New Concept of Bioresorbable Polymer-based Ceramic Hybrids for Cardiovascular Stent Applications

Dr. Xiang Zhang will be presenting his work "New Concept of Bioresorbable Polymer-based Ceramic Hybrids for Cardiovascular Stent Applications" at Materials Science Conference.

Prof. & Dr. Xiang Zhang, Royal Society Industry Fellow of University of Cambridge, has over 34 years combined academia (17 years) and industrial (17 years) experience in advanced materials science and technology, an expert in polymer and polymeric hybrid materials science and technology. Prof. Zhang is also Head of the Lucideon Cambridge School of Advanced Materials and Head of Medical Materials and Devices. He is the author of three books “Inorganic Biomaterials”, “Inorganic Controlled Release Technology” and “Science and Principles of Biodegradable and Bioresorbable Medical Polymers - Materials and Properties”. As a materials scientist, he is passionate on “Science for Industry “and believes fundamental but applied sciences are the keys to industry R&D and problem solving. Prof. Zhang undertook his PhD and postdoctoral research at Cranfield University where he studied materials physics and nano/micro-mechanics and nano/micro-fracture mechanics of polymeric hybrid (organic and inorganic) materials. After spending a further four years on research for industrial applications, he was awarded an industrial fellowship at the University of Cambridge in 1995, where he carried out research on fundamental nanomechanisms of polymeric ductile to brittle transitions, which is first time in the world ever employing synchrotron SAXS, WAXS (wide angle and small angel X-ray scattering) to study in situ deformation and fracture down to nanometre scales, the results of which lead to completion of ductile to brittle transition theories in view of nano-mechanics and nano-fracture mechanics. Prof. Zhang’s industry experience was gained in leading international healthcare companies, where, as Principal Scientist/Technologist, his work covered almost all aspects of medical materials and devices from R&D and manufacturing support to failure analysis and QC. Prior to joining Lucideon, Prof. Zhang worked as Director of a technology company, in the field of nano-conductive materials and diagnostic medical devices.

The abstract of his presentation can be found below.

This presentation will introduce new theories and industry practice for design and development of polymer-based ceramic hybrids.  The evolution from pure polymer-based medical devices to polymer-based ceramic hybrids is to meet unmet market needs for better clinical performance over existing systems.  There are many factors that can affect medical implant performance and, historically, most of them have been well studied, such as bioactivities and biocompatibility.  In this presentation, new concept will be mainly addressing issue surround biomechanics, biofracture mechanucs and biofunctionality for design and development of new hybrid biomaterials for implant applications.  It will report the principles on formulations for two type of the new systems.  One family is of biodegradable and bioresorbable hybrids and 2nd is of non-biodegradable hybrids.  It will be followed by design and development of medical devices in view of industry practice with clinical performance considerations of medical devices.  The main topics covered in the presentation include: (a) New concepts and synthetic pathway of polymer-based ceramic hybrids; (b) Nano/Micro mechanics and nano/micro fracture mechanics; (c) Industry practice – two case studies will be used to demonstrate on how to design and develop polymer-based ceramic hybrid biomaterials and relevant processing technology for the applications of medical implants.  Cardiovascular stent, as an example is traditionally made of metal such as Bare Metal Stents (BMS) or with drug coatings, i.e. Drug Eluting Stents (DES).  There are, however, clinical complications associated with these technologies, such as, early stage restenosis, very late thrombosis and risk associated with revision surgery.  In light of these challenges research focus has turned to the development of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) technologies.

We have developed new bioresorbable polymer-based ceramic stent that has been reinforced resorbable therapeutic cardiovascular stent to address the known limitations of cardiovascular technologies.  We have developed a bioresorbable stent with intrinsic toughness for handling and deployment via balloon angioplasty, radial strength, controlled drug-release technology to suppress restenosis and surface functionalisation to promote endothelialisation to reduce risk of thrombosis. We present the novel synthetic polymer-ceramic composites developed as candidate stent-core materials, both their preparation and the characterisation of their mechanical behaviour, in vitro degradation will be presented.

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Hybrid Photovoltaic-Piezoelectric Flexible Device for Energy Harvesting from Nature

Professor Elias Siores will be presenting his work Titled "Hybrid Photovoltaic-Piezoelectric Flexible Device for Energy Harvesting from Nature" at  Materials Science Conference to be held during February 20-21, 2017 at Berlin, Germany.

Professor Elias Siores is the Provost and Director of Research and Innovation, Bolton University. Educated in the UK (BSc, MSC, MBA, PhD) and pursued his academic career in Australia (Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) and Asia (Hong Kong, Dong Guan) before returning to Europe (UK) as a Marie Curie Fellow. His R&D work concentrated on advancing the science and technology in the field of automated Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation including Ultrasound, Acoustic Emission, and Microwave Thermography. His recent R&D work focuses on Smart / Functional Materials and Systems development. In this area, he has developed Electromagnetic, Electrorheological, Photovoltaic and Piezoelectric SmartMaterials based Energy Conversion Systems for Renewable Energy, Medical, Health Care and Wearable Devices. He has published over 300 publications including 8 Patents . He has been a member of editorial boards of international journals and a Fellow of IOM, TWI, IEAust, SAE and WTIA. He has received 15 awards in his career for R&D achievements.

