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Tag: ciência de materiais
SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 2, issue 8.
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Interviews with plenary speakers of the XIV SBPMat Meeting: Nader Engheta.
Materials created by applying the state-of-the-art in materials science and engineering and nanotechnology can make light and other electromagnetic waves behave in an extraordinary way, becoming very useful for applications in several fields.
To talk about this issue in the XIV SBPMat Meeting, Professor Nader Engheta (University of Pennsylvania, USA) will be in Rio de Janeiro in the end of September. Engheta is a recognized world leader in research on metamaterials – man-made materials created through micro or nanoengineering, and capable of interacting with electromagnetic waves in ways not found in nature. Metamaterials can sculpt the waves in order to achieve unconventional light-matter interaction.
In Rio de Janeiro, Engheta will talk about extreme scenarios generated from metamaterials: light traveling at full speed through artificial structures, one-atom-thick optical devices, metamaterials that perform mathematical operations, miniaturized circuits – optical rather than electronic – composed by metamaterials, and structures with effective refractive index near zero.
In his childhood in Tehran (capital of Iran), Nader Engheta developed a special curiosity to understand phenomena related to waves. This curiosity propelled him to attend and get a BS degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Tehran. In 1978, he came to the United States to pursue his post-graduate (master’s and PhD degrees), also in Electric Engineering, carried in the prestigious Caltech (California Institute of Technology), in the United States. In 1982, he got his PhD diploma from Caltech, with a dissertation in the field of electromagnetism. After a post-doctorate at the same institution, Engheta worked as a scientist in the industry for four years, working again with electromagnetism. Then he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1987, and was swiftly promoted through the professorial ranks, and now he is the H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, with affiliations in the departments of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
Owner of an H number of 69 according to Google Scholar, Engheta has more than 21400 citations. Besides being author of 28 book chapters and numerous journal articles and conference presentations, Engheta is coeditor of the book “Metamaterials: Engineering and Physics Explorations”, released in 2006 by Wiley-IEEE publisher. In 2012, he chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Plasmonics.
His contributions to science and engineering have received important recognitions and distinctions from several entities, as the international society of optics and photonics, SPIE (“2015 SPIE Gold Medal”), the international union of radio science, URSI (“2014 Balthasar van der Pol Gold Medal”) and the international professional association of electric and electronic engineers, IEEE (“2015 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Distinguished Achievement Award”, “2013 Benjamin Franklin Key Award”, “2012 IEEE Electromagnetics Award”, “IEEE Third Millennium Medal”), among many other entities. He is also Fellow of six international scientific and technical organizations, namely, Materials Research Society (MRS), American Physical Society (APS), Optical Society of America (OSA), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), SPIE, and IEEE. Engheta also received several teaching awards. In 2006 the Scientific American Magazine selected him as one of the 50 Leaders in Science and Technology for his development of metamaterial-inspired optical nanocircuitry.
Here follows an interview with Professor Nader Engheta.
SBPMat newsletter: – In your opinion, what are your most significant contributions on issues related to the topic of your plenary lecture? Explain them very briefly and if possible, share references of resulting papers or books, or comment if these studies have produced patents, products, spin-off companies etc.
Nader Engheta: – I am very interested in light-matter interaction, and in my group we explore different methods in manipulating and tailoring interaction of waves with material structures, both in the optical as well as microwave domains. I am very excited about all the research topics my group and I have been working on. Some of these topics include (1) The optical metatronic nanocircuitry, in which we brought the notion of “lumped” circuit elements from electronics into the field of nanophotonics, developing a new paradigm in which material nanostructures may function as optical circuit elements. In other words, “materials become circuits” working with optical signals. In this way, nanophotonics can be modularized, in an analogous way as in electronics. This allows one to perform optical signal processing at the nanoscale, (2) Metamaterials that can do math: following our work on optical metatronics, we are exploring how properly designed materials (e.g., layered materials) can interact with light in such a way that one can do mathematical operations with light. In other words, we are exploring the following questions: Can materials be specially designed to perform analog processing with light at the nanoscale? As light propagates through such properly designed material structures, would the profiles of the output signals resemble the results of certain mathematical operations (such as differentiation or integration) on the profiles on the input signals? In other words, can we design materials for specific mathematical operations in order to do “photonic calculus” at the nanoscale? (3) The extreme scenarios in light-matter interaction: this may include extreme dimensionality, like graphene photonics as the one-atom-thick platform for light manipulation, extreme metamaterials in which material parameters such as relative permittivity and relative permeability attain near-zero values. This category of materials, which we have named epsilon-near-zero (ENZ), mu-near-zero (MNZ) and epsilon-and-mu-near-zero (EMNZ) materials, exhibit very interesting features in their response to electromagnetic wave interaction.
