Research Seminar on Materials Science and Hydrogen Technologies Held at UFAZ

A research seminar dedicated to scientific studies in the fields of materials science and hydrogen technologies was held at the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) on September 16.

During the seminar, Nuraddin Huseynov, a UFAZ graduate in Chemical Engineering and currently a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield, presented his research findings on “Development of Commercial Sodium Silicate Coatings on Steel for Hydrogen Barrier Applications.”

The study focuses on the application and curing of commercial sodium silicate solution on steel surfaces as a low-cost, inorganic coating material aimed at preventing hydrogen permeation through steel. Different deposition and curing methods were compared in terms of surface coverage, adhesion to steel, and coating integrity.

The results showed that while furnace curing could lead to visible defects such as shrinkage lines and cracks on the coating surface, these defects were not observed during air curing at room temperature. Air bubbles formed during brush application were eliminated through the use of the dip coating technique. The combination of dip coating and air curing was identified as a promising approach for producing more uniform and defect-free sodium silicate coatings.

In the next stage of the study, the hydrogen barrier performance of the coatings will be evaluated through gaseous hydrogen permeability tests. Based on the results, further optimisation of the processing conditions and investigation of the coatings’ mechanical properties are planned.