Proceedings of 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Australia

Advanced Materials World Congress, AMWC 2020 was the 32nd assembly of the flagship event, Advanced Materials Congress, AMC organized by the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) at the Conference Centre, Voyager of the Seas, RCC, Sydney, Australia from 02 – 05 February, 2020. This AMC assembly was an attempt to expand the knowledge of Advanced Materials Science, Engineering and Technology in the Australian continent. The comprehensive discussion synergised the search of bilateral/ multilateral cooperation to surge responsiveness of researchers, academicians, business giants, and students on one platform. The global networks can facilitate the Advancements of Materials to Global Excellence.

Group photo of speakers: International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) hosted the 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress in the vibrant city of Sydney, Australia. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

IAAM is delighted to have entered this new decade and taken forward this noble initiative by bringing assembly of Advanced Materials Congress to Australia for the very first time. AMC, an international multidisciplinary congress that IAAM organizes regularly since 2011, is a prestigious platform that is meant to provide researchers and engineers to present their research results, discoveries and new ideas. The industry gets opportunity to launch their new products and builds their market. AMWC 2020 was the 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress and 10th anniversary of the flagship event Advanced Materials World Congress. Prof. Prasad KDV Yarlagadda from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, served as the local host of this first ever Australian AMC assembly. The 32nd AMC was focused on the theme, ‘multi-inter-trans-disciplinary advanced materials research, innovation and technology’. It was offered a perfectly balanced harmonization of 12 important interdisciplinary fields: 1) Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology, 2) Energy Materials, 3) Biomaterials & Biodevices, 4) Environmental & Green Materials, 5) Electronic Materials, 6) Composite & Ceramic Materials, 7) Electronic, Magnetic & Optical Materials, 8) Structural & Engineering Materials, 9) Thin Films, Materials Surface & Interfaces, 11) Computational Materials & Modelling, and 12) Functional Materials. The 32nd assembly of AMC was held at the conference centre on board Voyager of the Seas, RCC having the well-equipped conference auditorium and the rooms also added to the inimitable experience of the delegates. The functioning hours of the conference centre were reserved from 8.30 am to 9.00 pm, with coffee, fruits, and snacks available all the time.

Thus, congress was arranged in the innovative format of ‘Knowledge Experience at Sea’ and as a result, it facilitated extensive interaction and highly vibrant discussions on the Pacific Ocean. The format of ‘Knowledge Experience at Sea’ is one of the main highlights of IAAM congresses. Based on this format, the AMWC 2020 gave the delegates a chance to be away from the hustle and bustle of their busy schedules and delve into the ocean of knowledge and research while cruising their way on the Pacific Ocean. The congress was graced by the active participation of delegates from as many as 39 countries. The congress assembly ran with eight thematic sessions including 19 keynote/ invited/ IAAM award lectures, a series of oral & poster presentations, and IAAM felicitation ceremony.

The congress assembly ensured an amazing experience for each delegate as it was an integration of elements like global networking, cruise hospitality, social activity in the Sydney: the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania.

On the 1st day of the 32nd assembly of AMC, the delegates were welcomed at the conference desk and the registration was carried out at Hyatt Regency Sydney. The delegates were also briefed about the conference schedule.

The assembly began in the Caribbean Conference Room of the Conference Centre on the 2nd Day. The first session of the congress was the opening and plenary session 1, chaired by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Sweden, and Prof. Qingyuan Wang, China.

Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, IAAM, and Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, welcoming the delegates in the opening and plenary session of the 32nd assembly of AMC. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda welcomed the delegates, briefed them about the objectives of the congress, gave some important messages, and also discussed the schedule with the delegates. Further, in the opening session, Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, IAAM was overviewed the decade journey of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM. A brief discussion on IAAM’s efforts in the past decade was yielded significant milestones for Advancement of Materials to Global Excellence. Moreover, he offered his best wishes and addressed the excitement that everyone had for the next three days because of the anticipated interdisciplinary thoughts, global networking, and exposure to recent developments of the research fields. He mentioned that as “we delve into a sea of quality research and interdisciplinary ideas in these three days; we hope that we optimise our learning experience”. With this hope, he welcomed everyone on the behalf of IAAM, wished them good luck, and declared the conference open!

The plenary session 1 was dedicated on the translational research and applications of advanced materials for empowerment of society and it consisted of five lectures. This session was chaired by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari.  In this plenary session, the first talk was the Australian Advanced Materials Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, on the title: “Highly durable antiviral nanostructured surfaces for hospital applications”. In this talk, the speaker talked about healthcare nanomaterials towards preventive control of viral infection. Prof. Prasad described that nanostructured surfaces show excellent mechanical characteristics. Such surfaces can suffer significant loads for longer durations without any damage to the nanostructured topography. The work has made significant progress of nanomaterials for hospitals application such as antiviral activity. Here, the speaker emphasized that elastic modulus and hardness at different depths were also characterized, suggesting that the nanomechanical properties of the etched aluminium alloy surfaces were not compromised. His opening talk address the contemporary health emergency of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in China.

