Proceedings of American Advanced Materials Congress 2019, Orlando

The American Advanced Materials Congress (AAMC 2019), organized by the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) at the Conference Centre, Mariner of The Seas, Orlando, USA, during 08 – 13 December 2019, proved to be the bellwether for the flagship international conference of  International Association of Advanced Materials: The Advanced Materials Congress (AMC) held in the American continent. This Congress was the 31st assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress and was an attempt to infuse and expand the knowledge of Advanced Materials Science, Engineering and Technology among some brilliant minds in the heart of the USA, the State of Florida, city Orlando known for Kennedy Space Centre, NASA: a famous destination of space science and technology lovers and touch the pinnacle of innovations and enthusiasm for the Advancement of Materials to Global Excellence. 

The American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 welcomed all the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM members, academicians, researchers, students, industry professionals, scientists, other eminent delegates, and brought together renowned polymaths from all over the world to create a highly interactive platform for the advanced materials community. Keeping the core vision in mind, the American assembly of Advanced Materials Congress was designed and planned to form global networking for multi-disciplinary cooperation in research, innovation, and technology in order to promote translational research in the industry. Based on the theme “The multi-inter-trans-disciplinary Research, Innovation, and Technology”, the American Congress explored four featured areas of research fields listed below:

• Advanced Materials
• Quantum Science and Technology
• Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering
• Membrane Science, Engineering, and Technology

The American Advanced Materials Congress 2019, with these frontier fields, provided a learning experience that will enable all of us to achieve our individual as well as global goals. During the congress, the young researchers got a chance to get in touch with esteemed scientific elites and American showcase in the field. The representatives of prominent companies got the opportunity to take a long leap over their rivals. Moreover, the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 provided them a platform to share their research results with the experts in the fields.

Distinguished delegates from Academia and Industry from 36 countries joined the rich legacy of the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019, Orlando, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM isn’t just recognized for its values that stand out in the academia and/ or industry but is also known for organizing its congresses in an expressive and prodigious format of Knowledge Experience at SeaTM.  Welcome reception and Registration of the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 was hosted on 08 December 2019 at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Port Canaveral, Orlando. The Congress was departed on 09 December 2019 when the congress venue, conference centre, the Mariner of The Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise sailed from Port Canaveral, Orlando to the Bahamas under the gleaming sun. Riding on the wave of science, technology, and wisdom, the congress returned to the shore of Orlando on 13 December 2019. The breezier ambiance was the witness to the grand success of this assembly. In the future, this congress will surely be marked as a Red-Letter day in the world of science and will be known for the once-in-a-lifetime experience it offers to the delegates with first-rate voyaging of the Caribbean Sea.

The American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 was the recipient to about 150 abstracts from as many as 36 countries all around the world. The Congress ran with a total of 11 thematic sessions that included 30 keynotes, invited, IAAM award/ fellow lectures, a series of oral & poster presentations, welcome ceremony, and the IAAM felicitation ceremony. Just like all the past years, the Advanced Materials Congress was blessed this time as well with notable delegates who joined the congress with firm determination to dive into the world of advanced materials and explore the recent cutting-edge emergence and progresses made in the fields of materials science, engineering, and technology. As a multidisciplinary organization that focuses on highlighting and exploring all the possible dimensions of advanced materials research and innovation,  IAAM aspires and works on such active participation of all the delegates, members, and volunteers in order to accomplish and achieve all the long-term goals and high-end objectives.  

In the five days that the conference lasted for, the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 stimulated the birth of a network of extremely talented researchers with abundant knowledge through the various activities that were planned, including seminars, special events, etc. These events proved to be a great source for young researchers to get hands-on valuable experiences. By giving the scientists and researchers a tiny glimpse of what healthy collaborations could entail for the scientific world, the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 induced global cooperation among them. The congress also served as a vital platform where these delegates could discuss and come up with new ideas for the sphere of advanced materials to be used in order to develop technology for the welfare of mankind.

International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM has a vibrant and rich legacy of advanced materials researchers from all over the world. In the past decade, the association has acknowledged 700+ researchers from all over the globe for their notable contributions towards the advancements of materials to global excellence. In the 31st IAAM Felicitation ceremony, IAAM conferred upon the deserving delegates many prestigious and illustrious awards such as the American Advanced Materials Award, IAAM Medal, IAAM Scientist Medal, and IAAM Young Scientist Medal.

The conference opened on the 2nd day with the check-in and boarding on the Cruise Ship. The opening session of the congress began with welcome remarks by Prof. Thomas Walter Krause, Canada: Co-chair of American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 and Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, IAAM. The opening session was succeeded by four lectures delivered under Plenary Session I.

Session 1, Opening and Plenary Session

The opening session began with the welcome remarks and a description of the American Advanced Materials Congress by Prof. Thomas W. Krause, Canada. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, IAAM was given a brief introduction of the IAAM organization, activities and their efforts for the Advancing Materials to Global Excellence.

