The IMPRESS Integrated Project, coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA), combines the expertise of 40 research groups from academia and industry. The scientific objective of the project is to fully understand the strategic link between the material processing, the structure and the final properties of new intermetallic alloys. These special crystalline alloys are the materials of the future, with many different applications ranging from aerospace components to power generation systems.

Titanium aluminides, for example, have remarkable mechanical and physical properties at temperatures up to 800 Celsius. It is the combination of high-melting point, high strength, and low density that make them ideal for high-performance gas turbine blades. These blades, produced by advanced casting techniques within IMPRESS, will be used in the next generation of turbines for aero-engines and modern power stations. Using titanium aluminide would result in a 50% weight reduction of turbine components, in turn, leading to improved thrust-to-weight ratios of aero-engines, higher efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions.

Intermetallic alloys are equally important for advanced catalytic powders. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions, thereby saving considerable time and energy. There are many uses of catalysts in, for instance, the pharmaceutical, food and energy industries. In IMPRESS, scientists will primarily investigate catalytic powders made from nickel and cobalt aluminides. Rapidly-solidified, nano-structured particles will be produced by gas atomisation and, after some leaching in caustic solutions, will be used by industry to speed up hydrogenation reactions which are vital for the production of certain chemicals and plastics.

Companies developing and using hydrogen fuel cells will also benefit greatly from this research, since catalytic electrodes based on nickel and cobalt powders are effective alternatives to conventional platinum electrodes - and many hundreds of times cheaper. Considerable improvements are thus expected in the performance, cost-effectiveness and sales potential of these pollution-free power-generation systems.

A unique component of IMPRESS is the experimentation performed in space. The International Space Station, as well as other microgravity platforms, will be used extensively to perform benchmark experiments on these intermetallic alloys. The intention of these experiments is to understand the role of gravity on materials processes, to generate fresh knowledge, to validate computer models of solidification and ultimately to optimise industrial processes, such as casting and gas atomisation.

The impact of IMPRESS will be felt on many different levels. Firstly, it has the potential to give European industry a world-leading position in turbine production and fuel cell development. Economic gains will certainly be made in both areas. Not only will IMPRESS strengthen the global competitiveness of European companies, but it will also lead to major environmental and energy-efficiency benefits. It is hoped that the results of the project will make a valuable contribution to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, and future policies. On a regional level, many training and educational initiatives are foreseen to promote industrial research and inspire a new generation of young scientists. Not least, a number of top scientific research groups from new EU countries, like Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, plus Russia, are involved in the project. IMPRESS is thus a project that embodies the vision of European integration.

Now launched, IMPRESS will undoubtedly become a shining example of trans-national cooperation in materials science and industrial application.