The next lecture was IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Mihail Roco from National Science Foundation, USA, on the topic: “Nanomaterial-inspired Converging Technologies for Future Society“. In this talk, Prof. Roco explained that affirmation of nanotechnology in the current economy is focused on new material’s architectures, nanosystem integration, and establishing of converging technological platforms. He discussed that a special trend is the synergism of five foundational science and technology fields (nano-, bio-, info-, cognition, and artificial intelligence) from their basic elements (atoms, bits, genes, neurons, logic steps) using similar system hierarchical architecture and neural networking concepts. Prof. Roco was also outlined emerging fields of discovery and key nanomaterial-inspired grand challenges of next decade, i.e., vision of nanotech for 2030. Their convergence with other emerging technologies including modern biology and artificial intelligence and their effects on society were deliberated.

Plenary session I. Eminent plenary speakers from world-leading institutions in the Australian Advanced Materials Congress, Sydney, Australia. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The subsequent lecture was IAAM Award Lecture by Prof. Thierry Djenizian, Ecole des Mines Saint-Etienne, France, on the title: “Nano and micro- structured materials for flexible Li-ion microbatteries”. Prof. Djenizian highlighted the fabrication of all-solid-state Li-ion microbatteries using modified TiO2nts as negative electrodes. The effects of materials selection and processing on the performance and reliability were presented as a means to develop conceptual guidelines to understand and improve microbattery designs. In this talk, different chemical modifications of nanotubes by ALD technique and by the conformal electrodeposition of polymer electrolytes for enhanced electrochemical performance were presented. Prof. Djenizian discussed the fabrication of a full 3D microcell showing high electrochemical performance and the development of the next generation of ‘3D flexible microbatteries’ was also announced.

The fourth lecture was delivered by Prof. Indranath Dutta from Washington State University, USA, on the “Diffusional Sliding at Hetero-Interfaces and Electromigration in 3D Electronic Devices”. In this talk, Prof. Dutta discussed hetero-interfaces, i.e., interfaces between dissimilar materials, which can undergo diffusionally accommodated sliding when subjected to a combination of stress, voltage, and temperature gradients along the interface. Prof. Dutta further described the phenomenon of diffusionally accommodated interfacial sliding, and presented experimental evidence of TSV protrusion/intrusion during thermal cycling (TC) and EM experiments in a 3D package chip containing TSVs, and electromigration along TSV-Si interfaces, in the context of reliability implications on next-generation microelectronic devices.

The last lecture of this session was delivered by Prof. Harald Raupenstrauch, University of Leoben, Austria, on the “Producing resource and energy efficient secondary raw materials from metallurgical dusts and slags”. Prof. Raupenstrauch emphasized that feed material availability and efficient energy utilization are crucial for metallurgical processes due to limited primary resources and renewable energy sources. In this talk, Prof. Raupenstrauch described that the process offers the possibility to recover valuable metals like iron, manganese, copper, and cobalt while removing alkaline and phosphorus compounds. Prof. Raupenstrauch suggested that at the same time, the mineral fraction can be used in the construction material industry due to its low metal content.

Group Photo of distinguished invited speakers during 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials World Congress, Sydney, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The second session of the day was focused on “Energy Materials”, where four speakers discussed the new trends of energy materials and technology. The session was chaired by Prof. Tseung-Yuen Tseng, China; and Dr. Jianfeng Mao, Australia.

In this session, the first lecture was a keynote talk by Prof. Jinliang Xu, North China Electric Power University, China, on the title: “Light induced nanofluid droplet evaporation”. This work was discussed specially -light induced droplet evaporation involving new mechanisms of coupling between nanoparticles plasmonic heating and flow/ temperature fields in various length/ time scales, and critical concentration phenomenon. Research findings extant an important clue to use sparse nanofluid concentrations to promote water evaporation for efficient utilization of solar energy. The cost is acceptable due to sparse concentration used, while noble nanoparticles such as gold have better performance and sustain much longer operation time without failure.

The next lecture was an invited talk by Prof. Yong Jun Wu, Zhejiang University, China, on the topic: “From core–shell particles to dense ceramics with high energy storage performance by spark plasma sintering”. This abstract covered and discussed research about electrostatic capacitors with high charge/discharge speed. This study opens an effective way for the design of high-performance dielectric ceramics.

Distinguished invited speakers from Academia and Industry during the intensive discussions during 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Sydney, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The subsequent abstract was discussed for IAAM Scientist Medal, Dr. Yinon Yavor from Afeka-Tel Aviv College of Engineering, Israel, on the “Boron-Water Compounds for Green Energetic Systems”. The combination of boron powder and water, with the addition of a carbon-free oxidizer such as AN (ammonium nitrate) produced a high theoretical energetic performance and showed promising and flexible mechanical properties with varying the gravimetrical composition of the abovementioned ingredients. The determination of the propellant burning rate, via the regression in the vertical location of the burning surface was discussed.

