Functional materials/surfaces, bioabsorbable materials, and natural minerals
Formulation, separation, processing, characterization, and application
Jeff Brookins
Jeffrey Brookins has been awarded with the McArthur Research Internship at our department. His research will focus on the development of in vitro biocorrosion methods for zinc-based biomaterials for endovascular stents. Congratulations to Jeff and we wish him productive academic year!
Patrick Bowen
Patrick Bowen has defended his PhD research proposal entitled Physiological Corrosion Rate and Mechanism for Magnesium Stent Materials on Friday. Surface Innovations Team congratulates Patrick!
Martin Bocks
Prof. Martin Bocks of University of Michigan is our new collaborator in the bioabsorbable stent project. As a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Prof. Bocks’ clinical expertise is in pediatric interventional cardiac catheterization. He has specific expertise in the interventional therapies of pulmonary artery and coarctation stenting in infants and children. In addition, his research interests lie within the field of device development to treat various congenital heart disease conditions. Prof. Bocks will assist our interdisciplinary MSE-Biomed team with the review and analysis of data on biocompatibility testing and ensure that the material development process progresses down a path that will meet the needs of pediatric patients. Additionally, to assist in the early zinc stent prototype development, Prof. Bocks has agreed to help support the project by covering the costs of prototype stent manufacturing.
Military Institute of Engineering
Professor Sergio N. Monteiro from the Military Institute of Engineering invited Prof. Drelich this summer to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Prof. Drelich spent entire August in Brazil reviewing and discussing research programs under the leadership of Prof. Monteiro and his collaborators. As the result of this visit, both of them already collaborate on nucleation and growth of synthetic diamonds using the high-pressure-high-temperature technology. The Surface Innovations team will also assist researchers from Brazil in characterization of natural fibers and natural fiber-polymer composites. This collaboration is expected to broaden next year to other materials and metallurgical programs, with possible involvement of other faculty from the MSE department.
Teaching in Gdansk
Prof. Drelich visited Gdansk University of Technology in Poland this summer and instructed the summer graduate course entitled “Contact Angles: Measurements, Interpretation and Modern Applications”. Fourteen PhD students from chemistry, materials, and electrical engineering programs attended this five-day course. In this course, Prof. Drelich reviewed the physics behind wetting phenomena on solid surfaces and discussed new developments and modern applications of contact angle and wetting phenomena concepts – with emphasize on superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces and coatings.
We welcome Ms. Sara Schellbach and Mr. Jeffrey Brookins who have joined the SURFI team as undergraduate researchers. Sara will explore new research area on characterization of natural fibers and their application in polymeric composites. This new collaborative research with Military Institute of Engineering in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) has been initiated by Dr. Drelich during his recent trip to Brazil. Jeff, on the other hand, is exploring in vitro corrosion of zinc and zinc alloys. He has started contributing to SURFI project on bioabsorbable zinc-based stents since the last summer.
These two talented undergraduate students will work with us during the 2014/2015 academic year.
Surface Innovations Team welcomes Ms. Dilek Arslan and Mr. Onur Guver from Turkey. Mr. Guver is already with us through entire summer and works on fundamentals of flotation of rough and irregular particles. He will leave our team next month. Ms. Arslan has joined us this month and will stay here for entire academic year. She works on surface chemistry of colemanite through atomic force microscopy study and computer simulation in collaboration with Professor Odegard from MEEM department. We are very happy to have both of them in our program on mineral processing.
Jan Seitz
Surface Innovations Team welcomes a new member Dr. Jan Seitz. Dr. Seitz has strong expertise in formulation and testing of bioabsorbable implant materials and comes from the Leibniz Universität Hannover in Germany. He developed process chains for resorbable Mg-implant applications such as stents, intramedullary nails, and sutures. This work included basic processes such as casting, hot-extrusion, heat treatment, drawing and coating procedures, as well as many analytical processes. We are very happy and fortunate to have him in our program on bioabsorbable stents.
Zinc Stent
Seeking an alternative to magnesium-based stents, researchers at Michigan Technological University (Houghton) are conducting studies on a stent design made from zinc. This material, the scientists say, offers better degradation rates than magnesium and can be processed in such a way as to increase its mechanical properties. In the following conversation, Jaroslaw Drelich, professor in the department of materials science engineering, and Patrick Bowen, PhD candidate in materials science and engineering, share their insights into zinc as a potential candidate for next-generation absorbable stents.
MPMN: Please go into zinc’s properties and why it is suitable for absorbable stent applications? What is its absorption rate and how does it affect the body as it absorbs?
Drelich: We don’t yet have data on the behavior of zinc in the human body. Thus far, we have performed only in vitro and in vivo studies, the latter of which was limited to small-animal models. While we have some indication of zinc’s effects on the human body, we cannot yet say for certain.
Read the full interview at Qmed, by Bob Michaels.
PI Michael Morley (IIE), Co-PI Jaroslaw Drelich (MSE) and Co-PI Jeremy Goldman (Bio Med) have received a $100,000 grant from the University of Michigan for a one-year project, “Commercialization of a Novel Bioabsorbable Stent.”
From Tech Today.
