Hard Materials Center of Excellence

The Sigma-Aldrich Urbana facility, formerly Aldrich-APL, is a Center of Excellence in ultra-high purity inorganic materials with an R&D team specializing in both catalog products and custom research services.

The Hard Materials Center of Excellence capabilities include:

• Solid State Synthesis
• Mechanochemistry
• Ceramic Processing
• Metal alloying
• Metal Distillation
• Purification of metal salts (including rare earth elements)
• Beading Technology
• Inert Gas Handling and Packaging
• Analytical Capabilities

These capabilities are used in the preparation of alloys, complex oxides and composites for energy and biomedical applications, as well as advanced structural and electronic ceramics for electronic applications.

Custom Inquiries
If you are interested in learning more about the custom materials design capabilities through the Hard Materials Center of Excellence, please contact us at HardMaterials@sial.com.

Catalog Materials - Research Quantities
Materials previously available through Aldrich-APL are now available through the Sigma-Aldrich catalog. If you are looking for research quantities of an existing product, please please visit our Online Product Catalog or contact our customer service department via email at custserv@sial.com.

Catalog Materials - Commercial Quantities
If you are looking for bulk/commercial quantities of an existing product, please contact our SAFC division at safcglobal@sial.com.

Other Topics
For any other inquiries regarding the Sigma-Aldrich's Urbana site please contact us at HardMaterials@sial.com.