The last abstract of Prof. Bin Yuan, South China University of Technology, China, on the topic: “Flower-like Ti-doped conductive anode with enhanced reversibility of the conversion and intercalation reaction” was discussed. This research was based on anode materials in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), orthorhombic Molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3), a member of the transition metal oxide (TMO) family that is very attractive because of its high theoretical capacity and low cost. The findings defined that greatly enhanced electrochemical performances are attributed to enhanced conductivity after the Ti doping and the unique flower-like hierarchical structure. This engineering strategy and one-step synthesis route opened up a new pathway in design of anode materials.

The third session of the congress was focused on the thematic subject area: “Biomaterials & Biodevices” and was chaired by Prof. Ahmad Mehdi, France; Prof. Frank Otremba, Germany, and Dr. Daniel Hermida Merino, France. The session consisted of two keynote lectures and one oral presentation with the main highlight on the healthcare materials and technology.

In this session, the first abstract of Prof. Lu Wang, Donghua University, China was discussed on the “Composite self-expanding bioresorbable prototype stents with reinforced compression performance: computational and experimental investigation”. This research addressed the bioresorbable cardiovascular stents, which are currently developed in order to reduce the risk of long-term thrombosis and restenosis in diseased vessels. Prof. Wang’s work demonstrated a novel technique for designing bioresorbable polymeric prototype stents with reinforced compression performance. The advantage of this design lay in the bonded-yarn interlacing points that restricted stent elongation and yarn gliding, which was revealed by computational simulations.

The second lecture of the session was a keynote talk for IAAM Scientist Medal in which an abstract by Prof. Fujun Wang, Donghua University, China, on the topic: “Fibrous Materials- Cell- Protein Interaction in Biomedical Textiles” was discussed. This abstract described effective strategies to guide cell growth for the development of tissue engineering and surface morphology. The properties of the biomaterials have appreciable impact on the biocompatibility and biological function. Thus, the regulation of cell behaviours can provide theoretical supports for developing biocompatible tissue engineering scaffolds. In summary, the research of the subject showed that fibrous scaffolds with different surface structures are conducive to cell adhesion and proliferation. These findings provided preliminary results for the revelation of the regulatory mechanism of the topological structure, which is of great significance for the design and development of tissue engineering scaffolds.

The last lecture of the day was delivered by Prof. Olivera Sauperl, University of Maribor, Slovenia, entitled, “Functionalization of viscose by using natural compounds for medical use”. In this talk, Prof. Sauperl described that the trend of the development of medical textile innovative products is directed increasingly towards antimicrobial functionalization of cellulosic materials using natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable substances. Chitosan, a derivative of chitin, is often used for this purpose. Prof. Sauperl demonstrated that the main contribution to solving the described research problem is the original way of combining natural ingredients with chitosan, and, consequently, improvement of its functionality, i.e., besides antimicrobial, also antioxidant effectiveness.

32nd IAAM Felicitation, Sydney

As a part of Advanced Materials Congress, AMC assembly, IAAM offered the highest honours to scientists, technocrats and students to encourage them for Advancement of Materials to Global Excellence. The 32nd IAAM felicitation ceremony was held on 3rd February 2020 at the Conference Centre on board Voyager of the Seas, RCC with the aim to recognize as well as reward the innovative efforts and to give them impetus for advancement in their respective findings.

32nd assembly IAAM felicitation ceremony at Advanced Materials Congress, Australia. In this award assembly, 18 researchers were recognised by IAAM, out of which, honoured with the IAAM Medals, IAAM Fellow Award and Australia Advanced Materials Award. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Australian Advanced Materials Award

IAAM honours researchers for their important research contributions in the field of Advanced Materials Science, Engineering & Technology with the “Australian Advanced Materials Award”. The award recognizes long-standing involvement and far-reaching research contribution across the world during the fifteen years of proceedings from the year of the award. This year, The Australian Advanced Materials Award was conferred upon two eminent materials scientists, Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Prof. Qingyuan Wang, Chengdu University, China, on 03 February 2020 in the 32nd assembly of IAAM Felicitation ceremony, Sydney, Australia. Prof. Wang was absent due to the epidemic of coronavirus in China mainland.

Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda currently serves as a Professor of Smart Systems and Project Director, Airports of the Future in the Queensland University of Technology, Australia.  Prof. Yarlagadda has a wealth of knowledge in the broad field of Bio-manufacturing to address various Orthopedic and cardio-vascular challenges. Prof. Yarlagadda has several specialties covering algorithms for process automation, AI, neural network, CAD/ CAM applications, rapid prototype manufacturing, development of scaffolds for tissue engineering, and aviation security.