References:
- N. Engheta, “Circuits with Light at Nanoscales: Optical Nanocircuits Inspired by Metamaterials”, Science, 317, 1698-1702 (2007).
- N. Engheta, A. Salandrino, A. Alu, “Circuit Elements at Optical Frequencies: Nano-Inductor,
Nano-Capacitor, and Nano-Resistor,” Physical Review Letters, 95, 095504 (2005). - N. Engheta, “Taming Light at the Nanoscale,” Physics World , 23(9), 31-34 (2010).
- A. Vakil and N. Engheta, “Transformation Optics Using Graphene,” Science, 332, 1291-1294 (2011).
- A.Silva, F. Monticone, G. Castaldi, V. Galdi, A. Alu, and N. Engheta, “”Performing Mathematical Operations with Metamaterials,” Science, 343, 160-163 (2014).
- M. G. Silveirinha and N. Engheta, “Tunneling of Electromagnetic Energy through Sub-Wavelength Channels and Bends Using Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) Materials,” Physical Review Letters, 97, 157403 (2006).
- N. Engheta, “Pursuing Near-Zero Response”, Science, 340, 286-287 (2013).
- A.M. Mahmoud and N. Engheta, “Wave-Matter Interaction in Epsilon-and-Mu-Near-Zero Structures”, Nature
Communications, 5:5638, December 5, 2014.
SBPMat newsletter: – Help us visualize the metamaterials developed by your group. Please choose one of your favorite photonic materials and tell us, very briefly, its composition, its main properties and its possible applications.
Nader Engheta: – One of the structures developed by my group is the optical metatronic nanocircuits for mid-IR regime (from 8 to 14 microns), in which we properly tailored and constructed nanorods of Si3N4 with specific widths and thicknesses, separated by a specific gap. These arrays of Si3N4 nanorods function as collections of optical nanoinductors, optical nanocapacitors and optical nanoresistors in mid IR. We demonstrated that such structures behave as nanoscale optical circuits, with functionality analogous to electronic filters, but here these material structures operate in the mid IR regimes. We have shown how these structure operate as optical filters in the mid IR, offering exciting applications for future integrated optical devices and components.
Reference:
- Y. Sun, B. Edwards, A. Alu, and N. Engheta, “Experimental Realization of Optical Lumped Nanocircuit Elements at Infrared Wavelengths,” Nature Materials, 11, 208-212 (2012)
Later, in collaboration with my colleague Professor Cherie Kagan and her group at UPenn, we extended this work into the near IR regime (from 1 to 3 microns). In this case, we used the indium tin oxide (ITO) as the material of choice, with proper design and patterning of ITO nanorods. We also demonstrated that such ITO-based optical metatronic circuits function as an interesting platform for optical circuitry and filtering. This can have exciting possibilities in the silicon photonics.
Reference:
- H. Caglayan, S.-H. Hong, B. Edwards, C. Kagan, and N. Engheta, “Near-IR Metatronic Nanocircuits by Design,” Physical Review Letters, 111, 073904 (2013).
SBPMat newsletter: – If you want, leave a message or invitation to your plenary lecture to the readers that will attend the XIV SBPMat Meeting.
Nader Engheta: – One of the exciting features of doing science is the joy of search for unknowns and the thrill of discovery. I always believe that we should follow our curiosity and our passion for discovery. Also, in science and technology it is important to maintain the balance between the complexity and the simplicity in search for solutions to scientific inquiry.
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Opportunities for researchers at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS).
Location: Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) – Campinas City, São Paulo state – Brazil.
Post details (i.e. permanent): Permanent staff member position.
