Abstract

Life underlies a fundamental organizing principle that governs how living systems structure themselves across all scales of biological organization. This architectural framework reveals that life is not randomly organized but follows specific design principles that ensure stability, function, and evolutionary adaptability. From the molecular level to entire ecosystems, living systems exhibit a hierarchical organization characterized by emergent properties, physical principles, and mathematical patterns. One of the most fundamental architectural principles in biology is tensegrity (tensional integrity). This principle, describes how living systems achieve structural stability through a balance of tensile and compressive forces. Tensegrity structures consist of isolated components under compression (such as bones or cellular struts) suspended within a network of continuous tension (like connective tissues or cellular filaments). This structural principle provides several key advantages: structural stability, flexibility, and the ability to channel forces from macroscale to nanoscale levels. In biological systems, tensegrity operates at multiple scales simultaneously. At the cellular level, the cytoskeleton functions as a tensegrity network, with microtubules providing compression resistance while actin filaments and intermediate filaments create tensional network. Almost all Engineering disciplines are continuously inspired by nature and the evolutionary advantages it provides. Here we elucidate Tensegrity in both Nature and Engineering as a promising venue for smart materials and structures.

Biography

Professor des. Dr. Per Arvid Löthman obtained his Ph.D. degree from Twente University , The Netherlands in the field of Magnetics and Self-assembly, conducted research in Canada, France and Germany on carbon nanotubes, Graphen and related 2D nanomaterials. His research is interdisciplinary and involve sensors and sensing, 2D advanced materials, BioNanotechnology including DNA, S-layers, Viruses (archaea, bacteriophages), Biomolecular Architecture, Botany and functional surfaces, Mechatronics and BioMechatronics. Dr. Löthman has published over 90 scientifical articles, several book chapters & books and serves as a reviewer and he is on the editorial board for several journals such as Nature, Nature Materials, Journal of Bioanalytical and Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Thin Solid Films, Sensors and Actuators, Microsystems Technologies. Dr. Löthman is Professor des. in BioMechatronics at the European University of Applied Science Hamburg, and researchgroup leader at University of Bayreuth in the field Organ-on-a-Chip and 3D Bioprinting. Furthermore, Dr. Per Arvid Löthman is Senior lecturer in “Nanomedicine, Nanopharmacy” and “Sensors and Sensing in Engineering, Biology and Medicine” (Kaiserslautern University) and Mechatronics Systems and Design (Hamburg University), Germany and Manufacturing Engineering (HTW Berlin) Germany.

Abstract

This Talk will focus on Materials Science/Technologies Development of a breakthrough multifunctional ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCDTM) coating, as described below. UNCDTM coatings, co-developed/patented by Auciello, are synthesized by microwave plasma and hot filament chemical vapor deposition, using patented Ar/CH4 gas flow into vacuum chambers, where C, CHx species, produced by plasma or hot filaments, landing on substrate surfaces, induce growth of low-cost UNCDTM (3-5 nm grains) coatings with unique combination of properties, namely: 1) hardest (98 GPa) and highest Young modulus (998 GPa), similar to diamond gem; 2) lowest friction coefficient (0.02-0.04) compared with any materials (≥ 0.5); 3) unique electrically conductive N atoms doped N-UNCDTM coating, grown with Ar/CH4/N2 gas flow; 4) best biocompatibility (made of C atoms-life’s element in human DNA, cells); 6) superior surface chemistry for embryonic cell growth/differentiation for treating biological conditions Technological applications include: 1) UNCDTM-coated pump seals/bearings/AFM tips (marketed by ADT (Auciello/co-founder); 2) High-tech/medical devices, marketed by Original Biomedical Implants (OBI-USA)/(OBI-México)/Auciello-co-founder/CEO, namely: a) UNCD-MEMS cantilevers biosensors and biting heart cells energy generation, powering new defibrillator/pacemaker; 4) New generation Li-ion batteries (≥ 10x longer life/safer), using N-UNCDTM-coated metal electrodes; 5) New generation implantable prostheses (e.g., dental implants (clinical trials in 50 patients), hips, knees, stents) coated with UNCDTM, eliminating failure of metal implants via wear / chemical corrosion; 6) UNCD-coated silicon microchip implantable inside eye as artificial retina to restore partial vision to blind by gene-induced degeneration of photoreceptors (Argus II device, marketed by Second Sight, returned partial vision to ~ 450 blind by retinitis pigmentosa)