Over the years, Prof. Yarlagadda has had number of distinguished appointments in various Universities in India, China, and Australia.  In 2012, he was honoured by the Materials Division, Polish Academy of Sciences.  Further in 2016, Professor Yarlagadda was awarded order of Australia medal and was included in Queens Birthday Honours list in recognition of his outstanding service to the profession of Engineering. He is a fellow of many professional organisations including Engineers Australia, Institution of Engineers (India), World Academy of Manufacturing, and Materials (Poland), etc.

Australian Advanced Materials Award Lecture 2020 by Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

IAAM Medal Lecture

Prof. Mihail Roco is the Senior Advisor for Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation and Founding Chair of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET). Prof. Roco is credited with thirteen inventions on multiphase systems, computer simulations, laser measurements, nanoparticles and nanosystems, sustainability and trends in emerging technologies. He had proposed the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI; 1999), at the White House (nano.gov). Prof. Roco is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy, Correspondent Member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, etc. Prof. Roco is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research and was also awarded with U.S. National Materials Advancement Award and “Global Leadership and Service Award” at the EU Parliament in 2015.”

IAAM Medal Lecture 2020 by Prof. Mihail Roco, National Science Foundation, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Poster Session

The fourth session organized on the second day of the congress was the poster session on the theme: Multi-inter-trans-disciplinary Advanced Materials Research and Innovations, which created an opportunity for the maximum interaction and highly vibrant discussions. Prof. Mihail Roco, National Science Foundation, USA was reviewed session as a poster jury. In this session, many posters were presented, out of which one of the best posters was recognised related to three-dimensional image reconstruction of nano- biomaterial using a newly developed detector. This poster was presented by Rintaro Kawano and Takashi Sueyoshi from JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, and was selected as the best poster. All the posters were set up at the Conference Centre, Voyager of the Seas, RCC.

Poster session during the 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The 3rd day of the congress started with the Plenary session II as session five, which consisted of four lectures with a major focus on the ground-breaking advanced materials approaches. The session was chaired by Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, Australia. The first lecture of the session was Australian Advanced Materials Award Lecture in which an abstract by Prof. Qingyuan Wang from Chengdu University, China, entitled, “An investigation on crack initiation and propagation thresholds for high strength steels in very high cycle fatigue regime” was discussed. In this abstract, the distinguishing crack initiation was described. In the work, features of such internal cracks in two high strength steels were studied. A general crack formation scenario was proposed to explain the occurrence of three particular patterns at the initiation area on fractography. In the abstract, the discussion on the relationship between theoretical strength and the stress at the threshold was elaborated. It was found that coincidence of internal initiation and slower descending S-N curves agrees with the novel scenario of crack formation in very high cycle fatigue regime.

Plenary session II. Eminent plenary speakers from world-leading institutes in the Advanced Materials World Congress, Sydney, Australia. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The subsequent lecture was a keynote talk delivered by Prof. Ahmad Mehdi, Montpellier University, France, on the topic: “Sol-gel 3D bioprinting of hybrid HPMC hydrogel”. Here, the key point was the preparation and the isolation of triethoxysilyl-HMPC derivative. This bioink precursor was fully characterized and can be kept on the shelf as a powder before bioink preparation. Mixed with human mesenchymal stem cells-containing buffer, at 7.0 pH and at room temperature, it yields a bioink which can be printed by extrusion when suitable viscosity is reached. Prof. Mehdi explained that experimental modularity was demonstrated by immobilizing a fluorophore in the hydrogel network, simply mixing a triethoxysilylated fluorescein derivative.

The next talk was an Advanced Materials Innovation Lecture delivered by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari from Institute of Advanced Materials and VBRI Group, Sweden, on the “Intelligent nanosystems and wireless medicine for cloud healthcare”. In this talk, Prof. Tiwari described the development of programmable nanotechnology with artificial intelligence (AI) functions is a key element for the next generation biomedical and home care devices. The progress in this field would make significant contributions to advanced medical technology, bioelectronics, nanomaterials, and nanotechnology, the speaker further said. The aim of his talk was to discuss various strategies of cutting-edge intelligent nanosystems for cloud healthcare.

The last talk of the session was an IAAM Award Lecture for IAAM Scientist Medal, delivered by Dr. Jianfeng Mao, University of Wollongong, Australia, on the topic: “Advanced electrode and electrolyte materials for emerging potassium ion batteries”. In this talk, the speaker explained that potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are emerging, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries for low cost and large-scale energy storage because of the abundance and low cost of potassium. Here, the speaker reported alloy-based materials such as Sn4P3 and Bi as novel anodes. Furthermore, by choosing potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) to replace potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF6) in carbonate electrolyte, a more stable solid electrolyte interphase layer is achieved and results in notably enhanced electrochemical performance.

The session 6 of the congress was on “Nanomaterials, Polymer Science and Technology” and was chaired by Prof. Indranath Dutta, USA, and Prof. Olivera Sauperl, Slovenia.

