Advanced Ceramics in Aerospace and Sustainable Energy Applications

Ceramic Matrix Composites for Aerospace Applications
Dr. Peter Mechnich, Division Head at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Multifunctional Aerospace Ceramics: From Self-healing Coatings to Stealth Composites
Dr Sathiskumar Anusuya Ponnusami, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom

Hydrogen technologies: the role of glass and ceramic materials, challenges and perspectives
Dr. Federico Smeacetto, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino

Hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources offers a promising pathway to enhance the sustainability of aviation fuels. By using clean electricity to power electrolyzers, green hydrogen can be generated with minimal carbon emissions, then combined with captured CO₂ or used in power-to-liquid processes to produce sustainable fuels. Hydrogen-related technologies are essential to enable deep decarbonisation of the energy system. As the EU targets 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen production by 2030, advanced electrolysis technologies are crucial for diversifying the technological landscape, reducing reliance on critical raw materials, and meeting decarbonization goals in hard-to-abate sectors. Advanced glass and ceramic materials are key to more efficient, durable electrochemical energy conversion systems, such as reversible solid oxide cells, electrolysers, and proton-conducting membranes. Current solutions and challenges in the design, processing, microstructure-property-performance relationships, and integration processes of different glass- and ceramic-based systems explicitly developed for hydrogen-related technologies are presented. The presentation highlights the potential of advanced glass- and ceramic-based materials for disruptive energy-conversion innovations. It also highlights unanswered questions about their durability across different interfaces (metal-ceramic-glass), reliability, challenges, and perspectives for further research.