ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-10934
Open Date: 05/10/2021 14:03 CEST
Closing Date: 17/11/2021 13:00 CEST

Synthetic mother of pearl (nacre) is a bioinspired composite ceramic material with high strength andtoughness, resulting from its hierarchical brick-and-mortar-like structure. In nature it is produced in the inner shell layer of molluscs and the outer coating of pearls. The currently available manufacturing strategies include additive manufacturing (e.g. via coextrusion) and biosynthesis using modified bacteria. The resulting materials are strong, tough and stiff, e.g. combination of alumina and polymer PMMA (poly(methylmetacrylate)) utilizing nacre-like structure principle leads to fracture toughness values of 30MPa/m2, exceeding more than 300 times the values for the constituents.The activity encompasses the following tasks:- Literature/market overview to identify reference of ceramic composite and expected performances benefits,- Selection of the manufacturing process, ceramic composite components and associated application onspacecraft (e.g. structure element of antenna),- Optimization and mechanical performances characterisation on sample/coupon level,- Demonstrate improved performances on breadboard.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to this link.

Directorate: Directorate of Tech, Eng. Quality
Estabilishment: ESTEC
ECOS Required: No
Classified: No
Price Range: 200-500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Roman Karpov
Initiating Service: TEC-QEE
IP Measure: C1
Prog. Reference: E/0901-01 – Technology Developme
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+BE+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+EL+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LU+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE
Technology Keywords: 24-A-I-Material Assessment
Products Keywords: 2-C-2-Non-metallic