Conference on Research and Innovations in Science and Technology of Materials (CRISTMas 2025)

Steel Research Institutions in China

École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, ParisTech, France 10-13 December 2024 This collection focuses on the recent innovations in materials science and advanced characterisations methods presented at the conference on research and innovations in science and technology of materials (CRISTMAS 2024). It covers topics ranging from advances in the most critical aspects in chemistry and material fabrication of nanomaterials, to the engineering of prototype devices and systems. List of Editorial Board and Scientific and Organising Committee are available in this pdf.

École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, ParisTech, France13-15 December 2023This collection focuses on the recent innovations in Materials Science and advanced characterisations methods presented at the Conference on research and Innovations in Science and Technology CRISTMAS 2023. It covers topics ranging from advances in the most critical aspects in chemistry and material fabrication of nanomaterials, to the engineering of prototype devices and systems. Editorial Board: • Anna Baldycheva, University of Exeter, UK • Pavel Ginzburg, Tel Aviv University, Israel • Alexander Gumennik, Indiana University, USA • Andrei Gorodetsky, University of Birmingham, UK Scientific and Organising Committee: Anna Baldycheva, University of Exeter, UK Andrei Gorodetsky, University of Birmingham, UK Jèrome Tignon, Sorbonne University & Ècole Normale Superieure, France Pavel Ginzburg, Tel Aviv University, Israel Alexander Gumennik, Indiana University, USA Ben Hogan, Queen’s University, Canada Iveta Steblevska, Queen’s University, Canada Hani Bahrum, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Opening the Doors to Advanced Materials in 2022.

2010 marks the tenth year of publication of Advanced Functional Materials. Since Advanced Materials for Optics and Electronics was re-launched in 2001 as Advanced Functional Materials, the journal has published more than 2000 Full Papers and Feature Articles on all aspects of materials science. In those ten years, it has become the number one full paper materials science journal thanks to the support of the materials science community, leading in areas such as photovoltaics and organic electronics. What was cutting edge in materials science ten years ago, and what is cutting edge today? We can get an idea by comparing the frequency of keywords used to describe articles from 2001 and 2009. In the plots below, the size of the keyword corresponds to the frequency of its appearance. In 2001, Advanced Functional Materials published a number of articles on polymers, devices, films, and nanoparticles. By 2009, the relative frequency of those first three topics had declined while that of nanoparticles increased (as you may have suspected). In 2001, the study of organic thin-film transistors was still gathering steam, with a single publication.1 By 2009, however, rapid progress had been made, and nearly 50 publications on organic, polymer, graphene, and carbon nanotube transistors appeared in the journal. Let your eye run over these images; I hope you enjoy these snapshots in time of research as much as I do. One of my favorite things about Advanced Functional Materials is the attractive cover designs. Looking back to 2001, the covers of the very first issue featured papers on topics that are still very much relevant today. The first outside cover was by Ozin et al. on solid oxide fuel cell electrodes,2 while the first inside cover accompanied a Feature Article on plastic solar cells by Sariciftci and co-workers.3 This Feature Article went on to be the most cited article of all time in Advanced Functional Materials, with more than 1450 citations to date. We redesigned the cover of Advanced Functional Materials last year so that even more focus would be on the stunning images produced by our authors. If you take a look at the 2009 Cover Gallery (http://bit.ly/AFM2009covers), I hope you will agree that this redesign was successful—which is your favorite? We're looking forward to seeing what combinations of art and science our authors produce for the covers of the journal in 2010. One of the most significant developments in the last decade of publication of Advanced Functional Materials has been the growth in quality scientific output from China. In 2001, a single paper listed a Chinese institution for a corresponding author, [4] but by last year nearly 14% of the manuscripts published in the journal were by Chinese authors. To reflect the growing influence of Chinese materials science worldwide, we have taken our popular materials science news website MaterialsViews.com and launched a Chinese-language version, MaterialsViewsChina.com. Like MaterialsViews.com, MaterialsViewsChina.com provides updates on the latest materials science research, interviews with leading researchers, and more. Be sure to visit either website and sign up for the email list to be the first to get regular updates and insider-only information. Sincere thanks to our talented authors, hard-working reviewers, and dedicated readers for supporting the Advanced Functional Materials community. I'm looking forward to reading your next manuscript and finding out what exciting, interesting, and unexpected materials science 2010 will bring.

