applications subject to abrasion. These characteristics make this type of thin film a popular choice for a wide range of industrial sectors, including the automotive and aerospace industries, cutting tools and the mould-making industry, amongst others, where ensuring the integrity and durability of products is essential. In this context, the laboratory is capable of:
We develop self-lubricating coatings that reduce friction, produced by cathodic sputtering. The solutions we develop are primarily carbon-based coatings, such as diamond-like carbon (DLC), doped with elements such as Ti, W, Si and Cr. In addition, we also develop nanocomposite coatings containing transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as WS₂, MoS₂ and MoSe₂ and carbon. Applications for these coatings include: the automotive industry, the moulding industry and the aerospace industry. The coatings can be used for applications involving dry sliding, as well as liquid-lubricated contacts. For the application of these materials, the laboratory is capable of:
The development of technical textiles, through surface modification using thin films, is another area of expertise at LED&MAT. The thin films we have developed impart functional properties to fabrics, such as protection against pathogens and water repellency. This functionalisation of textiles is of paramount importance in healthcare settings, where there is a high proliferation of microorganisms.
LED&MAT has the expertise and resources to:
Thin films can be applied to various types of fabric (cotton, jersey, woven/non-woven, …)
LED&MAT is equipped with machinery that enables the modification of surfaces (metallic or polymeric) for implants and medical devices. Surface functionalisation allows the physical, morphological and chemical properties of surfaces to be modified in order to enhance their characteristics, ensuring the biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, regenerative capacity or osseointegration of the final product. Furthermore, LED&MAT has the expertise to manufacture multifunctional surfaces, with antibacterial and anti-fouling properties (for marine environments or architectural structures exposed to the environment) being among the characteristics achieved.
For the biofunctionalisation of surfaces, the laboratory is capable of:
Sustainability
The Energy, Sustainability and Materials Group brings together expertise in materials development, energy efficiency, environmental performance assessment and the circular economy, with an approach focused on innovation and sustainable transition. Its activities encompass the formulation, processing and characterisation of materials, the utilisation of renewable resources, the reuse of waste and by-products, and the environmental assessment of products, services and systems, promoting more efficient, circular and sustainable solutions.
The areas of work cover a range of application contexts and sectors, with a particular focus on thermal and energy efficiency, the recovery of raw materials from renewable and secondary sources, the development and eco-design of materials, and the design of circular strategies for products, services and business models. This integrated approach enables us to address the challenges of decarbonisation, the efficient use of resources and the improvement of the environmental, economic and social performance of the solutions developed.
Thermal efficiency focuses on the development and evaluation of materials and solutions that help to improve energy performance, thermal management, thermal inertia and hygrothermal comfort in different application contexts. This activity covers thermal insulation materials, solutions with thermal energy storage capacity, and approaches that promote stable temperature and humidity conditions. The research carried out focuses on a wide variety of materials, including conventional solutions such as mineral and glass wool, polymeric foams (PU, XPS and EPS), ceramic foams, glass foams, perlites and cork, as well as naturally sourced materials such as hemp fibres. It also includes advanced, high-performance materials such as vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), aerogels and phase-change materials (PCMs), which have great potential for optimising the thermal behaviour of materials and systems.
Energy efficiency encompasses the study and characterisation of innovative solutions for the reuse of lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles at the end of their first life, promoting their use in applications for the storage and smart management of electrical energy. This activity focuses, in particular, on the integration of second-life batteries into building systems, contributing to a more efficient use of energy resources and to the promotion of technologies associated with the energy transition. The work carried out includes characterising the performance, health status and suitability of second-life batteries, with a view to determining their potential for reuse in new applications or, where this is not feasible, for appropriate channelling towards recycling. In this way, this area brings together energy efficiency, energy storage and the circular economy, promoting more sustainable solutions for the management of electrochemical systems.
The promotion of renewable resources is based on the development of efficient solutions using naturally sourced raw materials, which are enhanced through advanced processing technologies and material characterisation testing. This activity aims to promote the sustainable use of renewable resources by combining material innovation, functional performance and a reduction in environmental impact.
The work carried out covers various sectors and industries, including construction, housing, the food industry, paper, paints, timber and transport. By promoting the use of natural raw materials and their integration into new solutions and applications, this area contributes to the circular economy, decarbonisation and the transition to more sustainable production models.
