Thu, 18 August, 2022
Adamantini Loukodimou has returned from her placement at Centro Tecnologico Componentes (CTC) in Spain. The placement was her second, having previously spent three months at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Adamantini Loukodimou. Image: NSIRC
Asked about her experience, Adamantini said, “My stay at CTC was unforgettable, it was a valuable academic, professional and personal growth experience.”
A NSIRC PhD student affiliated with the University of Leicester, Adamantini is sponsored by Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF) and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Innovative Metal Processing (IMPaCT). The financial support for both placements was awarded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Turing Scheme for PhD placement.
Adamantini’s research title is ‘Development of novel coating systems for mitigating corrosion of offshore wind turbines.’ It focuses on developing novel self-healing coating materials that can provide a cost-effective solution for industrial corrosion problems.
The novel system comprises three layers, a Thermally Sprayed Zinc (TSZ) coating with a 85 wt.%Zn, 15 wt.%Al wire composition, which acts as a sacrificial layer. Due to its active nature and porosity an additional paint layer is used. The latter is enriched with microspheres loaded with a corrosion inhibitor, a silanol. An additional paint layer is also applied to the system as top coat.
"The statue of child Neptune, taming the sea, but not its consequences on metal. Work of sculptor Ramón Muriedas in Playa del Camello in Santander, Cantabria, Spain." Photo: Adamantini Loukodimou.
The new coating system is likely to improve the corrosion mitigation behaviour significantly. Her Academic Supervisors are Dr David Weston and Dr Dimitrios Statharas and her Industrial Supervisors are Dr Shiladitya Paul and Prof. Alan Taylor.
Prior to starting her PhD, Adamantini completed her undergraduate in Chemistry and a MSc in Synthetic Chemistry and Advanced Polymeric and Nanostructured Materials from the University of Patras, Greece. In 2018, she began her PhD journey with NSIRC, and has already presented her research work at five conferences including Eurocorr in Spain and AMPP in the USA.
Header Image: MemoTravels / Pixabay