小規模な設計変更で風力タービンの持続可能性を大幅改善（Small-scale Design Changes, Big Improvements in Wind Turbine Sustainability）

2026-08-10 デルフト工科大学（TU Delft）

＜関連情報＞

• https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2026/lr/small-scale-design-changes-big-improvements-in-wind-turbine-sustainability
• https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.77056
• https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.74543

生体模倣型グラデーションコーティングにより、風力タービンブレードの先端部の耐侵食性が向上 Bio-Inspired Gradient Coatings Enhance the Leading Edge Erosion Resistance of Wind Blades

Natalia Sofia Guevara-Sotelo, Julie Teuwen, Kunal Masania
Advanced Science  Published: 06 August 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77056

ABSTRACT

Rain-induced erosion of wind blades is a challenge to wind energy growth. As blade lengths and tip speeds increase, droplet-impact kinetic energy increases, accelerating surface degradation and reducing aerodynamic efficiency. Conventional polyurethane coatings require maintenance and are unable to withstand prolonged exposure to high-frequency impact stresses. Recent approaches have investigated impedance-matched multilayer and particle-reinforced coatings, but these often suffer from abrupt impedance transitions and weak interfacial adhesion. Here, we demonstrate that a bio-inspired, platelet-reinforced polyurethane coating with a graded through-thickness architecture enhances erosion resistance. We reason that minimising the acoustic impedance mismatch between the coating and substrate while maintaining a compliant outer layer reduces interfacial stresses. Compared to monolayer coatings, our system doubles the incubation time under erosion testing, confirming increased durability. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis shows that platelet volume fraction governs the viscoelastic and acoustic impedance behavior, while orientation has negligible influence on viscoelasticity but is critical for wave propagation and damage evolution. We demonstrate that these graded architectures inspired by natural impact-resistant structures offer superior protection. By providing a deeper understanding of the interplay between acoustic impedance, viscoelasticity, and wave propagation, our study lays the groundwork for designing bio-inspired graded coatings that actively mitigate impact damage in renewable energy applications.

微生物誘発性鉱物沈殿による界面強度向上を実現した亜麻複合材料 Flax Composites With Improved Interfacial Strength Through Microbially Induced Mineral Precipitation

Deniz Sayinbas, Ingo Nettersheim, Jeong-Joo Oh, Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam, Julie Teuwen, Kunal Masania
Advanced Materials  Published: 08 August 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74543

ABSTRACT

Driven by the needs of modern transportation and the clean energy transition, the demand for sustainable and lightweight materials is increasing. Composite materials incorporating natural fibers such as flax fibers have gained attention due to their carbon-capturing potential and good specific mechanical properties. However, when embedded in hydrophobic polymer matrices, flax fibers exhibit inferior mechanical performance primarily due to their hydrophilic composition and discontinuous fiber architecture. Biological materials such as nacre have developed useful strategies through mineralization to distribute localized stresses and develop extrinsic toughness that could inspire a solution to enhance stress transfer in natural fiber composites. Here, we report a biomineralization strategy to introduce an additional hierarchy to flax composites. By tuning salt concentrations in the process, we achieve controlled deposition of microbe-mediated mineral particles on flax yarns. With controlled biomineralization, we show that the minerals can enhance the compressive toughness by 178% and compressive strength by 30%. The findings highlight a novel bio-inspired pathway for tailoring composite performance through sustainable processing, offering a scalable and environmentally friendly approach to enhance natural fiber composites for structural applications.