Welcome

      Although, since many decades scientists have been attracted by solutions found in nature, yet only recent developments of experimental techniques allow for designing and full characterizations of materials inspired by nature. The growing amount of results concerning studies on bio-inspired materials necessitates the exchange of ideas concerning this subject.
    

      More and more materials scientists search their inspiration for creating new materials in nature to achieve well defined, controllable properties by design. Therefore multi-disciplinary research is focused on using and expanding fundamental understanding of the formation and hierarchical construction of biological materials such as viruses, cells, and bio-minerals (bones, teeth, seashells etc.) and the subsequent transfer of the know-how gathered in this fundamental work for materials design. Also solutions observed for animals can be used as templates for the construction of novel materials. The Symposium will attract scientists and engineers working on the design of materials inspired by nature: so-called bio-mimetic materials, which can be used for technical and engineering applications. A good example of bio-mimetic system is the development of motion sensors based on superficial sensor cupulae of fish for which the morphology and mechanical responses comprising the elastic modulus and retardation time were investigated. Having collected all the above mentioned information the structure and composition of living organisms can be imitated.

      The potential of microscopic and spectroscopic experimental methods, which were extensively presented in the Symposium J at the E-MRS Fall Meeting 2007, should be now extended to bio-inspired materials, with the aim of promoting this novel approach in materials science.

      We seek for contributions dealing with designing and fabrication of novel bio-inspired materials for engineering applications. In this context, micro and nanoscale experimental methods such as: electron microscopy, surface probe microscopy and spectroscopy, mechanical testing as well as nanotribology allowing the full understanding of bio-inspired materials properties will be favored.


     The participants are encouraged to present their most recent studies concerning transfer of solutions used and developed by nature bio-mimetic materials, by focusing rather on the material properties than on the biological aspects.

Programme

The symposium will consist of five sessions, listed below:

  1. Bio-inspired materials and structures for engineering and technological applications.
  2. Bio-mimetic nanocomposites, nanostructures and nanoparticles.
  3. Tunable nanostructured surfaces: eg. controlling of wettability, adhesion etc.
  4. Bio-inspired sensors and arrays.
  5. Nanotribology of bio-inspired materials–mechanical investigation at nanoscale: friction, wear, adhesion, nanoindentation tests, self lubricating thin films, tribological properties of nanoparticles and surface modified nanoparticels.
  6. Biohybrid microstructures and microsystems.

Dear  Participants

Due to the small number of submitted contributions to symposium H, organizers of this symposium in agreement with Symposium L organizers decided to join both symposia.

Symposium H will be independent; however it will be part of symposium L with common for both symposia audience and the same venue. Presentations of participants of symposium H are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Participants of Sympoium H will have opportunity to publish their papers in JMS-Materials in Medicine or Polymers International (IF=1.5)). The best papers will be published in Tissue Engineering (IF=3.7).

We are very sorry for this inconvenience.

Symposium H Organizers


Tentative list of invited speakers:

Prof. Dr. Ralph Spolenak, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Design rules for biomimetic materials: from adhesive structures to nanocomposites - the role of materials in intelligent behavior

Dr Ille Gebeshuber, Technische Universität Wien, Austria

Bacilli, green algae, diatoms and red blood cells – how biology inspires novel materials in nanoarchitectural applications

Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel,Universität Bayreuth, Germany

Spider silk – production and processing of a fascinating biomaterial

Prof. Gil Rosenman, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Peptide Nanotubes: Physical Properties and Technological Applications

Prof. Nick Kotov, University of Michigan, USA

Mimicking Bone Microtructure with Synthetic and Bilogical Materials

Prof. Dr. Christoph Neinhuis, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Functional self-organizing surface structures in biology and engineering

Prof. Wilhelm Barthlott, Nees-Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Bonn, Germany

The Lotus-Effect: Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Surfaces and their Application

Prof.Georgy V. Gursky , Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology RAS (EIMB), Moscow, Russian Federation

Oligomers isohelical to DNA: DNA-binding properties and applications for construction of nano-scaled devices

Organisers

Dr. Ireneusz Piwonski

University of Lodz

Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Protection

Pomorska 163; 90-236 Lodz, Poland

Dr. Magdalena Parlinska-Wojtan

Empa Materials Science and Technology

Laboratory for Nanscale Materials Science

Ueberlandstrasse 129; CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland

Prof. Vladimir Tsukruk

Georgia Institute of Technology,

School of Materials Science and Engineering &

School of Polymer, Textile, and Fiber Engineering

771 Ferst Dr., NW, Atlanta, GA 30332-0245; USA

Karolina A. Rzepiejewska-Malyska

Empa Materials Science and Technology

Materials Measurement Research Group

Feuerwerkerstr. 39

3602 Thun, Switzerland

Contact

Dr Ireneusz Piwonski

University of Lodz, Dept. of Chemical Technology and Environmental Protection

Pomorska 163, 90-236 Lodz, Poland
Phone number: +48 42 635 58 33
Fax number: +48 42 678 70 87
E-mail address: [email protected]