Salary: to be negotiated depending on applicant’s experience.
Application requirements: 1. Solid experience on synchrotron science using micro and nano-probe x-ray scanning techniques. 2. Ph.D. degree or equivalent in Physics, Biology, Chemistry or a related discipline, with emphasis on the use of micro and nano-probe x-ray scanning techniques. 3. Experience with beamline design and commissioning. 4. Language: Advanced level of English. Portuguese as a plus.
Brief job description: The selected applicants will have to carry out their own research projects with x-ray diffraction and spectroscopy, as well as being involved in the project, construction and future operation of the nanoprobe beamline on Sirius (CARNAÚBA) on the operation of the x-ray diffraction beamlines at the current 2nd generation Light Source. For more information on the current LNLS beamlines, please visit www.lnls.br.
Interested, please send CV, Motivation and Recommendation Letter to elisa.turczyn@lnls.br. In the subject line, put “47834”, otherwise the CV will not be considered.
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Location: Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory at CNPEM in Campinas/ São Paulo, Brazil.
Responsibilities: The extreme condition research group of LNLS has an immediate open Scientist position for an outstanding experimentalist in high-pressure/temperature and materials research. The successful candidate should be heavily involved in the design and implementation of the EMA beamline at the Sirius Synchrotron (under construction). This beamline is intended for spectroscopy (XAS/XMCD/XES) and scattering (XRD/XRMS/XRS) experiments under extreme pressures by taking advantage of submicron beamsize (down to 0.5×0.5 µm2) with high photon flux (up to 10^14 ph/s). In addition, the scientist must develop his/her own research activities and supervise students and post-docs. He/she also must be involved in high pressure/temperature experiments at our current 2nd generation synchrotron in order to prepare the instrumentation and the Latin American community to take advantage of state-of-the-art instrumentation when Sirius is ready.
Requirements: Ph.D. degree in physics, chemistry, materials science, earth science, biophysics, engineering, or a related field. Post-doc experience in the field is desirable but not obligatory. The successful candidate should meet some of the following qualifications (although quick learning scientist with expertise in other areas could also be considered): High pressure and temperature experiments in diamond anvil cells; X-ray diffraction and/or spectroscopy under high pressure/temperature; Visible/IR laser optics instrumentation; Experiments involving high magnetic fields; Commissioning/operation/use of a synchrotron hard x-ray beamline. Fluent English.
Interested, please send CV, Motivation and Recommendation Letter to elisa.turczyn@lnls.br. In the subject line, put “62220”.
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SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 2, issue 7.
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XIV SBPMat Meeting: 2,325 works were accepted for presentation.
2,325 works are accepted for oral presentation or poster in the XIV SBPMat Meeting (Rio De Janeiro, September 27th to October 1st). The number is the greatest in the history of the meetings of the society.The amount of submitted works was 2,444.
This year the meeting has 26 thematic symposia, 2 workshops (on nanomanufacturing and organic electronics in the industry) and 1 symposium organized by students who belong to the SBPMat university chapters (UCs).The symposia with more accepted works (more than 200 accepted abstracts) are symposium C, on characterization and applications of nanomateriais, with 272 works, and symposium S, on materials for sustainable development, with 253 works.
Among the accepted works, those submitted by authors who are undergraduate or graduate students will be able to compete for the Bernhard Gross Award, who will distinguish the best works from each symposium (1 oral and 1 poster).To participate of the award, the authors have to submit an extended abstract, according to the instructions and the model that appears in the website of the event, until August 21.
About the event
The SBPMat annual meeting is a traditional, international forum, dedicated to recent advances and perspectives on Materials Science and Technology. In the last editions, the event has gathered approximately 1,500 attendees, from the five regions of Brazil and dozens of others countries, for presenting and discussing scientific and technological studies in the field of Materials. The event also counts with plenary lectures, offered by internationally renowned researchers, and an exhibition of interest for the Materials community.
SBPMat´s community people: interview with Marcelo Knobel.
Scientific research, magnetic materials, scientific dissemination and higher education would be perhaps the biggest expressions in a cloud of tags to represent Professor Marcelo Knobel.
