Zygo Announces Uniquely Durable & Repeatable Salt Fog Silver Coating

Due to unprecedented customer demand, Zygo Corporation — a business unit of Ametek Inc. — has developed a salt fog silver coating that can be applied to silver reflector optics used either in harsh marine salt spray environments or for optics exposed to extreme temperatures (from -62OC to +800C).

Because of the fact that it possesses the highest broadband reflectivity, the lowest emissivity, and the lowest polarization splitting of all metals, silver is used in the most demanding visible and infrared mirror applications such as space-based sensors, and large telescopes. It out-performs gold and aluminum which have lower levels of reflectivity. However, silver is much more prone to atmospheric corrosion, and is easily tarnished and corroded in air —and even more so in harsh environments — which negatively effects its reflectivity and overall optical performance.

Salt fog silver is a silver mirror coating that offers high reflectivity from visible through to infrared wavelengths. A protective layer of salt fog silver is added to standard metallic silver coatings ensuring that optics are better able to resist corrosion and mechanically induced damage.

Standard protective measures are not suitable to protect a silver reflector in a marine environment. Most existing industry solutions are sub-optimal and either exhibit rapid degradation in the field, the formation of pin hole blemishes in the coating, or generally inconsistent performance. For optics typically used in maritime defense applications and in astronomy and top-end research applications, such issues are not acceptable, and a salt fog silver solution is required.

Jennifer Chen, Sr. Product Manager at Zygo says, “Very few coating houses offer a salt fog silver solution, without which numerous applications will fail in the field or suffer from dramatically reduced service life. Zygo began working on salt fog silver coatings back in 2016, driven by the requirements of one particular customer project, but over the last few years has seen a significant increase in interest from customers needing salt fog silver protection to help optical component survival in harsh and extreme environments, or when exposed to particularly low or high temperatures. The salt fog silver coating capability now places Zygo in a strong position as one of the only optics companies in the world that can offer this level of protection to the optics it manufacturers for defense, military, astronomy, and research applications.”

The salt fog silver coating capability is the result of much work undertaken by Zygo’s world-class coating design engineers and technicians who work closely with the company’s optical manufacturing teams. With Zygo also being a pre-eminent supplier of optical metrology equipment, customers can take advantage of a “one stop shopping” advantage, which simplifies the supply chain, reduces program risks, and reduces overall project timelines. Such a vertically integrated supplier is crucial when it is critical that your optical substrate meets operational requirements after a coating is applied.

Chen continues, “There are a very few companies that provide coatings that protect silver reflector optics in harsh environments, and Zygo’s salt fog silver coating exhibits superior spectral performance and spectral uniformity than any alternatives. Our salt fog silver coating is especially durable, passing the adhesion cellophane tape test, and showing no degradation when exposed to 95-100% humidity at 120oF over 24 and 240 hours. It also passed the moderate abrasion test (50 strokes with a minimum force of one pound) and the lifetime operational durability test (-55oC to +55oC at a rate of 4oC per minute for chamber air temperature between extremes, holding at extreme chamber air temperature for one hour for 20 cycles).”

Some customers request extended testing to be able to make an accurate evaluation of the likely service life of a silver mirror coating. This is frequently done via salt spray or salt fog testing, which is a way of measuring the corrosive impact of harsh marine environments on optics. It is standard that components used in harsh marine environments are evaluated to tight military specifications in controlled conditions.

“Chen concludes, “Our salt fog silver underwent an extended 5-day salt fog test, a lifetime storage durability test (-62oC to +80oC at a rate no greater than 5oC per minute between extremes, holding at extreme temperature for 8 hours over 4 cycles), as well as a solubility and cleanability test, which requires immersion in Isopropyl alcohol or methyl alcohol, Acetone, and Ethyl alcohol for a minimum or 10 minutes each. ZYGO’s salt fog silver coating passed all these performance requirements, which when coupled with its high repeatability makes it uniquely a uniquely reliable protection for silver reflector optics. In addition, while ZYGO’s salt fog silver coating has proved highly effective for silver reflector optics, the company continues to research its adherence to other substrate materials.”

