The “Alfa de Oro 2009”  Award for NANOGLAZE product

At the CEFISAMA ceramics fair, the company KERAFRIT (from KERABEN group) has been granted the “Alfa de Oro 2009” award for the NANOGLAZE product fabricated on the basis of two patents developed by the ICMM research team.

This technological success is the result of previous studies carried out by both the ICMM and ICV teams on the basis of:

• the so-called percolative materials
• the fact that the nanometals are embedded in sepiolite fibers
• the dewetting process of the metallic nanoparticles which takes place
• during the fast firing of the ceramic glaze
• the scale-up process which was performed at both laboratories.

No money grant is associated to the “Alfa de Oro” awards though it provides enormous prestige. The obtention of the award is an acknowledgement from different social, technical and academic groups. The object of the award is to stimulate scientific, technological and artistic creativity. The “Alfa de Oro” represents the acknowledgement from reknown highly qualified experts from the ceramic industry, of the R­+D+i carried out by the industry in processes, products and new machinery which can be considered innovative from a technological and/or an artistic point of view.

The Award Board Members are representatives from the University Jaime I, the Instituto de Tecnologia Ceramica, Instituto de Ceramica y Vidrio , and business and professional associations linked to the ceramic industry (ANFFECC, ASCER, ASEBEC and ATC) and the Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio.

The NANOGLAZE product is a new line of glazes which contain nanoparticles which provide the properties which the ceramic tiles of the future years must stand, such as hidrophobicity, bactericide and fungicide activity, capability for inserting magnetic and luminescent labels and new decorative effects (colors and shining).