The FuSeM 2009 secretariat is proud to announce the list of invited speakers. The details of the remaining confirmed invited speakers will be advertised as they become available.

KEYNOTE: Professor Robert J. Young (FREng) - School of Materials - University of Manchester, UK

Biographical notes

Professor Young studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and gained his PhD in 1973. After working at Queen Mary College in London he became Professor of Polymer Science and Technology in Manchester in 1986. From 1992 to 1997 he was the Royal Society Wolfson Research Professor of Material Science. Professor Young also chaired the Metallurgy and Materials panels for the UK Research Assessment Exercises in 1996 and 2001. In 2004 he was appointed Head of the School of Materials in the newly-formed University of Manchester and elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2006.

Professor Young’s main research interest is the relationships between structure and properties in polymers and composites, publishing over 300 papers and a number of books. He is listed in the ISI HighlyCited.com for his publications in Materials Science. His interests have extended recently to the field nanotechnology.

Stress Sensing in Polymer Nano-Composites

Raman spectroscopy can be employed to follow stress in a variety of nanostructured polymer composite systems. It will be shown that large stress-induced Raman band shifts are found for a variety of nano-reinforcements such as carbon nanotubes. The bands shifts obtained in composites can be employed to follow the efficiency of stress transfer and hence reinforcement. Examples will be given of a number of composite systems and applications such as stress sensitive coatings for glass fibres.

Prof. Keiichi Kaneto - Kyushu Institute of Technology - Japan

Biographical notes

After obtaining a Doctor Degree of Engineering at Osaka University, Keiichi Kaneto becomes an Associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the same university. In April 1988, he becomes full professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology. After a few years as visiting researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and at the CEA in Grenoble, he is Professor at the Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Prof. Kaneto conducts research in the following fields: Organic Molecular Devices, Optical and Electrical Properties of Organic Molecules, Electrochemistry of Conducting Polymer, Soft Actuator, Organic transistors.

Current Status and Prospect of Conducting Polymer based Soft Actuators

Soft actuators mimicking muscles based on electrochemomechanical deformation of conducting polymers are prospective for driving force of future robots. The maximum strain obtained so far is 40 %, which is much larger than that of natural muscles of 25-30%. The contraction force of the soft actuators is several tens MPa, which is also larger than that of muscle by more ten times. In this talk, basic mechanism and recent topics on the training and fatigue of conducting polymer soft actuators will be mentioned as well as the current status of various soft actuators.

Prof. Attila Bereck - Bergische Universität Wuppertal - Germany

Biographical notes

Study of Colloid Chemistry in Budapest/Hungary, Ph.D. in 1973. 1966-1973: Lecturer at a Technical College and at the Polytechnical University in Budapest, 1973-1985: Project Leader at DWI at the RWTH Aachen 1986-1989: BASF AG Ludwigshafen, Development of Textile Auxiliaries Since 1989: Professor at the University of Wuppertal, lectures and research in Textile, Human Hair, Macromolecular, Colloid and Surface Chemistry. Retired 2008 but still active both in research and teaching

Cyclodextrins in Textile Finishing

Following a general overview of applications and the mode of action of cyclodextrins (CDs) in textile finishing methods for the permanent fixation of CDs onto texiles and approaches to their quantitative analysis including a new method developed at Wuppertal University will be reviewed. A quantitative study, utilizing this method, on the covalent fixation, washing fastness and formaldehyde release of CD-containing finishes will be presented.

Prof. Tadamoto Sakai - Tokyo Office of Shizuoka University

Biographical notes

Tadamoto Sakai is now the JSW Fellow Emeritus. He has been working as the president of Japanese Society of Polymer Processing and Visiting Professor of Kyoto university, university of Tokyo and Shizuoka university. Now he is the visiting Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong university in China. He is also the Chief-editor of JSPP journal. He received many awards of polymer processing society and has about 200 papers, 70 patents, 35 books (co-author) and 300 speeches at international symposia.

New Polymer Processing Technologies to Create Highly Functionalized Product

Recent progress in polymerization technology allows the easy control of precise structure of a synthetic polymer, as well as lower cost production using by large scale chemical plants. In addition to the progress, one of today’s important issues in our industry is how to develop key technologies contributing to both sustainability and higher performance. To meet with today’s trends, we should utilize more sophisticated technology in creating highly functionalized and hybridized polymer products. In this paper newly emerging polymer processing technologies, for example, in hybridized reactive blending and sophisticated injection molding to produce various fine products with highly-added values are discussed, mainly from practical points of views.