Abstract of the Speech:

Statement of the Problem: Photovoltaic materials have unique conversion characteristic that they can convert sun light to electrical energy. However, photovoltaic energy can be expensive if the solar radiation in a particular region is not abundant. When the solar radiation is scarce in a region, there is presence of wind and rainfall. If flexible solarcells are coupled with flexible piezoelectric films then the hybrid structure can generate energy from solar radiation, wind and rainfall. This work focuses on nontransparent hybrid structure which contains copper and aluminium electrodes and eliminates the used of costly indium tin oxide (ITO).

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Hybrid film has been developed by depositing organic photovoltaic cell based on P3HT and PCBM on a piezoelectric film under ambient room conditions and tested.

Findings: The hybrid film produced an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.45V and a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 0.43mA/cm2 under solar simulator and a peak power of 85 µW when subjected to a turbulent wind speed up to 10m/sec (36km/hour) in a custom built wind tunnel.

Conclusion & Significance: HPP film has been developed by depositing organic photovoltaic cell based on P3HT:PCBM on a piezoelectric film under the ambient room conditions. HPP film produced was ITO free and cost effective since the usage of expensive clean room procedure has been eliminated. Experimental results proved that the HPP film produced was able to convert both wind energy and solar energy into electrical energy.

The Materials Science Conference will be held in Berlin, Germany from February 20-21, 2017. This knowledge oriented congress aims to amplify your research and enlighten your knowledge in the field of materials science. Materials Research 2017 includes all the seminars, Materials Science workshops, poster presentations and materials science symposium on the most trending topics related to material science and engineering. This conference makes you sail in the ocean of material science and will definitely make your journey a memorable one.  

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Investigating materials formation with liquid-phase TEM

Prof. James J. De Yoreo will be delivering Keynote speech during International Materials Science Conference. Jim De Yoreo is Chief Scientist for Materials Science at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Affiliate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Washington. He received his PhD in Physics from Cornell University in 1985. Following post-doctoral work at Princeton University, he became a staff member at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he held numerous positions. He joined Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2007, serving as Interim Director of the Molecular Foundry before moving to PNNL in 2012. His research focuses on interactions, assembly, and crystallization in inorganic, biomolecular and biomineral systems. He has authored over 220 publications and is a recipient of the MRS David Turnbull Lectureship, the IOCG Laudise Prize, the AACG Crystal Growth Award, and an R&D 100 Award. He is a Fellow of the APS and the MRS, a member of the IOCG and AACG Executive Committees, and has served as MRS President.

Abstract of the speech can be found below:

Nucleation is the seminal process in the formation of ordered structures ranging from simple inorganic crystals to macromolecular matrices. Observations over the past fifteen years have revealed a rich set of hierarchical pathways involving higher-order species ranging from multi-ion clusters to dense liquid droplets, as well as transient crystalline or amorphous phases. These non-classical pathways are diverse, in contrast to those of classical models that consider only addition of monomeric chemical species. Despite their complexity, a holistic framework for understanding particle-based pathways both during the nucleation and growth phases that extends classical concepts emerges when the coupled effects of complexity in free energy landscapes and the impact of dynamical factors governing particle formation and interaction are considered. Here I describe that framework and use a series of in situ TEM studies on inorganic and macromolecular systems to illustrate the evolution in nucleation and growth processes as these complexities and dynamical factors come into play. The introduction of either size-dependent phase stability associated with the high surface-to-volume ratios of nanoparticles, or high driving force coupled with the existence of metastable polymorphs leads to true two-step pathways characterized by the initial appearance of bulk precursor phases. Creation of micro-states, which represent local minima in free energy stabilized by configurational factors, can also lead to hierarchical pathways, but the intermediates are transient states not present in the bulk phase diagram. In either of these cases, reduction in molecular mobility, either through reduced temperature or introduction of ion-binding macromolecules, can freeze non-equilibrium states into place for dynamical reasons. However, even when energy landscapes are smooth, high driving force creates dynamic factors that lead to hierarchical pathways through post-nucleation interaction and assembly of nanoparticles. Many of these processes can occur concurrently or sequentially in a single system.

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If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it at Materials Research 2017

Conference Series LLC takes the privilege to invite speakers from across the globe to its flagship conference, 7th Annual Congress on Materials Research and Technology to be held during February 20-21, 2017 at Berlin, Germany. This Materials Research 2017 is unparagoned and an unmissable opportunity to engross the information and communication technologies bobbing in the modern age.

Materials Research 2017 is a special designed cluster of program that provides a common platform where industry meets academia to discuss the recent issues and happening. It serve as a bridge between researchers from academia and industry enhanced by its well organized scientific sessions, plenary lectures, poster presentations, world class exhibitions, diverse symposiums, highly enriched workshops and B2B meetings.

Present your research work to the global audience and share your knowledge in the field of Materials Science at this unique event which allows delegates to have issues addressed on Materials Science by recognized global experts who are up to date with the latest developments in the Materials Science field and provide information on new techniques and technologies.

For more details on the conference, please visit: http://materialsresearch.conferenceseries.com/