Tapping titanium's colorful potential
- Date:
- June 28, 2011
- Source:
- Queen's University
- Summary:
- A new, cost-effective process for coloring titanium can be used in manufacturing products from sporting equipment to color-coded nuclear waste containers.
- Share:
A new, cost-effective process for colouring titanium can be used in manufacturing products from sporting equipment to colour-coded nuclear waste containers.
"The new method uses an electrochemical solution to produce coloured titanium, improving on an older, time-consuming and expensive method where heat was used to develop a coloured layer," says Gregory Jerkiewicz, a professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Jerkiewicz's new technique can be finely tuned to produce over 80 different shades of basic colours. In addition, the coloured titanium produced using the new method remains crack-free and stable for many years.
Coloured titanium has the potential to be used in the production of everyday objects like spectacle frames, jewelry, golf clubs and high-performance bicycles.
Industries including healthcare, aviation and the military could use the technology to create items like colour-coded surgical tools, brightly coloured airplane parts, and stealth submarines made from blue titanium.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Queen's University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Andrew Munro, Michael F. Cunningham, Gregory Jerkiewicz. Spectral and Physical Properties of Electrochemically Formed Colored Layers on Titanium Covered with Clearcoats. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2011; 110316084657083 DOI: 10.1021/am2000196
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