To ensure quality for its customers, Zygo maintains complete control over every facet of optics manufacturing from grinding and polishing, to coating and assembly. At each stage of production, skilled opticians meticulously test and verify the components using sophisticated measuring instruments, most of which are designed and manufactured by Zygo. As such the company holds a unique position as a precision optics manufacturer and welcomes the opportunity to discuss its vertically integrated approach to optics development, and how the use of its salt fog silver coating may be beneficial in specific customer applications.

www.zygo.com

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Domestic Coal Production Remains On Growth Path in Q1; Prices Ease

Synopsis

• India’s coal production reached a new milestone of 223.36 Million Tonne (MT) during Q1 FY24, an 8.6% y-oy growth, driven by a 9.8% y-o-y increase in production by Coal India Limited (CIL). This is an all-time high volume of coal produced in India in the first quarter of a financial year. The power sector continued to be the largest consumer of domestic coal, accounting for 82% of the total despatches during Q1 FY24.
• Total coal imports surged by 14% y-o-y to 47.27 MT during Q1FY24, with non-coking coal accounting for 64% of the imports.
• Under the seventh round of coal block auction, which commenced in March 2023, about 103 fully explored, partially explored, coking, non-coking, lignite etc. coal mines are being offered. In this round, 35 bids have been received for 18 coal mines.
• “The domestic coal production remained healthy in Q1FY24 and is expected to reach the government’s target of 1 billion tonnes in FY24, a 13% growth y-o-y, driven by an increase in overall coal production by CIL and captive mines. The Government of India is also taking various initiatives to reduce dependency on imports for domestic demands which are expected to fructify in the medium-long term. The coal prices have cooled off and nearing the pre-pandemic level from the previous year’s high. CareEdge Research expects the coal prices
  to remain muted during this fiscal, however, they will continue to be higher than the pre-Covid-year price averages,” Tanvi Shah, Director, CareEdge Advisory & Research, said.

Domestic Production Witnessed Healthy Growth in Q1FY24

Domestic coal production stood at 223.36 MT during Q1FY24, registering a growth of 8.6% y-o-y. CIL continued to be the largest producer of coal accounting for 78.6% of the total production during Q1FY24. CIL’s production grew by 9.8% y-o-y to 175.5 MT during this period.

Coal production from captive mines increased by 5.7% y-o-y in Q1FY24, contributing 13.8% to total coal production during the quarter. The production from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) grew by 1.2% y-o-y in Q1FY24 to 30.8 MT.

Chart 1: Coal Production (MT)

India’s coal production has grown by 47% over the past 9 years to reach 893.08 MT in FY23. Under the Action Plan for FY24 by Ministry of Coal, the production target for FY24 is set at 1.0 BT which is expected to be achieved through improvement in overall production, efficiency and adoption of new technologies. The incremental output is also expected from a ramp-up in the production of operational captive mines and the commencement of production from mines being auctioned by the ministry. The growth is also the result of improvement in efficiency of the coal supply chain ensuring smooth distribution across India.

The Government launched ‘Mission Coking Coal’ in August 2021, under which a target of producing 140MT of coking coal by 2030 has been set compared to production of 60.8 MT in FY23.

The government’s initiatives including the amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act, of 1957 to permit the captive mines to sell up to 50% of their annual coal production in the open market after meeting the end-use plant requirements, production through Mine Developer and Operator (MDO) mode, increase in use of mass production technologies, expansion of existing projects and privatization of coal blocks, 100% Foreign Direct Investments, Single Window Clearance etc., will continue to boost domestic coal production in the medium-long term.

The Ministry of Coal under the “Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act 2015 and Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act 1957 has auctioned 86 coal mines to date under six tranches, out of which 74 coal blocks have been issued vesting orders. The estimated revenue generated by these auctions is approximately Rs. 33,200 Crores.

Power Sector Consumed 82% of Total Coal Supplies in Q1FY24

The aggregate coal despatch to the power sector was 198.1 MT during Q1FY24, an increase of 2.9% y-o-y. Power sector accounted for 82% of the total coal despatches during Q1 FY24. The despatches to captive power plants grew by 80.9% y-o-y and there was a 17% y-o-y increase in supply for other sectors as the power sector demand normalised compared to previous quarter.

Chart 2: Coal Despatch (MT)

The average number of rakes available per daydecreased by 4% y-o-yduring Q1FY23 due to constraints in railway logistics. The Ministry of Coal in association of Ministry of Railways is constructing 13 railway lines for expansion of coal distribution capabilities. Further, the Ministry of Coal in line with PM Gati Shakti is taking up 67 First Mile Connectivity (FMC) Projects with capacity of 885 MT in 3 phases costing Rs. 26,000 cr. to develop multimodal connectivity.