Biography

Auciello graduated with honors: M.S. (1973), Ph.D. (1976) – Physics, Institute “Balseiro”/Universidad Nacional Cuyo-Argentina); EE-Universidad Córdoba-Argentina (1964-1970). Postdoctoral-McMaster University, Canada (1977-1979); Distinguished Research Scientist-University of Toronto-Canada (1979-1984), Associate Professor/North Carolina State University-USA (1984-1988), Distinguished Scientist-Microelectronic Center North Carolina-USA (1988-1996), Distinguished Argonne Fellow (1996-2012)-Argonne National Laboratory-USA. Currently (2012-present), Auciello is Distinguished Endowed Chair Professor-University of Texas-Dallas, Materials Science/Engineering and Bioengineering Departments. Auciello directs basic/applied research on multifunctional oxide [ferroelectric (piezoelectric)/high-K dielectrics films], and nanocarbon films (novel Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCDTM) and graphene films) and applications to industrial, high-tech, and external and implantable medical devices. UNCD film technology is commercialized for industrial products by Advanced Diamond Technologies (Auciello et al.-Founders -2003, profitable-2012, sold to large company for profit-2019), and by Original Biomedical Implants (OBI-USA, 2013) and OBI-México (2016) (Auciello and colleagues /founders), for new generations of superior medical devices/prostheses and other implants. Auciello edited 33 books and published about 500 articles in several fields, holds 23 patents, He was Associate Editor of Applied Physics Letter, and currently of Integrated Ferroelectrics, Functional Diamond, and Coatings. He was President of the Materials Research Society (2013) Auciello is Fellow of AAAS, MRS and IAAM, and has numerous Awards.

Abstract

Direct Ink Writing (DIW) is a highly adaptable additive manufacturing method, especially suited for creating complex shapes using materials with viscoelastic and shear-thinning properties. In this work, we study the formulation and processing of ceramic slurries, and hydrogel-based inks designed for DIW. The research addresses key issues in materials design for DIW, including particle dispersion, binder selection, and solid loading optimization, to produce printable materials with suitable rheological properties. A systematic method was employed to evaluate the rheological behavior of each formulation, focusing on viscosity, yield stress, and storage moduli, which are crucial for ensuring flow through fine nozzles and maintaining dimensional stability after printing. Binders or additives were examined as rheology modifiers to stabilize ceramic particles and tailor the printability of ceramic and hydrogel-ceramic hybrids. The interactions between inorganic particles and organic matrices were thoroughly studied to optimize extrusion and layer-by-layer accuracy. Different printing strategies were developed to address material-specific requirements, such as extrusion pressure, speed, and post-processing conditions (e.g., drying and sintering protocols for ceramic parts). Potential applications include bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering, customized implants, and porous components for thermal or structural uses in the industrial sector. This work enhances understanding of slurries and inks formulation, as well as printing strategy development for multimaterial systems in DIW, bridging the gap between material science and functional design. The insights gained are valuable for future research and the development of custom additive manufacturing solutions for both biomedical and high-performance industrial applications.

Biography

David Andrés Fernández Benavides, Ph.D., is currently a professor-researcher at the Center for Industrial Engineering and Development (CIDESI), where his activities are focused on Additive Manufacturing Management within the Emergent Technologies area. He is a mechatronic engineer from the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente and holds a Master's degree in Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, both in Cali, Colombia. He also earned his Doctorate in Materials Science at CINVESTAV, Querétaro, Mexico. His main research interests involve the development of multifunctional materials through the study of structural, microstructural, dielectric, and electromechanical properties, and their subsequent analysis using advanced experimental design techniques. Additionally, it focuses on the development of devices, such as biodetection platforms, specifically for detecting viruses and toxic substances. He has experience in advanced manufacturing processes, including additive manufacturing of metals, polymers, polyacrylates, and ceramics.