In this session, the first lecture was an invited talk delivered by Prof. Keisuke Niwase, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Japan, on the title: “Nano-polycrystalline diamond and compressed graphite synthesized from neutron-irradiated highly oriented pyrolytic graphite”. In this talk, Prof. Niwase discussed about highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystallinity and its layered structure along the c-axis. Neutron-irradiated HOPG is a unique material, as its homogeneous state contains irradiation-induced defects and can transform to amorphous diamond under shock compression. In this talk, the speaker explained that the aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of irradiation induced defects on the changes of structure under HPHT treatments and shock compressions.

Distinguished invited speakers from Academia and Industry marked the discussion on the congress theme during 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Sydney, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The next lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Ivan Stich, Slovak Academy of Science, Slovakia on the topic: “Oxygen on rutile TiO2(110) surface: AFM manipulation of charge, spin, and molecular bond”. Here, the speaker presented his research about the qualitatively new nanotechnology approaches. The speaker showed that the manipulation outcome was fully governed by three experimental parameters: vertical and lateral tip position and the bias voltage.

The subsequent abstract of Prof. Hongbin Zhang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, on the title: “Correlation of emulsification of polysaccharides and physical stability of emulsions studied by QCM-D and interfacial rheology through a multiscale approach” was discussed. In this abstract, Prof. Zhang described a methodology established, which allows for the analysis of interrelationships among molecular, microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic variables, opening new perspectives for the impact of viscoelasticity of interfacial layer on the bulk stability of the emulsion. The directly correlating the interfacial rheological properties to the stability of bulk emulsions remains a big challenge, and in-depth multiscale studies on emulsions needed further directions for future research.

The last talk of the session was an oral talk delivered by Dr. Fabio Candotto Carniel, University of Trieste, Italy, on the topic: “Can graphene resist to (white rot) fungi hunger?”. This talk was focused on graphene, a 2D-carbon nanomaterial of extraordinary chemical-physical properties. Here, the speaker explained that this might lead to a release of graphene-related nanomaterials (GRMs) into the environment by wearing off and incorrect disposal of GRMs-containing objects with unpredictable effects on ecosystems. In this talk, the speaker explained the experiments on the LiP degradative capabilities towards GO, which showed that RAMAN spectra and mappings of GO subjected to the activity of LiP suggest that GO had been degraded. The substrates involved in LiP catalytic cycle, i.e. H2O2 and veratryl alcohol, were not able to affect graphene by themselves, confirming that GRMs had been degraded only by the fungal enzymatic activity.

The next abstract of Prof. Ruimao Hua, Tsinghua University, China on the title: “Substituted styrene synthesis via polystyrene” was discussed. This abstract covered research about styrene. This work showed a simple protocol for the synthesis of para-substituted styrene by highly selective pyrolysis of substituted polystyrene, which can be obtained from sequent polymerization of styrene and electrophilic substitution of polystyrene.

In this session, the last lecture was an oral talk delivered by Dr. Alka Jaggessar, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, on the topic: “Design and Fabrication of Bactericidal Nanosensors”. In this talk, Dr. Jaggessar discussed about the future direction to develop nanosensing platform to detect the presence of bacteria in solution. Using bacteria DNA and a Hoechst electrolyte, a solution will be analysed using the nanostructured surface as the working electrode in combination with reference and counter electrodes. Surfaces with different chemical and physical properties could be used to determine the dominant factor which maximises detection accuracy.

The session 7 and session 8 of the congress were on the “Next Generation Advanced Materials Research & Innovations”. In these two sessions, the participants discussed the key challenges and their solutions, current progress and future opportunities in the sphere of advanced materials innovation and technology. The application part was mostly focused on three key areas- Healthcare, Energy, and Environment.

The session 7 was chaired by Prof. Thierry Djenizian, France; Prof. Pratim Chattaraj, India; Prof. Zheng-Fei Hu, China, and Prof. Ivan Stich, Slovakia.

In this session, the first abstract of Prof. Weifu Sun for invited talk from Beijing Institute of Technology, China, on the topic: “Friction forces between silica nanoparticles”. In this work, the abstract discussed about the interfacial friction forces between silica nanospheres using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations through oblique impact. In the experiment discussed, the effects of initial relative impact velocity, interaction path, contacting surfaces (relative orientation), impact angle (initial overlapping degree), and particle size on the interfacial forces were first investigated. Here, Prof. Sun described classic Mindlin-Deresiewicz theory, thermal violation, dislocation of atoms during sliding, compression result in small fluctuations, and deviation from theory.

Eminent speakers from world-leading institutions in the Australian Advanced Materials Congress, Sydney, Australia. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The next lecture was an invited talk by Prof. Pratim Chattaraj, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, on the title: “Effect of Confinement on Structure, Reactivity, and Dynamics. This talk explained how confined systems often exhibits unusual behavior regarding their structure, stability, reactivity, bonding, interactions, and dynamics. Prof. Chattaraj explained that gas storage is facilitated through confinement and unprecedented optoelectronic properties are observed in certain cases. Also, some slow reactions get highly accelerated in an appropriate confined environment.