The opening session started with welcome remarks and an introduction of the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM delivered by Prof. Thomas W. Krause, Canada and Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

This session proceeded further with four lectures of distinguished speakers under Plenary Session I. The chairs for the session were Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Sweden and Prof.  Kohji Tashiro, Japan. 

In this plenary session, the first talk was the ‘American Advanced Materials Award Lecture 2019’ delivered by Prof. Ramesh Agarwal, Washington University in St. Louis, USA, on the topic: “Environmentally Responsible Sustainable ‘Green’ Composites”. In this talk, Prof. Agarwal explained that the use of renewable plant-based lignocellulosic fibers has been a natural choice for reinforcing (or filling) polymers to make them greener. Significant research efforts are currently being made in developing a new class of fully biodegradable or compostable green composites by combining natural fibers with biodegradable resins. Further, he also discussed some more of these developments and their current and potential applications, especially in the transportation sector.

The next talk delivered in this session was ‘IAAM Award Lecture’ given by Prof. Jordi Fraxedas, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Spain on the title: “Self-propelled motors in water: the role of interfaces”. In this presentation, Prof. Fraxedas discussed the existence of a self-generated electric field in his experiments in two systems: self-powered machines which (i) convert photoelectrochemical energy into motion and (ii) use long-range electrokinetic repulsion.

Plenary session I: Eminent plenary speakers from world-leading institutions of America and Europe in the American Advanced Materials Congress, Orlando, USA. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The subsequent lecture was an ‘IAAM Award Lecture’ delivered by Prof. Giuseppe Carbone, Politecnico di Bari, Italy, on the “Adhesion, friction, wettability, and contact mechanics of elastic and viscoelastic solids”. In this lecture, Prof. Carbone described the findings and main results obtained over more than 15 years of research in the field of tribology and specifically on contact mechanics, adhesion, friction, and hydrophobicity of randomly rough surface in contact with elastic or viscoelastic solids. The lecture treated fundamental aspects of dry and lubricated contacts, which arise as a consequence of the surface microstructure. The speaker showed that the surface morphology plays a fundamental role in determining the real behavior of the interface.

The last lecture of this session was ‘Advanced Materials Innovation Lecture’ delivered by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Institute of Advanced Materials, Sweden, on the topic: “Dynamic nanosystems and digital devices for cloud medicine”. In this talk,  Ashutosh Tiwari discussed the development of programmable healthcare nanotechnology with artificial intelligence (AI) functions enabled potential future biomedical technology for wireless medicine. The primary aim of the speaker behind this innovation talk was to discuss various strategies for cutting-edge intelligent digital nanosystems for cloud medicine.

IAAM Felicitation 

Group photo of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM awardees at 31st award assembly of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM, Orlando, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The IAAM felicitation ceremonies are aimed at recognizing as well as honoring pioneer material scientist professionals for notable contributions and outstanding achievements in the advancement of materials science, engineering, and technology at a global reach.

International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM awardees during the 31st assembly of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Felicitation Ceremony in Orlando, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

IAAM rewarded the innovative ideas of researchers, scientists, and technocrats in the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 by honoring 18 researchers from all across the world. During the 31st International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Award assembly, two American Advanced Materials Awards, five IAAM Medals, two IAAM Scientist Medals, and three IAAM Young Scientist Medals were presented by IAAM.

American Advanced Materials Award 2019

IAAM honors researchers for their important research contributions in the field of Advanced Materials Science, Engineering & Technology with the “American Advanced Materials Award”. The award recognizes long-standing involvement and far-reaching research contribution across the world during the fifteen years preceding from the year of the award. This year, The American Advanced Materials Award was conferred upon two eminent American materials scientists, Prof. Ramesh K. Agarwal from Washington University in St. Louis, USA, and Prof. Yi Lung Mo from University of Houston, on 09 December 2019 in the 31st assembly of IAAM Felicitation ceremony, Orlando, USA. 

American Advanced Materials Awards: Two eminent American materials scientists, Prof. Ramesh K. Agarwal (Sustainable Materials), Washington University in St. Louis, USA and Prof. Yi Lung Mo (Metamaterials), University of Houston, USA recipients during the 31st assembly of IAAM Felicitation ceremony, Orlando, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Prof. Ramesh K. Agarwal is currently the William Palm Professor of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He is an elected Fellow of 22 prestigious societies ASME, IEEE, AIAA, Royal Aeronautical Society, etc. for his extraordinary research contributions. He has received many prestigious honors and awards like ASME Honorary Fellowship (2017), Royal Aeronautical Society Honorary Fellowship (2016), SAE International Medal of Honor (2015), AIAA Reeds Aeronautics Award (2015), etc. Prof. Agarwal is one of the forerunners of the technologies related to ‘Green Transportation’, Computational Materials Science and Manufacturing, Geo-mechanics, and their applications to industrial problems in mechanical and aerospace engineering. During the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Prof. Agarwal delivered an American Advanced Materials Award Lecture on “Environmentally Responsible Sustainable ‘Green’ Composites”.

