Welcome

Tuesday 16 th and Wednesday 17 th Sept 2008

The workshop will be organised by European Integrated Project NAPOLYDE (Nano-structured polymer deposition processes for mass production of innovative systems for energy production & control and for smart devices) and the European Networks of Excellence NAPOLYNET and NANOFUN-POLY.

Programme

Polymer and sol gel based thin films are of interest in many industries today mainly due to their low cost, low thermal load, light weight, flexibility and transparency. Polymeric and sol-gel derived thin films with controlled nanoscale features (thickness, surface functionalisation, adhesion, multilayer interface, porosity, roughness, surface structures or inclusions such as nanoparticles) can provide systems with radically new chemical or physical properties.

Among them barrier, mechanical protection, tuneable wettability (e.g. self-cleaning, anti-fogging), optical properties (e.g. antireflectivity, decorative effects), enhanced sensing properties and conductivity are all industrially relevant. In addition, manipulation on the nanoscale of polymer and sol-gel thin films is a route to the miniaturisation of functional micro devices.

This workshop will review the state-of-the-art of the nanostructured polymer and sol-gel thin film processing while discussing the latest industrial applications and advances in dedicated characterisation techniques. The workshop is intended to promote and encourage the interaction between academic and industrial research to address scientific and technological challenges associated with the nanostructuring of polymer and sol-gel thin films.

The workshop will be organised by European Integrated Project NAPOLYDE (Nano-structured polymer deposition processes for mass production of innovative systems for energy production & control and for smart devices) and the European Networks of Excellence NAPOLYNET and NANOFUN-POLY .

Topics:

  • Plasma based surface functionalisation or nano-layering, nanoparticle inclusion in polymer thin films and surface nano-texturing.
  • Sol-gel based surface modification or functionalisation of nanoparticles or nanoporous coatings, nanoparticle inclusion in polymeric and sol-gel thin films, and nanostructuring of thin films by polymeric and sol-gel self-assembly or templating approaches.
  • Application of nanoscale polymer and sol-gel derived coatings in renewable energy, surface protection, sensors and smart devices
  • Advances in non-destructive techniques for polymer characterisation (including but not being restricted to Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Infrared Ellipsometry, FTIR, Raman).
  • Environmental impact, energy reduction and life cycle analysis in manufacturing.

Workshop registration fees (allows also the participation to all E’MRS Symposia):

Early registration fees (before July 31):

  • Regular fee: 395 Euro
  • Student fee: 260 Euro* (further reduction possible after individual agreement with Symposium Organiser)

Late registration fees (after July 31):

  • Regular fee: 480 Euro
  • Student fee: 310* Euro

Organisers

  • James Rohan, NAPOLYDE representative, Tyndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland, [email protected]
  • Frederic Sanchette, CEA, Grenoble, France, [email protected]
  • Mircea Modreanu, NAPOLYDE representative Tyndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland, [email protected]
  • Emmanuel Scolan, NAPOLYDE representative CSEM, Neuchatel, Switzerland, [email protected]
  • Clara Silvestre, NAPOLYNETrepresentative, Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Naples, Italy. [email protected]
  • Jose Kenny, NANOFUN-POLY representative, ECNP and University of Perugia, Italy, [email protected]

Sponsors

ARCELORMITTAL, Belgium 

Contact

Mircea Modreanu
NAPOLYDE representative Tyndall National Institute
Cork, Ireland
E-mail: [email protected]