Prof. In-Joo Chin - Department of Polymer Science and Engineering - Inha University - Korea

Biographical notes

In-Joo Chin received his PhD in polymers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983, with postdoctoral research at MIT and University of Connecticut. He is currently Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at Inha University. In over 30 years of activity, Prof. Chin has published more than 100 research papers in polymers and nanomaterials and has co-authored three books. Current research interests include organic-inorganic nanohybrids, bio-based and biodegradable polymers and composites, encapsulation of modified polymeric particles and electrophoretic nanoparticles.

Structure and Property Relationships in Polymer Nanohybrids Based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

The structure-property relationships of nanohybrids comprised of polymers and various types of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) were investigated. In particular, the specific interactions between POSS and various polymer systems were examined from the thermodynamic viewpoint. The effect of POSS on the physical and rheological properties was evaluated to corroborate the theoretical analyses.

Prof. Enrico Traversa - MANA, National Institute for Materials Science - Japan

Biographical notes

Enrico Traversa has been working at Department of Chemical Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" for 20 years. Now he is the Principal investigator in nano-green field at MANA, Japan. His current research interests are oriented mostly in the study of nanostructured materials for health, environment, and energy, including materials for fuel cells (both polymeric, PEMFC, and solid oxide, SOFC), chemical sensors (semiconductor and electrochemical), and innovative photovoltaics. Great attention is given to the synthesis and processing of nanostructured materials, tailoring also hierarchical porosity. Recent interests are in recycling plastics and scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Tuning Hierarchical Architectures of 3D Polymeric Scaffolds for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

The challenge for successful exploitation of cardiac regenerative medicine is to identify the suitable combination between the best cell source for cardiac repair and the design of the optimal scaffold as a template for tissue replacement. Scaffolds composed of natural and/or synthetic polymers can organize stem cells into complex architectures that mimic native tissues. To achieve this, a proper design of the chemical, mechanical, and morphological characteristics of the scaffold at different length scales is needed to reproduce the tissue complexity at the cell-scaffold interface. This talk will present work undertaken to setup strategies to integrate stem cells and tailored scaffolds, as a tool to control cardiac tissue regeneration.

Dr. Kinji Asaka - National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology - Japan

Biographical notes

Kinji Asaka received the phD degree in Science from Kyoto University in1990. He is currently a Group Leader of the Artificial Cell Research Group, Research Institute for Cell Engineering of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). His current research interests include interfacial electrochemistry and polymer actuators. He is a member of SPSJ, SICE, RSJ and JSME.

Fully plastic actuators based on dispersed carbon-nano tube/ionic-liquid-gel electrodes

An electroactive polymer actuator based on the active electrodes composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes, ionic liquids and polymer supports has been developed. The actuator can be operated in air at low applied voltages. In this presentation, the improved performance of the actuator will be reported.

Prof. Toribio Fernandez Otero - Technical University of Cartagena - Spain

Biographical notes

Doctor Degree from the Complutense University (Madrid) in 1978. Full Professor of Physical Chemistry and Macromolecules of the University of the Basque Country from 1989. Co-founder and first president (1997) of CIDETEC, a private foundation for the transfer of electrochemical and polymeric technologies. In 2002 he became Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at the new Technical University of Cartagena. He has published over 250 papers, 20 book chapters and 7 patents, and supervised 23 doctoral theses.
His work mainly concerns electrogeneration, electrochemical properties, electrochemical devices and theoretical modelling of reactive conducting polymers. All organic batteries, electrochromic windows, artificial muscles, smart membranes, smart drug delivery devices and nervous interfaces attract most of his interest.

Conducting polymers as simultaneous sensor-actuators. Conformational Energy.

Electrochemical reactions from films of conducting polymers link the driving current with potential response from the film through the ambient variables: chemical concentration, temperature, pressure or mechanical conditions, etc. During reactions the potential (and the consumed electrical energy) is a sensor of the ambient. A new technology based on sensing-actuators, mimicking biological organs and functions, is emerging. Any device based on electrochemical reactions from conducting polymers (or any organic and reactive materials) as: artificial muscles, polymeric batteries, smart electrochromic windows, smart membranes, drug delivery devices, artificial nervous interfaces, etc, should be expected to work, simultaneously, as a sensor of the working conditions. Artificial muscles sensing the ambient and tactile muscles will illustrate some of the new possibilities.