Prof. Yi Lung Mo is a John and Rebecca Moores Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the University of Houston (UH), USA. He is also Chair Professor at the College of Urban and Infrastructure Research, Tsinghua University, China. Prof. Mo is one of the pioneers in multi-resolution analytical simulations, network analysis, large-scale concrete structure testing, and field investigations of the response of advanced materials and structures. During the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Prof. Mo delivered an American Advanced Materials Award Lecture about “Periodic Metamaterials for Vibration Isolation of Engineering Structures”. 

Day – 3: Tuesday, 10 December 2019, Cococay, Bahamas

Day 3 began with Plenary Session II at the port of Cococay Bahamas. 

This session was chaired by Prof. Ramesh Agarwal, USA and Prof.  Christophe Donnet, France and consisted of three lectures. The first lecture of this session was ‘American Advanced Materials Award Lecture 2019’ delivered by Prof. Yi Lung Mo, University of Houston, USA, on the topic: “Periodic Metamaterials for Vibration Isolation of Engineering Structures”. In this presentation, Prof. Mo presented an attempt to overcome the disadvantages existing in current vibration isolation systems by developing innovative periodic metamaterial-based vibration isolators. Both the analytical and experimental studies have been performed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed periodic metamaterial-based vibration isolators.

Plenary session II: Eminent plenary speakers from leading organizations of America and Canada in the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Cococay, Bahamas. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

A subsequent lecture was ‘IAAM Fellow Lecture’ delivered by Prof. Venkataraman Thangadurai, University of Calgary, Canada, on the title: “Materials for Next Generation High Energy and Power Density All-Solid-State Li Batteries”. In this talk, Prof. Thangadurai demonstrated the advanced ceramic electrolytes, based on Li-stuffed garnet-type oxides, for advanced solid-state Li batteries together with designing aspects of useful solid electrolytes and electrodes.

The last lecture of this session was an ‘IAAM Award Lecture’ delivered by Prof. Thomas Walter Krause, Royal Military College of Canada, Canada, on the “Towards a Physics-Based Model of Magnetic Barkhausen Noise in Steel”. In this talk, the speaker said that iron-based alloys, used to form steel products, are pervasive in our society, with critical applications arising in electrical steels, oil and gas pipelines, naval structures, aircraft landing gear, and automotive components. The presentation identified the potential of magnetic sensing technologies for advanced monitoring of steel structure conditions.                                                                        

Session 3 marked the discussion on Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology. This session was chaired by distinguished professors Venkataraman Thangadurai (Canada), Drahomir Novak (Czech Republic) and Daolun Chen (Canada). It consisted of five lectures covering three invited and two oral lectures.

Distinguished invited speakers from Academia and Industry marked the discussion on Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology from leading organizations of Europe and Asia in the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Cococay, Bahamas. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media 

The first lecture of this session was an Invited talk delivered by Dr. Debraj Chandra, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, on the “Advanced nanoarchitectures as efficient catalysts towards the production of value-added chemicals and fuel”. In this presentation, Dr. Chandra explained that heterogeneous catalysts based on nanomaterials of metals and their compounds are essential for the production of indispensable chemical resources, including fuels, polymers, and so on. The work performed by the speaker had offered opportunities for the development of high-performance catalytic systems for the synthesis of value-added chemicals and solar fuels to make their production a commercial reality.

The next lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Chengying Tang, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, China, on the title: “Size-dependent melting, thermodynamics and nano-phase diagram of Ag, Bi, In, Sn and Ag-Au, Ag-Cu nanoparticles”. In this talk, Prof. Tang discussed the nonlinear size-dependent melting, the correlated thermodynamic properties of Ag, Bi, In, Sn nanoparticles and presented the results of investigation of the nano-phase diagram Ag-Cu and Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles via experimental measurements and thermodynamic modeling. The speaker explained that his work establishes a methodology for determining the thermodynamic properties and nanophase diagram as a function of size for different nano-alloy systems.

The next lecture was an oral talk delivered by Sebastian Micus, German Institute for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf, Germany, on the “Nonwovens with and without superabsorber surface help firefighters as additional active-cooling to prevent heat-related deaths”. In this lecture, the speaker talked about intensive research conducted on cooling materials to protect workers under extreme environmental conditions. The speaker investigated on the liquid-bearing layer and air-carrying layer. He discussed that warmer water showed a better cooling effect than colder water. He added that this was also explained by the lower amount of energy required for the transition to the gas phase.

The last lecture of this session was an oral talk delivered by Ying Huo, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France, on the “Role of polymer coil conformation for exfoliation and stabilization of pristine graphene in water media”. In this talk, the speaker emphasized that the experimental results also show that graphene concentration is variable with polymer concentration. Here, she provided a better understanding of the stabilization mechanisms of the graphene solution by polymer intermediates. Furthermore, she said that her work establishes theoretical support and a principle in the choice of the material for 2D materials-polymer composite application.