Born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1968, Marcelo Knobel came to live in Brazil, more specifically in Campinas (SP), by the age of 8 years-old, following his parents, the psychologist Clara Freud de Knobel and the psychiatrist Maurício Knobel. The family was escaping from the coup d’etat that had just established in Argentina a military dictatorship that fired Maurício from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). In Brazil, which was also governed by a military dictatorship, Maurício had been contracted for the State University of Campinas (Unicamp).
Ten years after the arrival in Campinas, Marcelo Knobel joined Unicamp to a graduation in Physics. In parallel to the studies, he started to do research on magnetic properties of materials. After he obtained the bachelor´s degree, Knobel remained in Unicamp for the doctorate in the same area, receiving the diploma of doctor in Physics when he defended his dissertation on magnetism and structure of nanocrystalline materials in 1992. After that, he went to Europe, where he conducted two postdoctoral internships; one at Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris, Italy, and the other at the Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, Spain.
Returning to Brazil and to Unicamp, in 1995, Marcelo Knobel started his career of professor and researcher of the Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). From 1999 to 2009 he was the coordinator of the Laboratory of Materials and Low Temperatures, where he acts as researcher until the present moment, always investigating magnetism and magnetic materials. Together with his collaborators of the laboratory, Knobel have carried pioneering works in the study of the giant magnetoresistance and magnetoimpedance in certain materials – two different concepts that are related to the opposition that a material offers to the passage of the electricity in consequence of the application of an external magnetic field. In 2008, Knobel became Full Professor of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics at IFGW.
In the area of scientific dissemination, Marcelo Knobel started in the year 2000 to perform education and research activities at the Laboratory of Advanced Studies in Journalism (LABJOR) of Unicamp. Moreover, Knobel was one of the creators of NanoAventura, an interactive and itinerary exposition on nanotechnology that started in 2005 and was visited by more than 50 thousand people, mainly children, until now. NanoAventura received honorable mentions at Scientific Cine and Video Festival of Mercosur (2006) and at Mercosur Science and Technology Award (2015), as well as an award in 2009, from the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology (RedPOP). From 2006 to 2008, Knobel was the first director of the Exploratory Museum of Science, linked to Unicamp. In 2008, he became editor in chief of the magazine Ciência & Cultura of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), position that he occupies until now. In the publishing field, Knobel coordinates a collection of science dissemination books of the Unicamp Publisher, called Meio de Cultura, released in 2008.
In 2007 Marcelo Knobel received the Young Scientist Prize from the TWAS-ROLAC (office of Latin America and the Caribbean of the The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries), an awars for young scientists of the region. In the same year, he was selected, together with about 50 people of different professional areas and several countries of the world, to participate of the program Eisenhower Fellowships, which aims to strengthen the leadership potential of its fellows. The group travelled for the United States during 7 weeks complying with a schedule of meetings and seminars. In 2009, he was chosen as a fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, receiving resources for research.
From 2009 to 2013, he was Vice-President for Undergraduate Programs of Unicamp. In this position, he was responsible for the implantation of the Interdisciplinary Program of Higher Education (ProFIS). ProFIS is a higher education course of 4 semesters that provides a general, multidisciplinary and critical formation, and makes possible to its alumni (former students of public schools chosen by their good grades in the Brazilian National Exam of the Secondary School (ENEM) that they enter graduation courses at Unicamp without passing for Brazilian admission university exam). The program was distinguished in 2013 with the Prize Péter Murányi – Education, destined to actions that increase well-being of populations of the south hemisphere.
In 2010, with 42 years-old, Knobel was honored with the title of Commendatore of the Order of the Scientific Merit by the Brazilian Presidency of the Republic.
Holder of a productivity scholarship 1A (the highest) at CNPq, Marcelo Knobel has published about 300 scientific articles in peer-review international journals and 15 chapters of books on magnetic materials and properties, popularization of science, public perception of science and higher education. Also he is the author of articles about science and education published in diverse medias. He has 6.370 citations, according to Google Scholar.
Marcelo Knobel had just assumed, in August 3rd, the position of director of the Brazilian National Laboratory of Nanotechnology (LNNano), of the National Center of Research in Energy and Materiais (CNPEM).
