Articulation of surfaces for bio-applications

Abstract

Materials science and engineering is witnessing an increasing global focus on the materials related to energy, environment, and medical applications. The Surface Engineering Committee of the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division (MPMD) of TMS has been active in promoting the novel applications of emerging materials and technology. In 2008, the Surface Engineering Committee had a JOM theme of Materials and Surfaces for Energetics that dealt with subjects ranging from energetics of microand nano-scale materials to processing for energetic applications. This year, our committee has focused on Articulation of Surfaces for Bio Applications. The confl uence of materials science with biology has opened up a plethora of opportunities for scientists and engineers to explore this exciting fi eld of research. In this issue of JOM, the Surface Engineering Committee presents fi ve papers that deal with different aspects of surface modifi cations for bio-applications. The review by Ryan Boehm and coauthors provides an insight in the fi eld of fl exible electronics for biomedical applications. The authors have shown that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), diamond-like carbon (DLC), and gold materials which were used to make fl exible electronics have adequate biocompatibility and may be used in medical applications such as neural probes, Articulation of Surfaces for Bio-applications