MRS Symposium KK: "Structure-Property Relationships in Biomineralized and Biomimetic Composites". Call for Abstracts

Deadline for Abstract submission: November 3. See www.mrs.org/spring2009.  A symposium entitled "Structure-Property Relationships in Biomineralized and Biomimetic Composites " will be organized at the MRS-spring meeting in San Francisco next year (April 13-17, 2009).

There is a growing need for the development of new structural materials with high strength and durability, light weight, low cost, and complete recyclability. Nature has evolved efficient strategies, exemplified in the mineralized tissues of numerous species, to synthesize low-weight structural materials that exhibit exceptional strength and durability. In these biomineralized systems, minerals and proteins exist in close proximity and at nanoscale dimensions. Interactions at these interfaces are vital to the functions of structural materials in nature, such as mollusk shells, teeth, and bone. Although the organic constituents of these biological composite materials are often present in relatively small quantities, they not only control the nucleation and growth of mineral, but also significantly alter the mechanical behavior of the bulk structures. While the existence of the organic phase tends to dissipate significant quantities of energy during loading, the close proximity of the mineral phase also tends to significantly increase the mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus and hardness of the organics, and make them appreciably more resistant to abrasion and wear.

This symposium will explore the structure-mechanical property relationships in biomineralized and biomimetic composites. The study and mimickry of biomineralized systems plays a key role in developing new materials and structures. Pragmatic outcomes of this research in the areas of biomedical, automotive, aerospace, and structural engineering will be presented.

Topics will include (but not be limited to):
• Modeling and simulation of mechanical properties in biomineralized and mimetic systems
• Structure-function properties of biomineralized tissues
• Experimental design, synthesis and properties of biomimetic composites
• Biomaterials for tissue engineering
• Investigation of biomineralized tissue ultrastructure (inorganic and organic)
• Quantifying the ultrastructural response of the organic and inorganic phases in biological composites to mechanical stresses, using high resolution in-situ synchrotron and spectroscopic techniques
• Visualizing the 2D and 3D deformation and fracture mechanisms in hierarchically structured biological and biomimetic materials at the nano- and microscale, using electron microscopy, micro-tomography and other methods

Joint sessions with Symposia LL: Architectured Multifunctional Materials, and MM: Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Hierarchical Soft and Hybrid Materials, are being considered.

Invited speakers include:
Joanna Aizenberg (Harvard Univ.), Ilhan Aksay (Princeton Univ.), Steve Badylak (McGowan Inst. of Regenerative Medicine-Pittsburgh), Asa Barber (Queen Mary College, Univ. of London, United Kingdom), William Barvosa-Carter (HRL Laboratories, LLC), Melinda Duer (Univ. of Cambridge, United Kingdom), Steve Eichhorn (Univ. of Manchester, United Kingdom), Steve Eppell (Case Western Reserve Univ.), John Evans (New York Univ.), Peter Fratzl (Max-Planck-Inst.- Potsdam, Germany), Pupa Gilbert (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison), Philip Jones (IMERYS), George Mayer (Univ. of Washington), Phillip Messersmith (Northwestern Univ.), John Z. Pietrzyk (Biomimetic Connections, LLC), Nico Sommerdijk (Eindhoven Univ. of Technology, The Netherlands), Yoshiro Takano (Tokyo Medical and Dental Univ. Grad. School, Japan), Herb Waite (Univ. of California-Santa Barbara), Julin Wan (GE Global Research), Steve Weiner (Weizmann Inst. of Science, Israel), and Paul Zaslansky (Max-Planck-Inst., Germany).

Symposium Organizers

David Kisailus
University of California-Riverside
Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
david@engr.ucr.edu

Lara Estroff
Cornell University
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
lae37@cornell.edu

William Landis
Northeastern Ohio Universities
College of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology Dept./Orthopaedic Surgery
wjl@neoucom.edu

Pablo Zavattieri
GM Research & Development Center
pablo.zavattieri@gm.com

Himadri S. Gupta
Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Biomaterials Dept.,
himadri.gupta@mpikg.mpg.de

Please click here for a PDF of the 2009 MRS Spring Meeting Symposium KK Call for Papers.

Abstract Web site:  http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=14465&DID=212112