The subsequent lecture was also an invited talk delivered by Prof. Tseung-Yuen Tseng, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, on the topic: “Enhanced linearity in TaOx memristors”. Here, the speaker proposed and demonstrated a novel approach to achieve remarkable improvement of analogue switching linearity in TaN/Ta/TaOx/Al2O3/Pt/Si memristors by varying Al2O3 layer thickness. The speaker further explained that the property of gradual resistance changed by pulse amplitudes confirms that the TaOx memristor can be potentially used as an electronic synapse.

Next was an oral talk by Prof. Pornsawai Praipipat, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, on the title: “Comparative sawdust materials with metal oxide for Lead removal in the water”. In this talk, the speaker talked about the adsorption isotherm study results, sawdust powder (SW) and sawdust with ferric oxide followed to Langmuir adsorption isotherms of R2 at 0.98 and 0.96, respectively. As a result, SWF showed higher lead removal efficiency than SW, so the adding of ferric oxide in the sawdust helped to increase the lead removal efficiency in the water.

The next lecture was an oral talk delivered by Dr. Daniel Hermida Merino, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, France, on the topic: “Monitoring of the drug uptake/release by a self-assembled low molecular weight hydrogelator carrier”. Here, the speaker presented his research about understanding of the structure-property relationships to develop materials with targeted functions. The speaker discussed that Low molecular weight hydrogelators (LMWH) fibers have been proven to be non-toxic as well as highly selective with pharmaceutical targets as Doxorubicin, dyes, and or gold and silver nanoparticules that are important in nanomedicine for combined treatments. Importantly, Doxorubicin uptake/release recent studies have shown the enhancement of the drug transference into the cell by the LMWH carrier.

Another oral talk was on the microstructures and mechanical properties of crack free In738LC alloy fabricated by selective laser melting for gas turbine applications. This talk was delivered by Suyalatu from NTT Data Engineering Systems Corporation AM Design Lab, Osaka, Japan.

The next oral talk was delivered by Dr. Phani Kumari Paritala from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, on characterization of the Atherosclerotic Plaque Tissue. This talk was focused on Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory cardiovascular disease associated with the accumulation of plaque activated by the complex interactions between systemic, hemodynamic, and biological factors. Thus, identification of plaque vulnerability is essential for the prevention of acute events and treatment of the disease. Here, the speaker discussed some research data and said that it represented a step towards an enhanced understanding of mechanical properties of the human atherosclerotic plaque and its relation to the morphological and chemical content.

The subsequent oral talk was delivered by Dr. Fabio Ferreira from University of Coimbra, Portugal, on “Relationship between substrate ion fluxes and properties of HiPIMS-DLC coatings used in extreme environments”. Here, the speaker talked about future components for Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), which required coatings with increased temperature stability and resistance as compared to present day solutions. Hard DLC films are a good alternative for that. In the work presented, a specific strategy was used to deposit DLC films. The carbon ions fluxes/energies produced during the process were investigated using a flat probe and correlated to the structural and mechanical/tribological properties of produced DLC films.

In the last oral talk of the session, an abstract submitted by Prof. Jing Lin, Donghua University, China, on the topic: “A novel stent-graft design to prevent fabrics tearing applied to the in-situ fenestration”, was discussed. The abstract described the in-situ fenestration of stent-grafts for patients presenting an emergent life-threatening complex aortic pathology to be amenable to Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR). Thus, the work aimed at developing innovative tubular fabric for stent-grafts with specifically designed reinforced zone to enhance the fabric tearing resistance caused by balloons while the fenestrated zone to facilitate the perforation by needles or laser probes. Prof. Lin mentioned in abstract that, such an innovative fabric still deserves additional validation in animal trials.

The last session of the conference was session 8 and was chaired by Prof. Laima Cesoniene, Lithuania; Prof. Harald Raupenstrauch, Austria, and Prof. Keisuke Niwase, Japan. In this session, the first abstract for IAAM Scientist Medal Lecture of Dr. Bing Tian, Harbin Engineering University, China, on the title: “Microstructure, martensitic transformation and mechanical property of porous magnetic shape memory alloys” was discussed. In the abstract, Dr. Tian discussed research about Ni-Mn based magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs), which exhibit a large magnetic field induced strain (MFIS) and high response frequency. Dr. Tian discribed the porous alloys, which have similar phase transformation behaviour to that of the MSMA powders. Dr. Tian’s research explained that it can be expected that the compositing of porous MSMA with polymer or light metal in the next step has a good performance in the MFIS and energy absorption.

The next invited talk was on the topic: “New diluted magnetic semiconductor system based on iron-based superconductors”. For this talk, the abstract was submitted by Prof. Li Zhang from China Jiliang University, China. In this abstract, Prof. Zhang mentioned that on a wide band gap p-type oxide semiconductor, LaCuSO satisfies all the conditions forecasted theoretically to be a room temperature Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor (DMS). In his study, energy band and optical property (such as loss function, reflectivity, absorption, and dieletric function) of the system were calculated according to first-principle study.