Abstract

The performance of polymer nanocomposites is strongly influenced by polymer–nanoparticle compatibility and dispersion quality, as the interfacial dynamics often deviate significantly from bulk behavior. Motivated by the enhanced miscibility observed in ring–linear polymer blends, we designed and synthesized loop-grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chains on silica nanoparticles (NPs) to investigate the effect of topological architecture on interfacial properties. Loop-grafted PMMA NPs were fabricated from linear grafted precursors by replacing the chain transfer agent with a thiol functional group, enabling intramolecular “click” reactions between proximal chain ends and alkene functional linker. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) confirmed the absence of interparticle bridging, indicating successful loop formation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed an increase of approximately 28 ° in the glass-transition temperature of loop-grafted PMMA relative to its linear-grafted precursor, suggesting more restricted chain mobility at the interface. To elucidate the topological effects on interfacial behavior, we prepared athermal PMMA nanocomposites with identical nanoparticle core loadings, dispersing both loop- and linear-grafted NPs in PMMA matrices below and above the entanglement molecular weight. Thermal and dielectric analyses consistently showed a pronounced rightward shift in 

for loop-grafted composite, attributed to increased interfacial friction and enhanced wetting arising from the complex interfacial architecture. These findings suggest interfacial chain topology in the form of loops can improve phase compatibility and could inform the design of polymer nanocomposites with tunable mechanical and dynamic properties.

Biography

Christopher Mbonu is a Doctoral Researcher in Chemical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology (USA), where he also earned his Master’s degree. He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri (Nigeria) and has industry experience in natural gas processing. His research explores the dynamics of polymer blends and polymer-grafted nanoparticles using quasi-elastic neutron scattering and nanoscale characterization to probe interfacial mobility, glass transition, and confinement effects in soft materials. His work supports the design of advanced materials for flexible electronics, coatings, and energy applications by bridging polymer physics with data-driven modeling. He has presented at APS, ACS, AIChE, MIT Soft Matter Workshops, and NSSA, received travel awards, delivered invited talks, and actively serves as a mentor and peer reviewer.

Abstract

Bismuth ferrite-based oxide nanostructures were chemically processed to offer an effective solution for the growing energy crisis and environment pollution by employing them as photoelectrodes for water splitting reactions and remediation of organic pollutants through photocatalysis. The influence of plasmonic effects via gold (Au) incorporating the physicochemical properties and their resulting impact on the application performance has been studied systematically. The processed materials were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), absorbance, and transmission electron microscopic instruments. Au interaction in the host BFO nanoparticle surface was affirmed through an in-depth examination of their photoelectron spectroscopic data. The plasmonic effect was also visualised in the absorbance spectra and a significant change in the optical spectrum on Au decoration. Photoluminescence spectra approved the quality of defect states to be significantly influenced by the BFO nanoparticles, and the Au nanoparticles influenced charge transmigration and separation. Enhanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance from the Au-decorated BFO nanostructures was evaluated by comparing pristine BFO. Time-dependent photocurrent density studies also proved the stability of processed photoelectrode materials in efficient water splitting via Au nanoparticles, which enhanced the charge transfer efficiency by offering improved conductivity as studied via Nyquist plots. The piezo photocatalysis activity of the nanocomposite exhibited a high degree of degradation of organic pollutants and better hydrogen production from water splitting reaction upon direct sunlight illumination.

Biography

Professor Khalid Mujasam Batoo, received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Aligarh Muslim University, India, in 2009. He is a full Professor at King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2010. He has been consecutively listed among the world’s top 2% of scientist data published by Stanford University, USA, for the last 4 years. His international acclaims comprise an award of Junior Research fellowship from Inter-University Accelerator Center, New Delhi, India 2007, Speakers award in NANO-15 held at KSR Institutes, Tirchendode, Tamil Nadu, India, ICNA-III-2016 Award from South Valley University, Egypt, young Faculty Award-2016 by Venus International Research Foundation, India, speakers award in Kingdom Plastic Summit 2017, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an outstanding scientist in nanotechnology award by Venus International Foundation 2017, Chennai India, Bharat Vibhushan Young Scientist award, New Delhi, India 2024. As a principal investigator, he has completed several large and small grant research projects funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has authored over 342 research papers in peer-reviewed Journals of International commendation and conference papers. He currently serves on the editorial board of more than 13 international Journals. Among his various research interests include the study of magnetic nanomaterials, graphene materials, solar cells, batteries, e-textiles, magnetic tunnel Junctions, sensors, and biomedical application of nanomaterials and spintronic materials with an emphasis on understanding micro and nano-structural properties of these materials.