Dr. Iryna Yakimets - Holst Centre, Eindhoven - Netherlands

Biographical notes

Dr. Iryna Yakimets studied Mechanics of Materials at the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne (France) and gained her PhD in 2004. After working few years at Nottingham University (UK) on water dependent mechanical behavior of biopolymer films, she obtained a Research Position at Holst Centre (Eindhoven, Netherlands) in 2008. Dr. Yakimets currently working on dimensional stability of polymer foils used as substrates for flexible electronics.

Polymer substrates for flexible electronics: achievements and challenges

The flexible electronics technology can potentially result in many compelling applications not satisfied by the rigid Si-based conventional electronics. Commercially available foils such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) have emerged as the most suitable polymer materials for flexible electronics applications. Despite the enormous progress, which has been recently done on optimization of physical and mechanical properties of PET and PEN foils, their dimensional stability on micro-scale is still a major obstacle to overcome during patterning of wiring by means of lithography. Consequently, the measurement of foil in-plane micro-deformation is of great importance for the understanding and prediction of its thermal, hydroscopic and mechanical behaviour during processing.

Prof. Richard M. Laine - Dept of Materials Science and Engineering - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - USA

Silsesquioxane as Polyfunctional Nanobuilding blocks

Polyfunctional silsesquioxanes [RSiO1.5]n (n = 8, 10, 12; R = alkyl, aryl and R’SiMe2O, R’ = H, R) are unique molecules with single crystal silica cores and with functional groups spaced equally on a 3-D, mostly spherical surface. These materials are easily synthesized in high yields from simple starting materials with an extensive variety of functional groups. In a number of instances, it is possible to make bifunctional molecules. Consequently, these materials offer unique opportunities to engineer surfaces, tailor interfaces in composites, formulate nanocomposites with complete control of global properties and offer unique properties in their own right as polyfunctional materials.

Prof. Irina Smirnova - Technische Universitaet Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg - Germany

Applications of aerogels in life sciences

In this presentation an overview is given about the supercritically dried organic and anorganic gels (aerogels) in the fields of pharmacy, cosmetics, medicine, agriculture and biotechnology. Biocatalysis with a lipase enzyme captures one of the advanced silica aerogel researches. The in situ encapsulation of proteins and enzymes into aerogels was shown to be a very promising technique leading to the increase of biocatalytical activity. Furthermore aerogels are used as host matrix for bio-active compounds, which improve or enable their performance. A promising area here is the use of macroporous silica aerogels as biosensors.

Prof. Garnpimol C. Ritthidej - Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Garnpimol C. Ritthidej received her bachelor degree in Pharmacy from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and doctoral degree in Industrial Pharmacy from St. John’s University, USA. Since then she has joined the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University and became a full Professor of Industrial Pharmacy in 2003. She was appointed as Associate Dean for Research and Chairman of the Department of Manufacturing Pharmacy. She also served as the Chartered President of Controlled Release Society, Thailand Chapter and an executive committee of Society of Microencapsulation. Her main interest in research is drug delivery using biomaterials, both polymers and lipids as controlled delivery systems. Recent interest is extended to vaccine/DNA delivery using micro/nanocarriers of biomaterials.

Biopolymeric micro/nanoparticles for drug and protein delivery

The presentation will focus on using chitosan to control delivery of therapeutic agents via oral, nasal transdermal and parenteral routes which can be achieved by various encapsulation and matrix techniques. Examples of coated tablet, patch, micro/nanoparticles of various therapeutic agents including vaccine and DNA delivery systems will be presented.

Assoc. Prof. Anuvat Sirivat - The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Anuvat Sirivat has gained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. He worked at the University of Pittsburgh (USA) for 7 years and then moved to Thailand. Now he works at the Petroleum and Petrochemical College as the head of Conductive and Electroactive Polymer Research unit.

Effect of Dielectric Constant and Electric Field Strength on Dielectrophoresis Force of Acrylic Elastomers and Styrene Copolymers

The effects of dielectric constant and electric field strength on the deflection angle and the dielectrophoresis force of acrylic elastomers and styrene copolymers were investigated. The dielectrophoresis forces of six elastomers were determined in a vertical cantilever fixture by measuring the deflection distance under various electric field strengths.

Assoc. Prof. Sujitra Wongkasemjit - The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Sujitra Wongkasemjit gained her Ph.D.(Org.Chem) from West Virginia University, USA in 1988. She has been working at the Petroleum and Petrochemical College since 1989 and is currently the head of the Syntheses and Applications of Organometallics Research Unit.

Synthesis and Applications of SBA-1 Directly from Silatrane via Sol-gel Process

Silatrane was used as a precursor for SBA-1 synthesis at room temperature using alkyltrimethylammonium bromides, C_nTMAB (n = 14-18), as templates in dilute solutions. The influences of acidity, alkyl chain length of the surfactant and synthesis temperature were studied.