Insects provide examples of many cunning stratagems to cope with the challenges of living in a world dominated by surface forces. Despite being the current masters of the land environment, they are at constant risk of being entrapped in liquids, which they prevent by having waxy and hairy surfaces. The problem is particularly acute in an enclosed space, such as a plant gall. Using secreted wax to efficiently parcel and transport their own excrement, aphids were able to solve this problem 200 Myr ago. Here, we report on the physical and physiological significance of this ingenious solution. The secreted powdery wax has three distinct roles: (i) it is hydrophobic, (ii) it creates a microscopically rough inner gall surface made of weakly compacted wax needles making the gall ultra-hydrophobic, and (iii) it coats the honeydew droplets converting them into liquid marbles, that can be rapidly and efficiently moved.

Progress in a Time Loop

BackgroundThe potential applications of protein-engineered functional materials are so wide and exciting that the interest in these eco-friendly advanced materials will further expand in the future. Tag-mediated protein purification/immobilization technologies have emerged as green and cost-effective approaches for the fabrication of such materials. Strategies that combine the purification and immobilization of recombinant proteins/peptides onto/into natural, synthetic or hybrid materials in a single-step are arising and attracting increasing interest. Aim of ReviewThis review highlights the most significant advances of the last 5 years within the scope of tag-mediated protein purification/immobilization and elucidates their contributions for the development of efficient single-step purification and immobilization strategies. Recent progresses in the field of protein-engineered materials created using innovative protein-tag combinations and future opportunities created by these new technologies are also summarized and identified herein. Key Scientific Concepts of ReviewProtein purification/immobilization tags present a remarkable ability to establish specific non-covalent/covalent interactions between solid materials and biological elements, which prompted the creation of tailor-made and advanced functional materials, and of next-generation hybrid materials. Affinity tags can bind to a wide range of materials (of synthetic, natural or hybrid nature), being most suitable for protein purification. Covalently binding tags are most suitable for long-term protein immobilization, but can only bind naturally to protein-based materials. Hybrid affinity-covalently binding tags have allowed efficient one-step purification and immobilization of proteins onto different materials, as well as the development of innovative protein-engineered materials. Self-aggregating tags have been particularly useful in combination with other tags for generating protein-engineered materials with self-assembling, flexible and/or responsive properties. While these tags have been mainly explored for independent protein purification, immobilization or functionalization purposes, efficient strategies that combine tag-mediated purification and immobilization/functionalization in a single-step will be essential to guarantee the sustainable manufacturing of advanced protein-engineered materials.

The International Conference on Physics and Technology of Advanced Materials (ICPTAM) 2024, held in conjunction with the 8th Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Symposium (The 8th NNS), took place from 7-10 October 2024 in Bali, Indonesia. With the overarching theme of “Advanced materials for future technology”, this event brought together leading scientists, engineers, and professionals to discuss cutting-edge advancements in materials science and nanotechnology in celebration of international year of quantum science and technology. The event features 2 keynote speakers, 6 plenary speakers, 14 Invited speakers, and 90 contributed oral presenters, which come from several countries: Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, United Kingdom, Thailand, Taiwan, China, and India. This year’s conference provided a unique platform for participants to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and showcase innovative research on topics ranging from functional advanced materials, nanomaterials and nanotechnology, computational materials and modelling, nanoelectronics and nanodevices, energy materials, environmental and green materials, biomaterials and biodevices, quantum computing. This event also highlighted the crucial intersection of physics and materials science in shaping the future of technology and society. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Prof. Ir. Wahyu Srigutomo, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), for his invaluable support and guidance in preparing this scientific event. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Physical Society of Indonesia, MRS-id, and the Department of Electrical Engineering, Udayana University, for their generous support and collaboration, which played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of this conference and creating an engaging and stimulating environment. List of Advisory Board, Organizing Committee and Co-Organizing Committee are available in this Pdf.