Here follows a brief interview with the scientist.
SBPMat newsletter: – Tell us what made you become a researcher and work in the field of Materials.
Marcelo Knobel: – I chose the area of Physics because of the curiosity, without knowing exactly what this meant. But already in the first semester I realized that it was what I wanted for my life, to try to understand the nature. Early in the beginning of the graduation, I had a laboratory class with professor Reiko Sato, who later invited me to do scientific initiation in her laboratory. She worked with magnetic properties of amorphous metals, and that was the subject of my research. Later, I went to the doctorate also with her, already working with nanocrystals, and later I followed the postdoctoral in the same area.
SBPMat newsletter: – Which are, in your own evaluation, your main contributions to the field of Materials?
Marcelo Knobel: – I am acting in nanoscopic magnetic systems, mainly investigating dipole interactions in magnetic nanosystems, using several experimental techniques, theoretical models and computational simulations. These systems, beyond the interest in basic research, have many possible applications, mainly in systems of magnetic record and nanomedicine. The research group that I helped to consolidate develops new nanocrystalline materials and carries studies through the development of new magnetic, structural and transport techniques. In the scope of these researches, we were pioneer in the study of giant magnetoresistance in granular systems and in the research of giant magnetoimpedance in amorphous and nanocrystalline wires and ribbons. But I have also been dedicating myself to scientific dissemination, being one of the responsible for the creation of the Exploratory Museum of Sciences of Unicamp. I was the coordinator of NanoAventura project, which is an interactive and itinerary exhibit on nanoscience and nanotechnology for children and adolescents. I still work in research in the area of public perception of science, I coordinate the series “Meio de Cultura” of Unicamp Publisher and I act as an editor in chief of the magazine Ciência & Cultura, of SBPC. Recently, I was Vice-President for Undergraduate Programs of Unicamp, where I highlight the implantation of the Interdisciplinary Program of Higher Education (ProFIS). Currently, I am initiating a new challenge, as Director of the National Laboratory of Nanotechnology (LNNano).
SBPMat newsletter: – You have an especially strong performance in dissemination of science and scientific culture. Comment with our readers, students and researchers, which is, for you, the importance to carry through this type of activity.
Marcelo Knobel: – I became a scientist after reading books and magazines of dissemination and visiting museums of sciences. I believe that we must stimulate the new generations to think critically, to have curiosity, to search to unmask the mysteries that surround them. For Brazil it is basic to stimulate young talents for science. Without them we will not have a future… Moreover, it is our obligation to give account to the society, which is the financer of the scientific research in public universities and research institutes. It is important to show the science that is done in our country, and the importance to follow investing, more and more, in science and technology.
SBPMat newsletter: – If you want, you can leave a message for the readers that are initiating their scientific careers.
Marcelo Knobel: – I do not have doubts that it is the passion that must guide the careers of everybody, and mainly of the scientists. But beyond the passion, a solid formation is necessary, not only in the specific content, but also in personal abilities, as work in team, communication (including Portuguese and English, scientific writing) and general knowledge. The scientific activity demands effort and devotion, but we are rewarded, I guess, with a life full of new challenges and opportunities.
Featured paper: Promising composite biomaterial for regeneration of bone tissue.
[Paper: Assisted deposition of nano-hydroxyapatite onto exfoliated carbon nanotube oxide scaffolds. Hudson Zanin, Cintia M. R. Rosa, Noam Eliaz, Paul W. May, Fernanda Roberta Marciano and Anderson O. Lobo. Nanoscale, v. 7, p. 10218-10232, 2015. DOI: 10.1039/C4NR07317G]
In a study conducted by the Laboratory of Biomedical Nanotechnology (NANOBIO) from the Brazilian University of Vale do Paraíba (UniVap), in a partnership with scientists from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and universities from Israel and the UK, a biomaterial was produced that advanced the understanding of some stages on the generation of bone tissue in vitro (out of the real biological context). The low cost material has the potential to be used to accelerate the regeneration of bone tissue in vivo – which may be useful in case of bone fractures, for example. The results of the study were recently published on the scientific journal Nanoscale, from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
In broad terms, the natural generation of bone tissue occurs when cells called osteoblasts produce the organic part of bones to later cover it with the inorganic part, the hydroxyapatite – chemical formula Ca5(PO4)3(OH). The natural deposition of hydroxyapatite is a biomineralization process (production of minerals by living organisms). The biomineralization is not yet fully understood, but its comprehension is of great importance for the development of applications aiming to create bone tissue or firm implants into bones.