Assoc. Prof. Vittaya Amornkitbamrung - NANOTEC Center of Excellence at Khon Kaen University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Vittaya Amornkitbamrung was born in Nongkhai, Thailand, on June 22, 1956. He received a Ph.D. degree in Physics in 1987 from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
He is working as the Head of Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center, and he teaches as an Associate Professor at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. His research topics mainly focus on the deposition and characterization of diamond and diamond-like carbon films prepared by RFCVD and HFCVD.

Diamond-like Carbon Film for Biomolecular Sensors

Radio Frequency Chemical Vapor Deposition (RFCVD) preparation was used to produce diamond-like carbon (DLC) films to fabricate a simple device for biological molecule detection. Since the charge transfer efficiency through the molecule of DNA is dependent on the DNA sequence, the substrate prepared by RFCVD then becomes a candidate for a simple method to fabricate microchips for DNA molecule detection.

Dr. Thevarak Rochanapruk - Project Director - PTT Phenol Co. Ltd.

Biographical notes

Dr. Thevarak Rochanapruk has been project director for PTT Phenol since March 2006. He is solely responsible for the new Bisphenol-A project worth over US$250 million with largest world single train capacity of 150,000 per annum. His past experience in the petrochemicals and polymers span over 24 years in the USA and Thailand. He is also the current Vice President for the Chemical Engineering Committee of the Engineering Institute of Thailand. Dr, Thevarak obtained his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , New York. USA where he obtained funding from the Petroleum Research Fund USA.

Bisphenol-A Technology; A Greener and Cleaner Process Review

Bisphenol –A (BPA) has been commercially produced since the late 1960’s. The chemical can be synthesized by a simple acid catalyzed condensation between phenol and acetone. The initial technology involved the use of mineral acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid as catalyst, rendering the process to be highly corrosive thus shortens the plant life span. In addition, the corrosive by products have to be completely neutralized which further increase the process cost of production. Current technology employs the use of less corrosive ion exchange resin with either incorporated or “in situ” injection of the co-catalyst.

Assoc. Prof. Vissanu Meeyoo - Centre for Advanced Materials and Environmental Research, Mahanakorn University of Technology - Thailand

Biographical notes

Vissanu Meeyoo is Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Centre for Advanced Materials and Environmental Research. His research interests are in two areas:
Catalysis: Hydrogen production, Catalytic combustion and Catalytic Wet Oxidation
Energy: Pyrolysis and Product Upgrading

Hydrogen production over Ce/Zr mixed oxide catalysts for onboard applications

The use of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells as a potential replacement for conventional combustion engines or an auxiliary power unit in automobiles has drawn tremendous attentions.
In this presentation, mixed oxide solid solution catalysts (Ce/Zr), which possess good redox properties as self-cleaning catalysts, are introduced for use in hydrogen production via different systems. The effects of dopants on the catalyst properties, activity, and deactivation will be discussed in details.

Assoc.Prof. Dr Supon Ananta - Department of Physics and Materials Science, Chiang Mai University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Dr. Supon Ananta has been teaching at the Department of Physics and Materials Science, Chiang Mai University for 10 years after obtaining an MSc (Ceramic Engineering) and a PhD (Materials Science) from the University of Leeds (UK). His most significant contributions are in the field of ceramic processing including synthesis of powders, fabrication of ceramics and ceramic-nanocomposites. Area of interest also lies in the study of the relationships between processing, phase formation, microstructure and properties of advanced ceramics, especially perovskite-based smart ceramics and dental porcelain ceramics.

Microstructural Design of Smart Perovskite Ferroelectric Ceramics for Electroceramic Applications

The largest group of ferroelectric and related smart materials are based on the perovskite structure. However, pure and dense PT ceramics are regarded to be one of the most difficult Pb-based perovskite ferroelectric ceramics to produce. In this presentation, several microstructural design techniques including two-stage sintering and ceramic-nanocomposite developed for the production of PT-based ceramics will be addressed. Their influences on phase formation, densification, microstructure and dielectric properties of the final products will be discussed and compared with the conventional method.