Day – 4: Wednesday, 11 December 2019, Nassau, Bahamas

Plenary session III: Eminent plenary speakers from world-leading institutions of Canada and Europe in the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Nassau, Bahamas. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

By the beginning of Day 4, the conference had reached Nassau, Bahamas. This day started with Plenary Session III, which was session 4 of the 31st assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress. This session was chaired by Prof. Yi Lung Mo and Prof. Ramesh Agarwal, USA. It consisted of two IAAM award lectures and one IAAM medal lecture. The first lecture of this session was the IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Daolun Chen, Ryerson University, Canada, on the “Fatigue and deformation behavior of lightweight magnesium alloys”. In this lecture, Prof. Chen explained that light-weighting was one of the most effective strategies to reduce fuel consumption and anthropogenic CO2 emissions since a 10% weight reduction bring about a 6~8% fuel efficiency gain. In this presentation, several examples of the cyclic deformation behavior of extruded magnesium alloys with and without rare earth elements were presented. Moreover, twinning, twin growth, and twin-twin interactions during uniaxial compression in the extrusion direction and de-twinning in the transverse direction were discussed.

The next lecture was ‘IAAM Medal Lecture’ delivered by Prof. Yadong Lyu, Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, on the “Application potentials of the perforated panel resonator with flexible tube bundles”. In this talk, the speaker discussed the evolvements as well as the application of the perforated panel resonator with flexible tube bundles (PPR-FTB). The PPR-FTB and its derivative sound absorption structures provide potential application prospects for noise reduction in aero-engine nacelle, diesel or steam engine inlet and exhaust ducts, manned space station, etc. 

The last lecture of this session was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Gabor Ribarik, Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary, on the “FFT-based modeling of 3D dislocation structures”. In this talk, the speaker explained that the model-based profiles were evaluated using the conventional methods of line profile analysis and there was a good correlation between the input parameters of the microstructure and the parameters provided by these methods. The speaker also made an attempt to correlate the model calculated profiles to the experimental profiles.

Session 5 marked the discussion on Structural, Engineering, Electronic, Magnetic & Optical Materials. This session was chaired by Prof.  Giuseppe Carbone (Italy) and Prof.  Elisabeth Eppard (Chile). It consisted of five lectures covering one IAAM medal lecture, two invited lectures, and two oral lectures. The session started with the IAAM Medal Lecture, which was delivered by Prof. Keyu Xia, Nanjing University, China, on the “Optical Nonreciprocity and Isolation”. In this presentation, the speaker explained that optical isolation is the fundamental element for stabilizing lasers, optical communications, and quantum information processing but typically requires a magnetic field to break the time-reversal symmetry and subsequently to induce optical nonreciprocity. The speaker, in his talk, presented four magnetic-free schemes for realizing optical nonreciprocity and isolation. All these schemes can achieve a high isolation contrast and low insertion loss without using a magnetic field.

Speakers and Delegates from world-leading organizations of 36 countries during the discussion on Structural, Engineering, Electronic, Magnetic and Optical Materials in the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Nassau, Bahamas. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media 

The next lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Engineer Matthieu Blaise, CEA Tech Metz, France, on the “Characteristics of a new copper paste for printed electronics”. In this lecture, the speaker described the mechanisms of activation and the paste structure post sintering in order to understand the rules for further industrialization. This kind of approach and paste make a good candidate for the functionalization by additive manufacturing and printed intelligent objects (IoT) such as pressure sensors, RFID tags, and potentially printed circuits.

A subsequent IAAM Medal talk was presented by Prof. Qiaoshi Zeng from High-Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, China on the topic “Pressure-induced phase transitions in high-entropy alloys”. In this talk, the speaker emphasized pressure as a fundamental and powerful parameter to study HEAs. These recent findings bring new insight into the stability of HEAs and open a new avenue towards deepening our understanding of HEAs and developing new HEAs. Prof. Zeng presented this talk on behalf of Fei Zhang.

The next lecture of this session was an Oral talk delivered by Janett Schmelzer, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany, on the “Additive manufacturing of alloys for high-temperature application”. In this talk, the speaker discussed increasing the efficiency of thermodynamic processes, e.g. in gas turbine engines, nowadays, high-temperature materials are required to withstand temperatures beyond the potential of conventional nickel-based superalloys or heat resistant steels. For the purpose of comparison with other Mo-Si-B alloys and the classification of the competitiveness, the first results from the mechanical tests were also presented, which included the hardness at room temperature and the creep resistance at possible application temperatures.

The last lecture of this session was an Oral talk delivered by Prof. Manja Krüger, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany, on the “Oxidation barrier coatings for multi-phase Mo-based alloys for ultra-high temperature applications”. In this talk, the speaker focused on multi-phase Mo-base alloys and temperature effects. In the presentation, he explained that he validated the protective effect of selected coating systems by cyclic oxidation tests. He also discussed some remaining questions.

