National R&D Institute for Non-ferrous and Rare Metals - IMNR
National R&D Institute for Non-ferrous and Rare Metals - IMNR

Overview

IMNR, established over 50 years ago, is a national R&D institute active in the field of materials science and engineering based on non-ferrous and rare metals (alloys, composites, hybrids) and applied inorganic chemistry, aiming to further research for the efficient use of resources and critical materials substitution, and develop high-tech applications in sensors, security, energy, automotive, aerospace, medicine, waste management, etc.

The institute’s main research directions include: technologies for advanced metal-based materials and their compounds; new chemical processes for processing primary and secondary resources (solubilization in autoclaves in controlled atmosphere, microwave processing); mild chemical methods for the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials (oxides, composites, hybrids): hydrothermal / solvothermal at high pressures, spray drying, encapsulation and core-shell materials; new technologies for capitalizing advanced materials (coatings and thin films by EB-PVD, and thermal evaporation… Pilot installations, developed and built in-house:

Pilot installation for functional testing of phase change materials for thermal energy storage: allows the pilot scale measurement of the storage and heat transfer capacity of inorganic phase change materials with working temperatures in the range of 300-500⁰C;
Prototype plant for smelting non-ferrous metal waste and treating gases / noxious substances in a microwave field (5L crucible; max. temp. 1,400⁰C).

HIGH PT-MET Center (Research Centre for the Intensification of Metallurgical Processes at High Pressures and Temperatures) - main equipment:

Electron beam installation (TORR Int. Inc., USA): allows deposition on rotating 3D plates or rods with a length of max. 350 mm; simultaneous or multilayer deposition of thin films; heating substrates during deposition; (W, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, Y), dielectric materials (Al2O3, SiO2, ZrO2, etc.) and compounds;
Thermal evaporation deposition installation (TORR THE5-750W, Torr Int. Inc., USA), inox,…. Small-scale alloy manufacturing and processing services

alloy manufacturing: brazing alloys (Ag, Cu-P-Ag), soldering alloys (Sn-Pb, Sn-Pb-Sb, Sn-Sb), master alloys Cu-P, easily fusible alloys (AF50, AF70, AF90), antifriction alloys (based on Sn, Pb and Al), cast alloys (Cu-Sn and Cu-Sn-Pb), other alloys (Cu-Al, Cu-Zn, Pb-St, Zn, etc.);
alloy processing: wire / strip / bar / chip / electrode / plate / block alloy processing, Au, Ag, Zn, Al, etc. processing.

Analysis / characterization services

1. Chemical composition:

element detection: Cu, Co, Cd, Pb, Sb, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cr, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Rb, Li, Sr, Ga, In, Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS);
detection of approx. 70 chemical elements (in high, low and trace concentrations) by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES);
volumetric and gravimetric chemical analysis: dosing Fe, Fe2+, Ca, Mn, Sn, Si, Ba, SO42-, CO2 etc.

2. Physical and Structural Characterization:

…. Yes. service.