Advanced in vitro cell culture systems or microphysiological systems (MPSs), including microfluidic organ-on-a-chip (OoC), are breakthrough technologies in biomedicine. These systems recapitulate features of human tissuesoutside of the body. They are increasingly being used to study the functionality of different organs for applications such as drug evolutions, disease modeling, and precision medicine. Currently, developers and endpoint users of these in vitromodels promote how they can replace animal models or even be a better ethically neutral and humanized alternative to study pathology, physiology, and pharmacology. Although reported models show a remarkable physiological structure and function compared to the conventional 2D cell culture, they are almost exclusively based on standard passive polymers or glass with none or minimal real-time stimuli and readout capacity. The next technology leap in reproducing in vivo-like functionality and real-time monitoring of tissue function could be realized with advanced functional materials and devices. This review describes the currently reported electronic and optical advanced materials for sensing and stimulation of MPS models. In addition, an overview of multi-sensing for Body-on-Chip platforms is given. Finally, one gives the perspective on how advanced functional materials could be integrated into in vitro systems to precisely mimic human physiology.

Innovation processes in services remain under-researched, but recently large-scale surveys have been conducted which allow for a more systematic appraisal of the level and scope of innovation in services. To date, much of the literature on innovation in services focuses on the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Innovation in services, and services innovation, should, however, be understood in broader terms, and this understanding should extend to non-technological innovation. This paper presents evidence from a recent large-scale survey of innovation amongst German commercial service firms. It shows that services are much more active with respect to innovation than is widely thought. They are innovative in terms of being producers of service and process innovations. From our broader perspective, we examine the pattern of innovation as it relates to the standardisation-particularisation of service products, across a range of service sectors and across firms of various sizes. The production of bespoke or customised services shaped by client inputs has long been considered a defining characteristic of many services, and one that has affected their innovation potential. The present analysis reveals a pattern of diversity in behaviour, which reflects the diversity amongst service firms, and demonstrates the need for more subtle and differentiated analyses of services and services innovation.

Physical (topography, stiffness) and chemical instructions encoded in the extracellular environment govern cell behaviour. Understanding these interactions as they operate in native extracellular matrix and capturing the complexity of the spatiotemporal presentation of multiple such signals in synthetic scaffolds is a key to develop advanced functional materials for tissue engineering applications. This review discusses the advancement in engineered hydrogel materials as such scaffold to control cell fate. Synopsis: Synthetic scaffolds derived from hydrogels can be encoded with physical and chemical cues that provide the gel-encapsulated cells the necessary instructions to control cell fate. This review discusses the state of the art design principles of such advanced functional hydrogel materials.