“The paper contributes to the understanding of the precipitation process of carbonated hydroxyapatite in vitro, for short amounts of time, over three-dimensional surfaces based on nanohydroxyapatite, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and graphene”, says Professor Anderson de Oliveira Lobo, Biomedical Engineer with master’s and doctoral degrees in Materials Physics and Chemistry, who signs the paper as its corresponding author.
In association with the Diamonds and Related Materials (DIMARE) group from INPE, represented by researcher Evaldo José Corat, the NANOBIO team, coordinated by Professors Anderson de Oliveira Lobo and Fernanda Roberta Marciano, produced scaffolds with vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes underwent a process of surface oxidation by the plasma etching technique, which exfoliated their tips, produced graphene oxide and thus created a more favorable environment for the formation of nanohydroxyapatite nuclei in the following production stage of the material, the electrodeposition. This deposition technique was chosen because, among the known methods, it produces the artificial apatite most similar to the biological one, in terms of microstructure and dimensions. In order to set the electrodeposition parameters by means of electrochemical studies, the researchers from Brazil requested the collaboration of a specialist on the subject at a global level, scientist Noam Eliaz, from the University of TelAviv. After the electrodeposition, the team obtained a composite material which retained the biological properties of hydroxyapatite, with the advantage that the presence of the carbon nanotubes reinforced the hardness and resistance of the material.
Afterwards, the scientists submerged the material in simulated body fluid (a liquid that simulates the conditions of blood plasma and is commonly used in biomaterials studies). Under these conditions, the composite material, which is bioactive in this kind of liquid, spontaneously formed a layer of carbonated hydroxyapatite, which, jointly with the nanotubes scaffold and hydroxyapatite films, produced a new composite material.
The researchers were able to observe and study the whole process of biomineralization within periods of up to 7 days, and, in the paper, they propose models to explain several stages. At that moment, more precisely in the discussion on the chemical modelling of how the biomineralization of the composite occurs, it was important to count with the participation of researcher Paul May, from the University of Bristol, jointly with Hudson Zanin, researcher from the Laboratory of Energy Supply and Distribution from UniVap, who was conducting postdoctoral studies in the British university.
The research went beyond bringing advances to the understanding of biomineralization in vitro. “The comprehension of this in vitro process may be associated to the process of in vivo regeneration of these materials”, says Professor Anderson Lobo. “In vitro studies with human osteoblastic cells and in vivo assays using animals are being carried out by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at UniVap’s NANOBIO”, he adds.
The origins of the study is found in Lobo’s doctoral research, carried out at the Brazilian Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) and defended in 2011, in which he managed, for the first time, to synthesize composites with vertically aligned carbon nanorods and nanohydroxyapatite. The research counted or counts with the financial support of Brazilian research funding agencies FAPESP, CNPq, FINEP and CAPES.
Interviews with plenary speakers of the XIV SBPMat Meeting: George Malliaras.
Advances in understanding brain activity and in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s may arise with the help of Materials Science and Engineering. More precisely, of organic electronics. In fact, organic materials with electronic properties are great interfaces between the signals sent by the brain and the outside, whether to study the brain or to interact with it.
The subject will be addressed in a plenary talk during the XIV SBPMat Meeting, given by Professor George Malliaras, head of the Department of Bioelectronics at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, where physicists, material engineers, electronic engineers, biologists and neuroscientists work together.
Malliaras graduated in Physics in 1991 from Aristotle University (Greece). After that, he entered the doctoral program in Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. His thesis on photorefractivity in polymers earned him a distinction in the university (cum laude). After receiving his Doctoral degree, defended in 1995, he moved away to the United States. For two years, he held a postdoctoral fellowship at the IBM Almaden Research Center, to then become a Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University, in New York. From 2006 to 2009, he worked as head of a national laboratory linked to the university, the Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility. In 2009, he founded the company Orthogonal, which operates in the field of organic electronics. In the same year, he returned to Europe as Professor of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, where he remains to this day.