The next lecture was also an invited talk, delivered by Prof. Myung Yung Jeong, Pusan National University, South Korea, on the title: “Improved toughness of polymeric nanostructures”. Here, the speaker emphasized about conventional anti-reflective coatings (ARC), which are typically fabricated by deposition of multi-layer coatings for gradually changing refractive indices. In this talk, the speaker explained that the effects of the heat treatment process on the optical and the mechanical properties of the nanostructured films were examined by evaluating the optical properties, such as reflectance and transmittance, and measuring the mechanical properties with a pencil hardness test and a nanoindentation. It was found that the anti-scratch performance of the film was significantly improved while the optical properties were degraded slightly by the proposed process.

The subsequent lecture was an oral talk, delivered by Prof. Paitoon Rashatasakhon, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, on the subject: “Fluorescent sensors from spirobifluorene derivatives”. In this talk, the speaker discussed about novel spirobifluorene derivatives containing two and four sulfonamide groups, which are successfully synthesized from the commercially available bromo-9,9-spirobifluorene by Sonogashira couplings. In this talk, the application as a turn-on sensor for L-glutathione was demonstrated in a quantitative analysis of three samples of L-glutathione supplement drinks.

The next oral talk was on the study of Structural, Thermal, and Electrical Properties of Electrolytes Composites (1-x) CsH2PO4/ xZrO2 For Fuel Cells with Advanced Electrode. This talk was delivered by Dr. Pawan Kumar, Guruku Kangri University, India. In this research, composites proton conducting material based on cesium dihydrogen phosphate were prepared and doped with zirconium oxide and the structural, thermal, and transport properties of composites proton electrolytes were observed in terms of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Raman spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements. Here, the speaker explained that the superprotonic transition of CsH2PO4/ZrO2 Composites was identified with advanced silver electrode by vapor deposition of silver.

The next lecture was an oral talk delivered by Neta Cohen from Ben-Gurion University, Israel, on the Combined Effect of PVA -CNCs Systems. This talk was also considered for the award of ‘Best Oral Presentation’ by the committee. In this talk, the speaker investigated the co-assembly of Cellulose Nanocrystals, CNCs, that self-assembles into a chiral nematic liquid crystalline phase in aqueous phases and a polymer with tunable solubility, poly(vinyl alcohol). Here, the speaker’s observations indicated that the assembly of the CNCs-polymer hybrids is determined by the competition between inter-and intra-particle interactions and exhibits a potential for the formation of new metastable nano-to-meso structures.

The subsequent oral talk was on the lead removal by using the synthesized zeolites from bagasse fly ash. This talk was delivered by Sirirat Jangkorn, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. In this talk, the speaker discussed the bagasse fly ash of sugar factories, which is solid wastes and richest source of silica. Here, the speaker showed test results like best optimum conditions of the synthesized zeolite for lead removal, contact time, and pH, respectively. As a result, this study concluded that the zeolites can synthesize from the bagasse fly ash and they can remove lead in the water.

The next talk was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Zheng-Fei Hu from Tongji University, China, on the characterization and behavior of aluminum foam sandwich fabricated by a novel approach via hot-dip process. The abstract was well discussed in the session.

The abstract of Wajahat Ansari from Dalian University of Technology, China, on the strength and thermogravimetric analysis of sulfoaluminate cement under partial replacement of fine cement was also discussed. In this abstract, the sulfoaluminate cement (SAC) was considered as an eco-friendly material due to its fewer carbon emissions during its production. In this research, the fine cement replacement method was found satisfactory and can help in cement batching plants to provide efficiency in cementitious composites.

Discussion and team building activity during AMWC 2020, Sydney, Australia © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Closing Ceremony

The primary aim of 32nd assembly of AMC in Australia was to create a bridge between the industry and academia to induce global cooperation and develop a platform to build multi-inter-trans-disciplinary projects by sharing knowledge, joint infrastructures for grants applications, commercial IPRs, high-quality publications, etc. with the Australian continent. In this congress, the delegates shared the perspective of their respective fields. In this ceremony, the Best Oral Presentation Award was presented by jury members, Prof. Harald Raupenstrauch, University of Leoben, Austria and Prof. Pratim Chattaraj, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India to Neta Cohen from Ben-Gurion University, Israel for her work ‘Combined Effect of PVA-CNCs Systems’. The Best Poster Presentation Award was conferred by poster jury Prof. Mihail Roco, National Science Foundation, USA to Rintaro Kawano from JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan for his work on ‘Three-dimensional image reconstruction of nano- biomaterial using a newly developed detector’.

The best oral and poster presentations award during closing ceremony of 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Australia. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

IAAM’s Significant Ten-years Journey

Speaking about the way forward for IAAM, Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary General of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM stated that the Advanced Materials Congress, along with official journals of IAAM, will continue to create many opportunities and new heights in the coming years for Advancement of Materials to Global Excellence.