Materials research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Welcome to this special issue of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science dedicated to the Life and Work of Richard P. Wool on Sustainable Polymers and Polymer Science. Prof. Richard P. Wool examining an eco-leather shoe made from natural fibers and plant oils. Credit: University of Delaware/Photo Services This special issue begins with a review of the sustainable polymers research Richard undertook – from triglyceride-based thermosets, structural composites, adhesives and foams, to using chicken feathers to fabricate electronics, modified lignin additives in polymer resins and lignin-derived monomers for high performance polymers. The second review article is on the subject of green chemistry alternatives to petroleum-sourced epoxy resins and epoxy curing agents (including alternatives to epoxy systems that contain bisphenol A (BPA)) that demonstrate potential for reduced toxicity while maintaining high thermal and mechanical properties. Although Richard focused on alternatives to BPA largely for (meth)acrylate polymer chemistries, his leadership helped influence other researchers, guiding them towards these areas. The last review focuses on the development of carbon fibers from lignin (an interest Richard had during his sabbatical at University College Cork in 2002). Polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon fibers currently dominate the carbon fiber market; however lignin-based carbon fibers potentially enable a major industrial shift to the use of sustainably-sourced and environmentally friendly-manufactured carbon fibers for a wide variety of applications. The primary research articles in the issue begin with the principal focus of Richard's sustainable polymers work: thermosetting polymers. The papers span the latest developments in alternatives to styrene in vinyl esters, the use of CO2 to produce polycarbonate polyols for the development of polyurethane foams, and epoxy resins derived from p-cymene, carvacrol and eugenol. Additional works center on the development of renewable thermoplastic polymers, including polyacetals, polyamides, polyesters and polylactic acid. Next, the articles focus on nanocomposites using renewable binders, such as bio-polyurethane, starch and polylactic acid, and/or renewable fibers, including cellulose nanofibers. Advances in the use of renewables in the field of traditional fiber-reinforced composites are also presented in the issue – introducing chicken feather/glass reinforced epoxy composites and a sandwich structure composed of palm-oil composite foam and flax/epoxy laminates. Lastly, developments in lignin-based carbon fibers are reported for unmodified organosolv lignin and acetylated Kraft pine lignin. As Guest Editors, we would like to thank all of the contributors for joining us in commemorating the life and work of Richard P. Wool by submitting their new research and reviews to the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. Additionally, we would like to thank all of Richard's collaborators over the years, and our fellow sustainable polymers and green chemistry and engineering researchers for their profound influence on him, his career and that of his students. We would also like to extend our thanks to the Journal of Applied Polymer Science Deputy Editor, Hilary Crichton, and the rest of the editorial team for their hard work, dedication and consistent professionalism in handling all the manuscripts of this special issue. The issue would not have been possible without their collective input. Importantly, we would like to thank Richard's family, including his wife Deborah and daughters, Sorcha, Meghan and Breeda, for their graciousness and welcoming spirit to all new students in the Wool group. We very much appreciate their fostering of Richard's creativity, as well as their courage in 1995, embracing a new home when Richard joined the faculty of the University of Delaware. The move catalyzed a seismic change in the Wool research group from polymer physics to the chemistry and materials science and engineering of sustainable polymers, helping spark a new era in renewable polymers across the globe. Lastly, we would like to thank you, the reader, for spending the time to learn a little bit about Richard Wool and for reading about the promising path towards a more sustainable polymers future we, as Wool-inspired scientists and engineers, are representing and highlighting in this special issue. Enjoy! Joseph Stanzione, III Department of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University Glassboro, U.S.A. John La Scala Army Research Laboratory, Weapons and Materials Research Directorate Aberdeen Proving Ground, U.S.A.

ABSTRACTThe increasing demand for sustainable and recyclable polymer materials has driven significant research efforts to address environmental concerns associated with conventional plastics. This review explores recent advancements in the development, fabrication, and applications of sustainable and recyclable polymers, with a focus on their role in promoting a circular economy. Key strategies for enhancing polymer recyclability and biodegradability, including bio‐based feedstocks, advanced chemical and mechanical recycling techniques, and novel polymer design approaches, are discussed. The review further highlights the integration of these materials into emerging technologies, including 3D printing, flexible electronics, solar‐driven interfacial evaporation, friction electric nanogenerators, and multifunctional membranes. In each of these fields, innovative polymeric solutions contribute to resource efficiency, reduced waste, and enhanced material performance. Additionally, this review addresses current challenges, such as cost barriers, recycling infrastructure limitations, and material property trade‐offs, while presenting future perspectives on sustainable polymer research. By integrating insights from recent studies, this work provides a roadmap for the continued advancement of sustainable polymer materials, fostering innovation in materials science and promoting global sustainability efforts.