MOZART EU Project

METAL MATRIX NANO-COMPOSITE COATINGS UTILIZATION AS ALTERNATIVE TO HARD CHROMIUM MOZART is an EU-Horizon project involving 15 stakeholders from 8 countries among universities, research institutes, large enterprises, and SMEs. It is based on a multidisciplinary approach for achieving high-quality durable composite coatings as a replacement to hard chromium. The coating solutions will be developed under the principles of the Sustainable and Safe by Design (SSbD) concept based on nickel matrix nano-composite electroplating processes. These types of coatings will cover a wide range of applications and sectors by proper handling of production parameters. Also, they will be free of toxic chemicals and are based on abundant raw materials, and their mechanical properties have already been experimentally proven and are comparable or even higher in relation to the hard chromium coatings. Overall, the MOZART project provides scientific, technological, and societal impact by delivering an SSbD methodology for applying high-quality durable Ni-matrix nanocomposite coatings as a replacement of hard chromium plating, aligned with the twin transformation targets of the European Commission: #Green – based on the REACH compliance materials that will be utilized, the increased energy efficiency of the process, modifications of plating lines for decreasing wastes and increased occupational safety; and #Digital – based on the utilization of AI models and simulation for the identification of optimum parameters of plating in relation to the geometry of the objects that will be plated, leading to savings in raw materials and time.