Towards Competencies os Sustainability in Engineering Degrees: Project based service-learning experiences

Comunicació presentada al 13th International Conference on Society & Materials, SAM13 (Pisa, 20-21 May 2019)In the present work, a series of collaborative service-learning (SL) experiences carried out in the Universitat Jaume I de Castelló and University of the Basque Country will be presented. These experiences have been developed with in undergraduate courses,bachelor thesis and master thesis. The work points out how these experiences can serve as a toolf or teaching coordination at various levels: horizontal coordination with in a year in one degree, coordination between different degrees orinter-university coordination. The potential of these experiences makes them a very powerful methodological tool that can help not, only the students and the extra curricular agents involved, but also the teaching itself

Influence of zinc molybdenum phosphate pigment on coatings performance studied by electrochemical methods

The effect of the addition of the zinc molybdenum phosphate pigment, on the corrosion resistance properties of powder coating on steel, has been investigated by means of different electrochemical methods: electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the accelerated cyclic electrochemical technique (ACET). Anticorrosive properties obtained from both techniques showed similar results. Powder coatings incorporating this pigment have shown better performance which is attributed to both barrier properties enhancement and inhibition action of the pigment. This behavior can be correlated to the results obtained in the pigment extract study (polarization test and EIS). Finally, salt fog spray test was performed to confirm the electrochemical tests results.The authors would like to acknowledge Nubiola S.A. for supplying the raw materials, as well as Raquel Oliver and José Ortega for their help in the development of this project

Control of the degradation of silica sol-gel hybrid coatings for metal implants prepared by the triple combination of alkoxysilanes

Hybrid materials obtained by sol-gel process are able to degrade and release Si compounds that are useful in regenerative medicine due to their osteoinductive properties. The present work studies the behavior of new organic-inorganic sol-gel coatings based on triple mixtures of alkoxysilanes in different molar ratios. The precursors employed are methyl-trimethoxysilane (MTMOS), 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS). After optimization of the synthesis conditions, the coatings were characterized using 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si-MNR), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), contact angle measurements, hydrolytic degradation assays, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and mechanical profilometry. The degradation and EIS results show that by controlling the amount of TEOS precursor in the coating it is possible to tune its degradation by hydrolysis, while keeping properties such as wettability at their optimum values for biomaterials application. The corrosion properties of the new coatings were also evaluated when applied to stainless steel substrate. The coatings showed an improvement of the anticorrosive properties of the steel which is important to protect the metal implants at the early stages of the regeneration process.The financial support of MAT2014-51918-C2-2-R, P11B2014-19 and Plan de Promoción de la Investigación from the Universitat Jaume I (Predoc/2014/25) is gratefully acknowledged. J. García-Cañadas acknowledge financial support from Ramón y Cajal programme (RYC-2013-13970). The experimental support of Raquel Oliver Valls and José Ortega Herreros is also acknowledged

Study of the degradation of hybrid sol–gel coatings in aqueous medium

The design and development of suitable multilayered functional coatings for delaying corrosion advance in metals and become controlled-release vehicles requires that the properties of the coatings are known. Coatings prepared by the sol–gel method provide a good approach as protective layers on metallic surfaces. This kind of coating can be prepared from pure chemical reagents at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with compositions in a very wide range of environmentally non-aggressive precursors. Sol–gel coatings based on siloxane bonded units were prepared, starting with an organic–inorganic hybrid system. Synthesis procedures included acid-catalysed hydrolysis, sol preparation, and the subsequent gelation and drying. The alkoxide precursors used were methyl-triethoxysilane (MTMOS) and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) in molar ratios of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2 and 7:3. After determination of the optimal synthesis parameters, the materials were characterised by solid 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test. Finally, the materials were assayed by controlling their weight in contact with water, to determine their ability to degrade by hydrolysis. Electrochemical analysis reveals the formation of pores and water uptake during the degradation. The quantity of TEOS is one of the principal parameters that determine the kinetics of degradation. There is a correlation between the degradation process obtained for long periods and the electrochemical parameters obtained by EIS in short times. The study tries to incorporate knowledge that can be used for designing the degradation process of the functional coatings and to control their properties in short times

Evaluation of the role of surface pretreatments on thecorrosion process. Correlation between conventional andelectrochemical tests

The influence on the anticorrosion properties of three different pretreatmentsapplied on steel panels, before being powder-paint coated, is investigated both byconventional tests (cross cut, impact resistance, and neutral salt spray tests) andelectrochemical tests (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) andaccelerated cyclic electrochemical technique (ACET)). Amorphous phosphate,microcrystalline phosphate, and a sol-gel, based on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane(APTES), were the different pretreatments that were analyzed. All of them werecompared with a non-pretreated coated carbon steel panel. The microcrystallinephosphate, followed by the sol-gel surface treatments, showed the best systemproperties. These good results are attributed to PO34ions available at the interface,and to covalent bonds generated by the silicon network and the substrate surface,respectively

SMEs and corporate social responsibility. The perspective from Spanish companies

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be understood as an instrument for the application of sustainability in business activity. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have participated less in the development of CSR management than large corporations. However, many of these companies recognise that they are accountable for much of their impact, and they also perform actions that could be considered as CSR. This article presents the main findings of a study developed for SMEs with respect to their CSR practices and policies. The sample comprises companies located in a highly industrialised area of Valencia region, Spain. A general evaluation of these companies was made in terms of CSR practices and policies. Key aspects were identified that could easily be included in their strategy to improve sustainability performance. Results show that these companies are at an incipient stage of CSR strategy development and that the concept of CSR is not clearly understood.corporate social responsibility; CSR evaluation; performance; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; sustainability; sustainable economy; Spain; sustainable development.