Table 1: CIL’s Rake Supply towards Power Sector (Average Number of Rakes Per Day)

Plant Load Factor for Coal-based Power Plants on the Rise

Coal-based power generation accounted for more than 69% of total power generated in Q1FY24. The PLF1 of coalbased power plants improved to 70.26% in FY24 (April-May) from an average of 64.15% in FY23, primarily due to higher coal availability.

As of June 30, 2023, the coal stock at non-pithead power plants has improved to 12.5 days compared to 8.5 days in June 2022, which is well above the critical stock levels of below 7. As per CEA, pithead power2 plants have around 85% of their normative stock available as of June 30, 2023, while non-pithead plants3 have only around 48% of their normative stock available.

The coal stock of the power plants is regularly monitored by Inter-ministerial Secretary-level. As on December 2021, the Government has also issued revised coal stocking norms which mandate the power plants to stock sufficient coal to be maintained between 12 to 17 days for pithead plants and 20 to 26 days for non-pit headed plants with month-wise variation according to the coal despatch and consumption.

Chart 3: Plant Load Factor (Coal-based Power plants)

Coal Imports Increased in FY24(April-May), Led by Non-coking Coal

Coal imports increased by 14.04% y-o-y to 47.27 MT in FY24 (April- May). Non-coking coal, mainly used in power generation, cement and metals sectors, accounted for 64% of the total coal imports. Over 70% of the non-coking coal is imported from Indonesia and South Africa while coking coal is majorly imported from Australia.

In January 2023, the power ministry directed the thermal power plants to import coal to achieve imported to domestic coal blending at the rate of 6% for the remaining period of the current fiscal and H1FY24. The move was targeted to reduce the coal shortfall anticipated during the summer months. However, to reduce dependence on imported coal over the medium-long term, the Government has been taking various initiatives including auctioning of coal blocks for commercial mining, FDI under the automatic route, expansion of existing mines, opening of new mines under CIL and development of evacuation infrastructure.

The Government has launched the ‘National Coal Gasification Mission’ under which 100 MT of coal will be gasified and liquefied by 2030. Under this scheme, a 50% rebate on revenue share will be provided to all future coal block auctions subject to at least 10% of the coal produced being gasified. This initiative is expected to reduce the imports of natural gas, methanol etc and meet the domestic demand. An outlay of Rs 6,000 crores is being proposed under this scheme.

International Coal Prices Softened Further in Q1FY24

During Q1FY24, the average coal prices for Indonesian coal, South African coal and Australian coal were 25%, 61% and 58% lower,respectively, as compared to prices during the same period in FY23. Coal prices have been softening since November 2022 as the increase in supplies from South Africa and Columbia has alleviated the demand crunch in European countries caused by the reduction of coal imports from Russia.While the prices have dropped compared to FY22, they have remained above the pre-Covid-year price averages. The coal prices are expected to stay muted in the current fiscal due to sufficient availability of coal in the global market, subdued global demand and gradual adjustments of the global markets to the Russia-Ukraine war.

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Researchers Develop 3d Printed Bandage That Delivers Innovative Treatment for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have designed a new 3D printed bandage, known as a scaffold, which presents an innovative method of treatment to heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

The research is the first of its kind and is a breakthrough for diabetes management. The findings have been published in the journal Biomaterials Advances.

The new discovery combines lipid nanoparticles and hydrogels, which are used to create personalised skin-like 3D printed scaffolds. These scaffolds have the ability to release both a bulk and sustained release of antibiotic loaded molecules to treat diabetic ulcers.

This combination has been shown to greatly improve patient outcomes and has the added benefit of being a more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective method of treatment as these scaffolds in the future can be “easily” produced within the hospital setting.

This approach will also cut time for medical professionals and improve patient care, as the wound dressing can be monitored and provide the treatment needed without the need to be taken on and off repeatedly in order for the medical professionals to check the healing process.

The research team was led by Professor Dimitrios Lamprou from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with Ms Costanza Fratini (Erasmus Visitor), Mr Edward Weaver (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Sofia Moroni (PhD Student between Queen’s University and the University of Urbino Carlo Bo), Ms Robyn Irwin (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Yahya Dallal Bashi (Postdoctoral Researcher from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Shahid Uddin (Industrial Collaborator), Professor Luca Casettari (University of Urbino Carlo Bo), and Dr Matthew Wylie from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s.