Day – 5: Thursday, 12 December 2019

Plenary session IV: Eminent plenary speakers from world-leading organizations of America and Asia during the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, Caribbean Sea, USA. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The 5th day of the American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 started with the Plenary Session IV under session 6. The session was chaired by Prof. Tomasz Gancarz, Poland and Prof. Chengying Tang, China. The session was included three IAAM Award Lectures.

The first lecture of this session was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Dr. Richard Sudduth, Materials Research & Processing, LLC, USA, on the “An Evaluation of Three Different Types of Carbon in Both Nylon 6,6 and Lexan using a New Percolation Threshold Model for Electrical Conducting Polymer Composites”. In this talk, the speaker explained that the new percolation threshold model introduced five new calculated quantities on the S-shaped curve including the calculated volume fraction of the percolation threshold while fitting the data extremely well over the whole concentration range available. A better understanding of the characteristics of these new calculated constants was addressed by comparing three different types of carbon composites evaluated in both Nylon 6,6 and Lexan.

Another lecture was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Kohji Tashiro, Toyota Technological Institute, Japan, on the “Structure and Phase Transitions of Biodegradable Polyesters”.  In this talk, the speaker analyzed most of the crystal modifications of PLA and PHB by the X-ray structure analysis. Prof. Tashiro revealed the transition mechanism from the crystal structure level as well as from the higher-order structure level. The characteristic behavior of these polymers was also discussed totally.

The last lecture of this session was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Dr. Mohamed Frahat Foda from Prof. Heyou Han group, Huazhong Agricultural University, China on “The Preparation of Biomimetic Natural-Inspired Nanomaterials and its Applications”. Prof. Han’s research group focused on how to perform a one-step and reagents-free ion-sputtering system on a cicada wing generating a 3D biomimetic SERS substrate with hierarchical nanogaps. This pioneering substrate exposed practicable as an actual SERS platform for virus sensing and detection.

Session 7 marked the discussion on Next Generation Advanced Materials Research Innovation & Technology. This session was chaired by three distinguished professors Siwen Bi (China), Pablo Martin (Chile) and Keyu Xia (China). This session consisted of five lectures covering three IAAM Award Lectures, one oral talk, and one IAAM Young Scientist Medal Lecture.

Session 7 started with the IAAM award lecture, which was delivered by Dr. Elisabeth Eppard, Positronpharma SA, Chile, on the “Labelling of DOTA-conjugated HPMA-based polymers with trivalent metallic radionuclides for molecular imaging”. In his lecture, Prof. Eppard talked about the development and utilization of this nanomaterial theranostics and their improvement and enhancement by the introduction of a bifunctional chelator like DOTA. It allows the radiolabelling of the particle with a broad pool of radionuclides and enables the application of the imaging techniques of nuclear medicine.

International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Award Lectures by distinguished speakers from world-leading organizations, both Academia and Industry of three major continents – America, Europe and Asia in the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The next lecture was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Tao Liang, Zhejiang University, China, on the “Controlled growth and electrical devices of two-dimensional graphene and MoS2“. In this presentation, the speaker also presented photodetectors and solar cells with MoS2 layers as vital components, verifying the great application potential of 2D semiconductors in optoelectronic devices.

Subsequently, there was an IAAM Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Jian Xie, North China Electric Power University, China, on the “Dropwise condensation and droplet dynamics on functional surfaces with micro/nanostructures”. In this talk, the speaker explained that homogeneous surface with superhydrophobic nanostructures behaves lotus effect to promote droplet detachment. Further, he said that the heterogeneous surfaces should be the next generation of functional surface for condensation in the future.

The next lecture was an Oral talk delivered by Prof. Tomasz Gancarz, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, on the “The possibility of application of liquid metals: A study of the thermophysical properties of alloys based on eutectic Ga-Sn-Zn”. In this talk, the speaker discussed that non-toxic liquid metal alloys are a newly emerging field in the world of materials science. These newly designed materials have a low melting point and an exciting and broad range of applications resulting from their liquid state. The growth of the intermetallic Ni-Ga phase layer was studied at the liquid/Ni substrate interface, and the kinetics of the formation and growth of this layer were determined.

The last lecture of this session was the IAAM Young Scientist Medal lecture delivered by Dr. Muhammad Tayyab Noman, Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic, on the “Development of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 for photocatalytic applications”. In this presentation, the speaker explained the results and the significance of ultrasonic irradiations on the synthesis and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 NPs.

Session 8 marked the discussion on Thin Films, Advanced Materials, Surface & Interfaces. This session consisted of two IAAM Medal Lectures, one Invited Lecture, and one oral talk and was chaired by Prof. Jordi Fraxedas, Spain and Prof. Tomaszz Gancarz, Poland. 

This session started with one of the IAAM Medal Lectures, which was delivered by Prof. Jingan Li, Zhengzhou University, China, on the topic: “Surface Modification of Lumen Implant Materials”. In this talk, the speaker explained that lumen implantation devices, such as vascular stents and oesophageal stents, play an irreplaceable role in improving the lumen rate and the quality of disease treatment. The presentation was focused on the authors’ recent research on the surface modification of the lumen implant materials.

