With the precision design of superalloy materials (as written about here by David Collins and Bryce Conduit), we are able to manufacture materials capable of withstanding the extreme conditions inside a jet engine where temperatures routinely exceed 1500°C and the loads on the materials have more momentum than a family car flung three miles into the air. But making materials strong and temperature-resistant isn't the whole story, because making them chemically durable is also key.
In this pair of articles, materials scientists Bill Clegg and Cathie Rae explain how special coatings can be applied to turbine blades to render them resilient to harsh, highly-oxidising environment in order to prolong engine life and boost efficiency.
Dr Cathie Rae, from the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy at Cambridge University, uses a range of techniques to study the way that coatings interact with the underlying alloy, and how this "interaction zone" may alter the overall performance or lifetime of the material...