Malliaras, whose h-index is 64, according to Google Scholar, has authored over 200 scientific papers, with more than 13,000 citations. His work with organic electronics and bioelectronics has received awards from the New York Academy of Sciences, U.S. National Science Foundation and the company DuPont, to name a few entities. He has given over 230 invited lectures and organized several events, for instance, the 2015 MRS Fall Meeting, in which he served as Meeting Chair.
He is a member of scientific boards in research centers in Germany, Ireland and Sweden. He is also an associate editor of Science Advances, an open access, peer-reviewed journal, released this year by the AAAS, which also publishes Science.
In his plenary talk at the XIV SBPMat Meeting, the scientist will address devices based on organic materials with electronic properties, bringing examples and opportunities.
What follows is a mini-interview with this plenary speaker of the XIV SBPMat Meeting.
SBPMat newsletter: – In your opinion, what are your most significant contributions in the field of organic electronics/bioelectronics? Please explain them, very briefly, and share references from the resulting articles or books, or comment if these studies have produced patents, products, spin-off companies etc.
George Malliaras: – In the field of organic electronics it would be the co-development, together with Chris Ober at Cornell University, of orthogonal lithography. This is a set of processes that allows the microscale patterning of organic films using photolithography, the golden standard in microelectronics. Orthogonal lithography relies on the use of fluorinated photoresists that do not damage organic films. It allows the microfabrication of devices, including high resolution displays, using standard equipment that already exists in industry. There is a company (Orthogonal, Inc.,www.orthogonalinc.com) that has commercialized the photoresists and is pursuing commercialization of this technology. In bioelectronics, the work is too recent and I would have to wait for the benefit of hindsight. A trend that was emerging when I joined the field involved a transition from the use of organic coatings to the use of organic devices. The latter undoubtedly offer more capabilities to the interface with biology. My group is contributing to this trend by demonstrating that organic electrochemical transistors bring several benefits as transducers of biological phenomena, such as large amplification which enables high quality recordings of brain activity.
References:
- J. Rivnay, R.M. Owens, and G.G. Malliaras, “The rise of organic bioelectronics”, Chem. Mater. 26, 679 (2014).
- D. Khodagholy, T. Doublet, P. Quilichini, M. Gurfinkel, P. Leleux, A. Ghestem, E. Ismailova, T. Herve, S. Sanaur, C. Bernard, and G.G. Malliaras, “In vivo recordings of brain activity using organic transistors” Nature Comm. 4, 1575 (2013).
- J. Rivnay, P. Leleux, M. Ferro, M. Sessolo, A. Williamson, D.A. Koutsouras, D. Khodagholy, M. Ramuz, X. Strakosas, R.M. Owens, C. Benar, J.-M. Badier, C. Bernard, and G.G. Malliaras, “High Performance Transistors for Bioelectronics Through Tuning of Channel Thickness”, Sci. Adv. 1, e1400251 (2015).
SBPMat newsletter: – Which are, in your opinion, the main challenges for materials scientists and engineers about organic electronics interfacing with the brain?
George Malliaras: – To find the right collaborator who helps them formulate the right questions. I believe that embarking on an interdisciplinary field alone is a recipe for producing low impact work. The key to high impact work in this field is to formulate questions that are interesting to both neuroscientists and to us materials scientists and engineers. From our end, we need to be able to elaborate what are the advantages that organics offer and then figure out how to best employ them to address specific problems neuroscientists face. In my experience, it is often a combination of advantages (mixed conductivity, biocompatibility, “soft” mechanical properties) rather than a single one that gives the advantage to organics.
SBPMat newsletter: – If you wish, leave a message or an invitation to your plenary talk to the readers who will attend the XIV SBPMat Meeting.
George Malliaras: – I often quote a statement by Tadahiro Sekimoto, former president of Nippon Electric Corporation: “those who dominate materials, dominate technology”. It highlights the importance of materials research in our world and shows the dangers of moving to a “service” economy.
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Prof. George Malliaras´ bio and abstract of his plenary lecture.
SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 2, issue 6.
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