The subsequent talk was the second IAAM Medal lecture delivered by Prof. Quanling Yang, Wuhan University of Technology, China, on flexible cellulose-based dielectric films. In this talk, the speaker talked about the high energy density aspects.  The next lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Hajime Mori, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan, on the topic: “Protein microcrystals for sustained slow release of cytokines”. In this talk, the speaker explained that Insect viruses which belong to two families (Baculoviridaeand Reoviridae) encode a protein (polyhedrin) that forms protein microcrystals called polyhedra. The speaker elucidated the mechanism of slow release of cytokines from the protein microcrystals and concluded that matrix metalloproteinases are related to the release of the cargo protein from microcrystals. The speaker informed the audience that he had recently succeeded in the construction of multi-layered protein microcrystals. He explained that two or more cytokines can be encapsulated dividing into layers (outer layer for quickly released, and inner layer for secondary released). Such a microcrystal was thought to be used for the control of complex cell differentiation.

The last lecture of this session was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Morad Benjabrou, University Mohammed V, Morocco, on the topic: “Evaluation of the vulnerability of existing structures under the coupling of the earthquake and tsunami effects by combining Pushover and time history analysis with simplified modelling of tsunami forces”. In this lecture, the speaker described that he first combined the pushover method for the seismic case, then a simplified modelling of the tsunamic forces based on experimental tests for reliable temporal analysis. The construction of the fragility curves and the determination of the vulnerability criteria were developed according to Risk-UE.

Distinguished speakers from Academia and Industry at various sessions of the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Session 9 was focused on the topics related to Quantum Science and Technology and was chaired by Dr. Jules Simo, UK. This session consisted of four lectures covering two IAAM Scientist Medal Lectures and two Invited Lectures.                         

The first lecture of this session was the IAAM Scientist Medal Lecture, which was delivered on the topic “Quantum effects on Lagrangian points in the earth-moon system” by Dr. Jules Simo, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom. In this talk, the speaker investigated a restricted three-body problem involving Earth, Moon, and a solar sail. By taking into account the one-loop quantum corrections to the Newtonian potential, displaced periodic orbits of the solar sail at libration points were again found to exist.

The next lecture was an IAAM Scientist Medal Lecture delivered by Prof. Chao Zheng, North China University of Technology, China, on the title: “Efficient quantum simulation of the Yang-Baxter equation system”. In this presentation, the speaker talked about an important equation in Physics called the Yang-Baxter equation (YBE), which has a variety of physical meanings. It was desirable to investigate the quantum simulation of the YBE itself, exploring the quantum evolutions and entanglements in quantum information processing. Prof. Zheng said that since it was an equation, the unity of two-hand-side the YBE should be kept as a whole. In this work, the speaker established an efficient method to simulate the YBE quantum system using duality quantum algorithm, simulating, and verifying the whole YBE. It opens up a way to further study quantum entanglements in the YBE systems.

The next lecture was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Siwen Bi, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, on the topic: “Quantum Remote Sensing Science and Technology”. In this talk, the speaker explained that QRS imaging technology can significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and space resolution of QRS imaging information transmission. Finally, the speaker summarized the researches over the past nineteen years and also presented plans for the future.

The last lecture of this session was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Pablo Martin, University of Antofagasta, Chile, on the topic: “Eigenvalues of the anharmonic potentials x4+(lambda)x6 by high accuracy analytic functions”. The speaker explained that he completed the right number of equations, three of which were obtained by numerical computation of E (λ) in three different values of λ (λ= 1, 2 and 8). Other possibilities were also investigated, and an ample discussion of the new techniques also took place.

Session 10 was focused on Next-Generation Advanced Materials Research, Innovation, and Technology. In this session, all the related aspects were discussed in detail by expert speakers under the chairship of three professors, Richard Sudduth (USA), Jingan Li (China) and Gabor Ribarik (Hungary).

Session 10 consisted of eight lectures covering two  IAAM Young Scientist Medal lectures, two invited lectures, and four oral talks. It started with the IAAM Young Scientist Medal Lecture on the topic: “WO3-TiO2 multilayer thin films for combined volatile organic compounds abatement, self-cleaning ability, and energy efficiency” by Corrado Garlisi, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, UAE. This study marked an important step for the development of increasingly efficient multifunctional coatings since it provides evidence on how the performance of such materials can be tuned not only by the combination of different semiconductor oxides but also through a careful selection of the layer number and dopants.

The next lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Christophe Donnet, University Jean Monnet, France, on the title: “Graphene and doped-graphene synthesis by Pulse Laser Deposition: a review”. In this presentation, the speaker explained that electroanalytical results were correlated with the composition and nanoarchitecture of the N-doped graphene film identified as a few-layer defected and textured graphene film containing a balanced mixture of graphitic-N and pyrrolic-N chemical functions. The presented talk helped the researchers gain an overview of the interest of PLD for graphene and doped-graphene synthesis.