The recovery of waste and by-products focuses on developing solutions that enable discarded materials to be transformed into high value-added raw materials through recycling, reuse and incorporation into new industrial solutions. This activity utilises advanced processing technologies and material characterisation testing, with the aim of promoting a more efficient use of resources and reducing the environmental impact associated with waste generation.
The work carried out covers a wide range of supply chains and sectors, with a particular focus on the recycling of photovoltaic panels and the development of solutions for the recovery and environmental decontamination of oils from various sources. By promoting the reintegration of waste and by-products into new value cycles, this area contributes to the circular economy, decarbonisation and more sustainable production models.
Environmental performance focuses on assessing and monitoring the impacts associated with products, services and systems, supporting the transition to more sustainable models that are aligned with the principles of the circular economy. In this context, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) serves as a benchmark methodology for quantifying and analysing environmental impacts and benefits throughout the entire life cycle, enabling a robust assessment of the actual effect of environmental improvement strategies.
This activity integrates, in a coordinated manner, methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCC), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and the development of Digital Product Passports (DPPs), enabling a more comprehensive analysis of the environmental, economic, social and informational performance of products and systems. It also incorporates approaches geared towards ‘circular by design’ and ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD), reinforcing the integration of criteria relating to circularity, safety and sustainability from the earliest stages of design and development.
This area focuses on the analysis, design and development of circular business strategies and models, supporting companies and organisations in identifying opportunities to reconfigure value chains, extend the value of resources and reduce waste and emissions. The approach adopted goes beyond the product itself, taking an integrated view of the business model and the ecosystem in which it operates, including the various stakeholders involved in the production, distribution, use and recovery of products and services.
This work can also take the form of hands-on workshops aimed at businesses, promoting diagnostic exercises, brainstorming and co-creation activities geared towards transforming linear models into more efficient, resilient and sustainable circular solutions. In this way, it helps to strengthen organisations’ competitiveness, improve the environmental performance of their activities and stimulate coordinated innovation amongst businesses, partners and sectors.
This area focuses on the development of materials and formulations tailored to specific functional requirements, integrating criteria relating to performance, sustainability and suitability for the end application. The work carried out includes the selection and combination of raw materials, the incorporation of secondary-source materials, and the optimisation of properties in line with usage contexts and eco-design objectives. This activity enables the design of more efficient and sustainable material solutions, promoting a reduction in environmental impact right from the development stage. Among the approaches considered is the recovery of construction and demolition waste (CDW) and industrial waste, which are incorporated into new formulations and material solutions that combine technical performance, resource efficiency and innovation geared towards the circular economy.
Advanced Manufacturing
LED&MAT offers a range of specialised capabilities in the field of Advanced Manufacturing, combining areas such as Mechanical and Materials Engineering, product design and development, and digitalisation.
We take on challenges from a wide range of organisations across various sectors, which seek to drive innovation through unique materials and bespoke products and manufacturing processes, including validation in real-world working conditions.
Our extensive in-house expertise in #materials characterisation techniques is another feature that sets us apart, as these are essential tools for monitoring and developing any material or process.
Our expertise in the field of Materials Engineering is wide-ranging and covers the key challenges currently facing this discipline.
We would like to highlight the following areas:
Our feedstocks comprise a multi-material system that involves mixing different organic and/or inorganic materials, each with distinct physical and chemical properties. In addition to virgin materials (e.g. metal or ceramic powders), this approach also allows for the incorporation of materials recovered from waste generated by other processes or products.
The applications are wide-ranging, from the manufacture of metal, ceramic and composite parts for functional and structural solutions in the medical, aerospace and automotive industries, to components for the metalworking sector and the construction of buildings using robotic additive manufacturing.
Our in-house capacity gives us the flexibility to meet the challenges of various sectors, notably:
Our extensive in-house resources in #materials characterisation prove to be a major asset in this field. They enable us to study and refine parameters associated with various variables in the manufacturing process, such as the thermal cycles for debinding and sintering applied to parts produced by feedstocks metálicos/cerâmicos.
Our area of expertise also extends to the testing and validation of ideas, concepts or technologies, with a view to assessing their viability and determining whether they warrant investment on an industrial scale.
We would like to highlight the following points:
In the field of digitalisation applied to processes and products, we are able to carry out geometric scans of a physical object in order to produce a digital model.
We process digital models using specialised software for a wide range of purposes:
We are able to carry out geometric scans on smaller physical models using a variable-focus microscopy system, but also on large objects (over 1 m), where the portability of the equipment is a key advantage.