Assoc. Prof. Santi Maensiri – Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center and Dept. of Physics, Khon Kaen University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Dr. Santi Maensiri received his D.Phil. degree in Materials Science from Oxford University in 2001. He is currently a group leader of the Small & Strong Materials Group (SSMG), Solid State Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science. He is also one of the main researchers of the Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center (INRC), Khon Kaen University. His research of interest is in the fields of Materials Physics and Nanomaterials, which focus mainly on the fabrication, synthesis, physical and biological properties, and applications of materials. The materials of interest include: 1) functional nanostructured materials of ceramic compounds, metal oxides, and nanocomposites, 2) diluted magnetic semiconductors and magnetic nanoparticles for medical applications, 3) giant dielectric ceramics and nancomposites, and 4) electrospun nanofibers of ceramics, polymers, and nanocomposites for electronic device, environmental, energy, and medical and pharmaceutical applications.

Fabrication and Properties of Electrospun Ceramics and Carbon Nanostructures

Electrospinning represents a simple and convenient method for preparing polymer and ceramic nanostructures. The relatively high production rate and simplicity of the setup makes electrospinning highly attractive to both academia and industry. A variety of nanostructures (either in the forms of nanofibers or nanoparticles) can be made for applications in energy storage, healthcare, biotechnology, environmental engineering, and defense and security. This talk presents the fabrication of nanostructures of advanced ceramic compounds and carbon by electrospinning technique. In this talk, the electrospinning set up as well as experimental procedure are described in details. The fabrication of nanostructures of dielectric perovskite (Ba, Sr)TiO3, thermoelectric oxide NaCo2O4, TiO2-based, spinel ferrites (MFe2O4), and carbon nanofibers with diameter of ~100-300 nm are demonstrated. The fabricated nanostructures are characterized by TG-DTA, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The potential applications of these nanostructures are proposed.

Dr. Srung Smanmoo - Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University - Thailand

Biographical notes

Dr. Srung holds a BSc and an MSc from the University of Wollongong (AU). He obtained a PhD from the University of Sheffield (UK) working on Asymmetric Phosphorylation. After his PhD, he carried out postdoctoral research at Nagasaki University (JP) on Detection of Proteins and Genes on a Solid-Phase Membrane. He is now with the university of Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University Under The Royal Patronage.

From Non-Asymmetric Phosphorylation to Regioselective Phosphorylation

A number of biologically active molecules contain phosphate esters and the preparation of such species is of interest and challenge to synthetic chemists. The preparation of phosphate esters is normally achieved by employing enzymatic processes, although the stability of the catalyst is sometimes problematic. This talk will discuss a new method of preparing achiral N-phosphoryl oxazolidinones and the evaluation of these reagents in phosphoryl transfer reactions.

Dr. Sanong Ekgasit - Thailand

Biographical notes

Sanong Ekgasit obtained his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry and M.Eng. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, USA. His research interests are in the area of Molecular Spectroscopy and Nanomaterials. The molecular spectroscopy researches involves applications of infrared and Raman spectroscopy for gemstones, polymers, forensic, and trace contamination analyses. His researches on nanomaterials involve synthesis and characterization of functional precious metals (silver, gold, platinum, and palladium) nanoparticles. He has applied the principles of green chemistry and green engineering for the green nano-synthesis of advance functional nanomaterials using renewable natural resources as the reducing agent.

Novel chemical synthesis of silver nanoplates with unique optical properties

We have developed a novel chemical technique for the conversion of spherical silver nanoparticles in to silver nanoplates (i.e., nanodisk, hexagonal nanoplate, truncated triangular nanoprism, and triangular nanoprism). By changing the concentration and temperature of the reacting media (i.e., the spherical silver nanoparticles colloid and the shape-converting agent), the plasmon extinction of the final colloid of silver nanoplated could be tuned from yellow into red (nanodisk), pink (hexagonal nanoplate), purple (truncated triangular nanoparism), and blue (triangular nanoprism). Optical properties and morphology of the shaped nanoparticles were investigated by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.

Assoc. Prof. Jitladda Sakdapipanich - Department of Chemistry, Mahidol University, Bangkok - Thailand

A Clean Technology to Produce Functionalized Low Molecular-weight Natural Rubber Latex Using Nametric TiO2 Film

Natural rubber (NR) is a high molecular-weight (MW) hydrophobic polymer, which can not be easily dissolved in several kinds of solvent, leading to the limitation of usage. NR latex containing low MW and reactive-terminal group is another interesting form to extend the application of NR. In this study, a photochemical degradation of NR using H2O2, TiO2 film and UV irradiation was applied to prepare the hydroxylated low MW NR (LNR). A self-prepared TiO2 film was applied in order to re-use for the present work. Moreover, the photosensitivity of the self-prepared TiO2 film was determined by using methylene blue stock solution and UV/VIS spectrophotometer.