Distinguished speakers and delegates during session 10 of the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, USA. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Another lecture was an Invited talk delivered by Prof. Marilena Vlachou, University of Athens, Greece, on the topic: “Electrospun nanofibers and modified drug release”. In this talk, the speaker emphasized on nanofibers as an excellent choice for wound healing as their highly porous nature can help cellular respiration and create the ideal surrounding to aid in wound healing. There are many electrospun nanofiber applications, such as sutures, wound dressings, dermal/epidermal regeneration patches, and nanofibers scaffolds combined with skin cells and stem cells.

Next was an IAAM Young Scientist Medal Lecture delivered by Dr. Sayed Mansour Ahmed, Conservator-Grand Egyptian Museum-Ministry of Antiquities, Egypt, on the topic: “Performance of TiO2 based nano-coatings for protecting of ancient Egypt limestone monuments”. In this talk, the speaker discussed results which showed that TiO2 nanoparticles are good candidates for coating applications on historic stone surfaces, where self-cleaning photo-induced effects are well evident; they enhanced the durability of stone surfaces toward UV aging, improved resistance to relative humidity (RH)/temperature and abrasion effect, reduced accumulation of dirt on stone surfaces when left in open air for 6 months, and did not alter the original features.

The subsequent lecture was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Seksak Asavavisithchai, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, on the title: “Manufacture of functional open-cell Al foams with recycled Al scraps using NaCl ball space holder”. In this lecture, the speaker explained that pores were uniformly distributed along with Al matrix and interconnected with surrounding pores. The microstructure of matrix also composed of small porosities along grain boundary, as a result of incomplete sintering of recycled scrap. This resulted in poorer mechanical properties.

Another lecture was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Drahomir Novak, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic, on the topic: “Fiber-reinforced cementitious composite: Sensitivity analysis and parameters identification”. In this presentation, the speaker explained that the proposed methodology and software were based on experimental and computational methods falling within the field of fracture mechanics, soft computing, and reliability theory.

The next lecture was an oral talk delivered by Paul Hofmann, German Institute for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf, Germany, on the title: “Multilayer-Woven Piezoelectric Sensors for Continuous Component Monitoring of Fiber Reinforced Plastics”. In this talk, the speaker presented research work which showed that piezoelectric sensors can be realized on a purely woven fabric basis and integrated into an FRP. In accordance with the objective, non-textile components, such as commercially available electronic components, were avoided and only textile components were used.

The last lecture of this session was an oral talk delivered by Prof. Damian Onwudiwe, North-West University, South Africa, on the topic: “The photocatalytic removal of organic dyes from water using stannate based nanocatalyst”. In this talk, the speaker explained that glucose was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent; and calcination of the precursors at different temperatures in the air was carried out for 1-2 h. The optical and structural properties of the nanomaterials were studied. The nanocomposite exhibited high photocatalytic properties on all selected organic dyes.

Session 11 was the Poster Pitch Talk and was chaired by Prof. Hajime Mori, Japan and Prof. Marilena Vlachou, Greece. This session witnessed poster presentations related to Advanced Materials, Quantum Science & Technology, Drug Delivery & Tissue Engineering, Membrane Science, Engineering, and Technology research fields. Some of the interesting poster pitch talks were related to the characterization of hierarchical porous silica’s, functional properties of complex petroleum lithium grease and characterization of the wild flora, etc.

Closing Ceremony and Award Announcement

The American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 came to an end with concluding remarks delivered by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General of the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM. In these remarks, Dr. Ashutosh Tiwari expressed his regards for all the speakers, delegates, scientific committee professionals, and all the business executives for gracing the congress with their presence with their valuable research insights and results as part of their lectures and presentations. He conveyed that everyone’s expectations were fulfilled in terms of networking and knowledge. The ‘Guest of Honours’ of American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 was presented to two distinguished speakers: 1) Prof. Drahomir Novak, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic and 2) Prof. Manja Krueger, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Germany by Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari, to acknowledge their contribution to advancing material to global excellence.

During the closing ceremony, the Best Oral Presentation Award was presented to two female PhD students: 1) Ying Huo, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France, for her presentation on “graphene in water media” and 2) Janett Schmelzer, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany for her work on “alloys for high-temperature application”.

The closing ceremony of American Advanced Materials Congress 2019: Guest of Honour being presented to the two eminent speakers from the Czech Republic and Germany. The Best Oral Presentation Awards to two PhD students from Germany and France by Prof Ashutosh Tiwari, Secretary-General, International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM, during the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Dr. Tiwari updated the audience about the aim and goals of the International Association of Advanced Materials and its efforts to facilitate the advancement of materials to global excellence like offering membership, awards, releasing publications, scholarships, and organizing events. He also presented many insights on how the organization is working to create the world’s largest network of advanced materials researchers. The Advanced Materials Congress assemblies will be expending the activities in the four major continents of the world, i.e., America, Europe, Asia and Australia. This could expedite super active global cooperation in the sphere of advanced materials to its new heights of translational research and innovations in the coming years. Professor Ashutosh Tiwari expressed gratitude to all the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM members and staff for their dedication and hard work to perpetuate the philosophy of the International Association of Advanced Materials. In the end, Prof. Tiwari cordially invited all the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM members and Advanced Materials community to celebrate a decade’s journey of the association in 2020.

