Plasma valorization of waste into cutting-edge cermet composites for high kinetic energy dissipation Project ID: GA25-15757S Provider: Czech Science Foundation Period: Jan 01, 2025 - Dec 31, 2027 Recipient -- coordinator: Faculty of Chemical Technology, ICT Prague -- doc. Ing. Filip Průša Ph.D. Co-recepient(s) / PI(s): -- Ing. Pavel Salvetr Ph.D. Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague -- Dr. Vineet Singh Sikarwar Co-investigators from IPP Z. Tomášová, A. Mašláni, M. Vilémová, D. Kralik, J. Fathi Aims of the project: Turquoise hydrogen, a product of modern approach to methane pyrolysis, appears along with a waste by-product carbon. Modifying the process by adding metal oxide particles, the carbon is transformed into a variety of carbide phases and carbon-based nanostructures. Among these, the TiC and WC, exhibiting one of the highest hardnesses among carbides, will be used for a targeted preparation of cutting-edge materials capable of high kinetic energy dissipation. For this purpose, the carbides/carbon nanostructured composite mixtures prepared by plasma cracking of methane will be thoroughly investigated at the level of powders and their compacts. High fracture toughness Ni-Ti and CoCrNi alloys will further embody them. The incorporation strategy will be initially tested on sandwich structures compacted by SPS, providing the general knowledge to be utilised for DED additive manufacturing. Alternating layers, their composition, mutual intermixing and interconnection will lead to the synthesis of functionally-graded materials with the potential of being implemented as ballistic protection.