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is among the top ten causes of deaths worldwide. DFUs are a serious complication of diabetes, affecting approximately 25% of diabetic patients. When identified, over 50% are already infected and over 70% of cases result in lower limb amputation.

Researchers Develop 3d Printed Bandage That Delivers Innovative Treatment for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

As a strategy to manage DFUs, skin alternatives and wound dressings are successful treatments as they keep the wound environment “under control”, whilst providing bioactive compounds that help to manage infection and inflammation and promote tissue repair.

This is a complex process that requires several combined therapeutic approaches. As a result, there is a significant clinical and economic burden associated in treating DFU. Furthermore, these treatments are often unsuccessful, commonly resulting in lower-limb amputation.

The use of drug-loaded scaffolds to treat DFUs has previously been shown to be successful by the same team. To create this new scaffold, the research team used a 3D bioprinting technique that combines, in one single filament, two different bioinks.

The inner core of the filament is a nanocomposite hydrogel that contains lipid nanoparticles encapsulated with thyme oil. The outer shell of the filament is represented by a hybrid hydrogel and enriched with free thyme oil. Thyme oil and other essential oils, have a promising future as an all-natural antibiotic replacement, helping address the issue of increasing incidences of antimicrobial resistance.

This combination provides two different release ratios of the drug molecule; a bulk release for the first 24 hours and a sustained release for up to 10 days. This enables an initial disease prevention post-administration, which may be the highest-risk time, followed by sustained infection prevention during the following days of antimicrobial efficacy.

Commenting on the importance of this study, Professor Dimitrios Lamprou, lead on the project and Chair of Biofabrication and Advanced Manufacturing from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “This innovative, personalised, and sustainable approach, provides the healing needed for the diabetic foot ulcers, to avoid any complications, and enables doctors to monitor the healing constantly. This avoids needing to remove dressing constantly, which can provoke infection and delay the healing process. Medical professionals also do not need to change the drug dosage as this double release, supports that need.”

Dr Matthew Wylie, Lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and responsible for the in vitro antibacterial activity evaluation of these novel bandages, said: “Diabetic foot ulcers are chronic wounds highly susceptible to infection which can lead to limb- or life-threatening complications. Our natural liposomal antibacterial approach has shown promising initial antibacterial results highlighting the potential of this strategy to prevent bacterial colonisation during the crucial early stages of wound healing, as well as longer term protection of the wound.

“Improved wound management will not only enhance patient quality of life but could reduce the need for traditional antibiotic therapy, a key aim in the fight against antimicrobial resistance development.”

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ReNew and Gentari Announce Strategic Collaboration for 5 GW Renewable Capacity in India

ReNew Energy Global Plc (“ReNew”) (Nasdaq: RNW, RNWWW), India’s leading decarbonisation solutions company, through its subsidiary ReNew Power Pvt. Ltd. (ReNew) and clean energy solutions provider Gentari, through its subsidiary Gentari Renewables India Pte. Ltd., have executed key terms to collaborate on a 50:50 joint venture in clean energy solutions. The term sheet was exchanged between Sushil Purohit, Chief Executive Officer of Gentari and Sumant Sinha, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ReNew.

As part of this proposed joint venture, Gentari and ReNew will collaborate to explore investments into the development of renewable assets including solar, wind and energy storage, to achieve a target of 5 GW in renewable energy capacity. The collaboration between the parties follows Gentari’s initial investment for a 49% equity stake in ReNew’s 403 MW Peak Power project in May this year.

As partners, Gentari and ReNew can accelerate their decarbonisation objectives, enabling Gentari to make substantial progress in expanding its renewable energy portfolio and achieving its global ambition to build over 30 GW in renewable energy capacity by 2030. For ReNew, this partnership ties in with its strategy of collaborating with long-term partners, accelerating renewable energy transition and meeting its net zero target by 2040.

“We are elated to embark on this strategic collaboration with ReNew, as it holds tremendous potential for accelerating the development of renewable assets in India. With our aligned vision and extensive expertise, we aim to drive rapid progress in expanding India’s renewable energy capacity and fostering sustainable growth,” said Sushil Purohit, Chief Executive Officer of Gentari.

Sumant Sinha, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ReNew said, “We are delighted to welcome Gentari as a strategic partner in our goal of accelerating the clean energy transition. This partnership will be crucial in developing innovative solutions which will contribute significantly to India’s 2030 goal of achieving 500 GW of installed renewable energy capacity.”

www.gentari.com
www.renew.com

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