Abstract

The presentation highlights the speaker’s experience in applying mechanical milling to solvent-free chemical synthesis of a wide range of metallic, ionic, and molecular materials with diverse applications. It discusses recent advances in mechanochemistry—a branch of chemistry utilizing mechanical processing for performing chemical reactions—and summarizes possible mechanisms of mechanochemical reactions. The use of analytical techniques to monitor mechanochemical transformations is illustrated through the presenter’s experimental results. Topics covered include the preparation of metal alloys and metastable metallic phases, complex metal hydrides, organic molecules, 3D heterostructures, high-entropy transition metal dichalcogenides, and rare-earth-based metal-organic frameworks. The talk also addresses the role of mechanical processing in advancing Circular Economy objectives and examines opportunities for scaling up laboratory protocols to enable the transition from mechanochemical research to industrial manufacturing. 

Biography

Dr. Viktor Balema is an expert in novel electronic and energy materials, as well as non-conventional materials preparation techniques. He earned his BS/MS degrees from L'viv State University, Ukraine, and PhD from the A. Nesmeyanov Institute of the Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Subsequently, he conducted research at the universities of Karlsruhe and Leipzig, Germany as Visiting Scientist, then joined Ames Laboratory of the US Department of Energy. Over two decades, Dr. Balema directed the Hard Materials Segment and Materials Science R&D at Sigma-Aldrich Co. and held Senior Scientist and CTO positions at Ames Laboratory and in the chemical industry. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor at Clemson University, SC, USA. Dr. Balema has authored over 100 papers and patents, delivered numerous invited talks, and served as a reviewer for the US DOE, NSF, US CRDF, ACS PRF, and numerous peer-reviewed journals. His research has also been featured in popular scientific magazines, including New Scientist and Scientific American.

Abstract

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the main modalities of cancer treatment and more than half of cancer patients can benefit from RT in the management of their disease. Currently, we are at the limit of RT dose given to patients, creating a clear need for novel methods to enhance current RT dose. Our goal is to enhance the RT dose given to the tumor locally for maximizing the effect of dose given to the tumor while minimizing normal tissue toxicity. We are testing a unique combination of two radiation dose enhancers such as gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and docetaxel (DTX). GNPs can interact with photons and produce cell damaging species causing more cell death while DTX can put cells in state that they are most sensitive to radiation. GNPs are biocompatible (based on early phase clinical trials) and DTX is clinically approved. Therefore, we believe our work can be easily translatable to the clinic. I will share our latest results towards this initiative.

Biography

Prof. Devika Chithrani is the recipient of faculty gold medal and the gold medal for physics when she received her bachelor’s degree in physics. She is a recipient of many fellowships by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada during her graduate and post-doctoral work. Now, she is a full professor at University of Victoria. She is also the director of Nanoscience and technology Development laboratory at University of Victoria. She leverages nanotechnology to create innovations that advance the care of cancer patients. Her work is featured on the cover of journals and her publications have received over 13,000 citations in few years. She is among the world’s top 2% scientists according to the published data by Stanford University. Her passion is to develop smart nanomaterials to improve exiting cancer therapeutics.

Abstract

Materials have an intrinsic damping property, enabling them to dissipate energy when applying excitation environmental stress. Structural characteristics at different length scales can affect the magnitude of damping, i.e. movements of molecules, morphologies, etc. 

A part of the state of the art based on a selection of works will be presented. This selection aims to address both organic and metallic materials, with for example: i) beta and alpha relaxation peaks in polymers, ii) structural transformation in alloys. 

Biography

Severine A.E. Boyer has completed her PhD from Blaise Pascal Clermont-Ferrand University, France, and Assistant-Professor studies from the Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan, and respectively from Mines Paris and IMT Mines Douai, France. She has published more than 50 papers. Her activities aim to conduct combinations of chemo-physics / poly-morpho-genesis / interfaces in hybrids materials to meet the challenges of new materials, new model-experiments and new numerical models.