In the significant ten years of its existence, IAAM has gone on to touch great heights. Having organized as many as 31 international conferences across the globe in the last decade, IAAM has hosted more than 15000 delegates from around 100 countries. Moreover, IAAM has established two diamond open-access (DOA) journals, supported more than 25 books and 30 proceedings in this time period to make possible the diffusion of scientific knowledge among a wide range of audience. Overall, in these two journals, IAAM has released as many as 126 issues that included more than 1700 quality articles contributed by more than 5000 researchers from over 60 countries. Throughout the last decade, IAAM has made significant efforts to take forward the not-for-profit publishing practices and introduced diamond open access journals and as a result, it has a global outreach of approximately 10,000 readers per month all over the globe. Started in the year 2010 with its first journal, today, the International Association of Advanced Materials has truly emerged as the leader in not-for-profit scientific publishing.

It was in the year 2011 that International Association of Advanced Materials had organized the first ever assembly of its flagship event, the Advanced Materials Congress, AMC. The aim behind the initiative was to fill the void that the materials community was experiencing due to the lack of an interactive platform. Over the years, this trans-disciplinary conference has redefined and remodeled the methods of networking in the sphere of advanced materials. AMC secured about 6000+ well known speakers, engaged 1500+ cooperation opportunities and association conferred about 800+ awards and recognition from over 70 countries until December 2019.

As all the delegates gathered for the congress, it was no less than a celebration of the limitless efforts that the International Association of Advanced Materials has made in the past ten years to facilitate the advancement of materials to global excellence. As the organization moves ahead in this new decade, we see it as a realm filled with new possibilities and opportunities.

A decade journey of Advancing Materials: International Association of Advanced Materials has created one of the largest global networks for advanced materials community.

In this upcoming decade, IAAM pledges to utilize all the opportunities and work with the motto of ‘Advancement of Materials to a Sustainable and Green World’.  To conclude, Prof. Tiwari talked about how a congress becomes prestigious due to the participation of top delegates and their active contribution in all kind of formats. Having been attended by the best minds of the scientific community and that too from different disciplines, it is safe to say that the congress was a huge success and proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all the attendees. In the AMWC 2020, IAAM launched the new logo of association on 10th anniversary of IAAM.

Closing Ceremony of 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Prof. Tiwari added that the 32nd AMC marked the beginning of a new chapter to the glorious journey of the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM. As we begin this decade with this prestigious conference, it is our sincerest hope that our delegates in the upcoming conferences gain knowledge of various fields. Moreover, the success of a congress also depends on the combined efforts of all those who are responsible for organizing the event and also for arranging for the hospitality. We take this opportunity to express our regard for all the scientific committee members who have gathered here to share their experience, research, and results, Dr. Tiwari said. He expressed special thanks to the local host, Prof. Prasad KDV Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, for his selfless efforts to successfully organize the congress. Also, he thanked all session chairs, poster jury, Institute of Advanced Materials, VBRI AB, and the congress staffs who provided their excellent support to smoothly organize this event. In the closing ceremony, the Guest of Honour was presented to the two eminent speakers: Prof. Laima Cesoniene from Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania and Prof. Pratim K. Chattaraj from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.

Guest of Honour being presented to Prof. Laima Cesoniene, Lithuania and Prof. Pratim K. Chattaraj, India during closing ceremony of 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

In the concluding remarks, Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari further thanked to all the speakers, delegates, business professionals, and scientific committee members for their valuable time, sharing quality research and findings to make 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Australia grand successful.

Cultural and Social activities

The vibrant city of Sydney is the cultural centre of the Australia. The delegates of the conference got an invaluable social experience because of the visits that they paid to the cultural attractions as a part of the dedicated time in the conference program meant to allow delegates to go on city excursions. The cruise excursions also created a setting in which the delegates easily spent more time with their colleagues and exchanged ideas and discussed possibilities of collaboration. Discussions in the grand dining hall and tea breaks provided a unique experience to the delegates during congress on aboard.

Glimpses of the global platform of networking, discussion and social exploration of ‘Knowledge Experience at Sea’ during the 32nd assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Australia.  © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The journey in the vicinity of the beautiful city of Sydney was also very memorable and it would have definitely produced memories of lifetime for the delegates. The delegates experienced Pacific cruising, which is one of the best tourist attractions in the region due to environmental and beautiful city structures and scenes leading down to the harbour. While cruising from Sydney harbour, the delegates also got a chance to witness the lovely seashores and city surroundings. The cultural program of the cruise in the evening was excellent. The spacious dining rooms onboard along with the taste of regional Australian breakfast, lunch, and dinner were surely another great experience for the delegates.

Cultural and Social activity during the AMWC 2020, Australia. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

IMPORTANT NOTE. The delegates from China were absent due to the epidemic of coronavirus in mainland. Their abstracts were published in conference proceedings and was discussed during the respective sessions by distinguished professors, experts, chair and co-chairs of the 32nd assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress. ©International Association of Advanced Materials