Delegates speak: Expressions and views of distinguished speakers during the closing ceremony of 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

In the ceremony, about 15 eminent International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM members, awardees and delegates from 10+ countries were deeply discussed and shared their experiences about the association and its activities. All opinions were properly recorded and in order to implement for the expansion of IAAM community. Prof. Thomas Walter Krause, Co-chair of American Advanced Materials Congress 2019, said that the conference was exceptional and excellent in all aspects. He recommended the conference for young researchers as a means to get excellent exposure and for the senior researchers to meet their peers and generate ideas and collaborations. Advanced Materials Congresses are the popular and well-recognized venue for global networking at a large. Prof. Venkataraman Thangadurai, Canada, said that the congress was truly interdisciplinary and stimulated the expanded knowledge among delegates.

Prof. Christophe Donnet, France said that the concept developed by IAAM is original and it helps people to work together. Prof. Ramesh Agarwal, USA told that the youth is an important part of scientific society and IAAM’s contribution forms a showcase for the materials community. He said that IAAM’s American congress was of a high quality due to the participation of experts. Prof. Jordi Fraxedas, Spain told that the organization provides an important platform to discuss about collaborations for the betterment of society. Prof. Drahomir Novak, Czech Republic expressed views about the concept of ‘Knowledge Experience at Sea’ and called it quite stable.  Prof. Damian C. Onwudiwe, South Africa conveyed kudos to the IAAM team and explained the benefit of memberships with IAAM.  Prof. Richard Sudduth, USA said that the conference was enjoyable and useful for research. Matthieu Blaise, France found good and interesting solutions for his research work related to the green industry. Finally, as a young researcher, Ying Huo from Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France, while expressing her views, said that she met a lot of experts in Advanced Materials from all over the world and had a pretty much advanced her knowledge during the congress. Many other delegates expressed the same kind of feedback for the congress. Further, Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari went on to say that the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress was successful only because of the active participation of the brilliant scientists and researchers belonging to different disciplines from all over the world.

Dr. Ashutosh Tiwari acknowledged the cooperation of RCC and the diligence of the IAAM staff that made it possible to successfully organize the 31st assembly of the Advanced Materials Congress on board. Dr. Ashutosh Tiwari also thanked the International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media, Sweden, for their efforts and help for making this congress very well documented in the record of the association.

Team Building Activities of Delegates

The American Advanced Materials Congress 2019 was enriched with extensive team building and full of networking opportunities taking advantage of social exploration in the Caribbean region covering Orlando, Cococay and Nassau. Nassau, the capital city of Bahamas, is one of the major cultural centres in and around the country. An island located in the Caribbean Sea, Nassau is a lovely stretch of powdery sand that is surrounded by lovely sea waves and cold breeze. Besides the stimulating intellectual and academic experience, the delegates of the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress also got an invaluable cultural experience as the cruise passed through hundreds of beautiful islands across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with the starting point being Orlando, USA. While cruising, the delegates also had the chance to see a lot of fishing villages, coral reeves, and healthy aquatic vegetation.

Team building activities of delegates during the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress. ©International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

Cruising between USA and the Caribbean region helped the delegates to explore the area extensively. With beautiful places like the Bahamas, this region attracts a huge number of tourists and has a lot to offer to whoever visits this place. With a high number of islands present in clusters, each of which has a different character to offer, some of the world’s best waters for boating and sailing, and extraordinary cruise ports having mega-resorts, shops, restaurants, and several entertainment complexes, the island country has a lot to offer and provides an all-round experience to the delegates.

As part of the schedule of the congress, the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress reached the Cococay and had lunch at this RCC private island. It was a lifelong memory for delegates to further carry in the next day at Nassau Port on the 4th day and provided the delegates a dedicated time period for team building activities through social and cultural activities.

Glimpses of the global platform of networking, discussion and social exploration of world-leading advanced materials researchers from 36 countries well evident the results of ‘Knowledge Experience at Sea’ during the 31st assembly of Advanced Materials Congress, USA. © International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Media

The delegates were given the option to explore the culturally rich and extremely vibrant island cities near the United States of America and experience the culture and tradition there. Moreover, they also had the option to stay back on the ship and enjoy the interactive and fun activities scheduled for them. These activities were designed to promote the spirit of team-building and collaboration. Overall, the cruise facilities provided a great experience and a comfortable environment for fooding, lodging, and interactive discussions related to advanced materials.

Amidst all the interactive and learning sessions consisting of informative talks and presentations, this time period, specially dedicated to social and cultural interaction gave the delegates a chance to gain knowledge about the architecture of the Caribbean region, and interact with people. All of this, coupled with the extensive academic insights, provided the delegates and everyone onboard an all-round and once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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