Call for Papers

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

The symposium solicits recent developments in molecular engineering of interfacial regions in (bio)organic-inorganic, ceramic, and multi-component polymer systems, local morphology characterization, and property evaluation using experiment, simulation, and approaches based on artificial intelligence. Tailoring the interphases may include grafting to/from, layer-by-layer assembly, physical vapor deposition, and self-assembly. Advances are specifically invited in electron microscopy (STEM, EELS, and electron tomography), scanning probe microscopy (AFM, AFM-IR, peak force, K-AFM, SThm-AFM, C-AFM), fluorescence microscopy, spectroscopy, and nano X-ray tomography to visualize and assess morphology-property relationships at multiple length scales. In parallel, new developments in data analysis, autonomous optimization, and multiscale simulation (quantum-mechanical, atomistic, coarse-grained) are solicited for better understanding of molecular interactions, chemical reaction kinetics, growth of different phases (nodules, amorphous, crystalline, interdigitated) and property predictions. Properties may include, for example, glass transition temperatures, melting, modulus, toughness, conductivity (electrical/thermal), plasmonic, and luminescence. Joint experimental-computational contributions that advance the area of high strength fiber-reinforced composites, intelligent bioinspired materials, biomedical materials, multifunctional composites and batteries are encouraged. Advances in in-situ experiments based on scanning probe microscopy and electron microscopy to understand nanoscale confinement, intrinsic toughening mechanisms, and locally probe damage at the nanoscale are solicited. Advances in the synthesis, modelling, characterization, and design principles of bio-nano interfaces are welcome, including components of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to optimize mechanical, thermal, electronic, photonic, and sensor properties.

Topics will include:

• Self-assembly and directed assembly of polymers, biopolymers, and colloids at ceramic and mineral interfaces (including graphitic, CNT, and BNNT based composites)
• Nanoscale confinement of polymers near interfaces
• Interfacial chemistry and reactions of materials to generate high strength
• In-situ nanoscale mechanics and atomic-scale interfacial mechanisms
• Atomistic, coarse-grain, multiscale, and AI models of interphases and composites
• Interphase properties in biomimetic and bio-inspired composites
• Advances in experiment, simulation, and artificial intelligence related to processing and property prediction

Invited Speakers:

• Zhiqun Lin (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
• Sanat Kumar (Columbia University, USA)
• Yaroslava Yingling (North Carolina State University, USA)
• Ruth Pachter (Air Force Research Laboratory, USA)
• Reinhold Dauskardt (Stanford University, USA)
• Pulickel Ajayan (Rice University, USA)
• Yury Gogotsi (Drexel University, USA)
• Nicholas Kotov (University of Michigan, USA)
• Arthi Jayaraman (University of Delaware, USA)
• Michael Bockstaller (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
• Sanket Deshmukh (Virginia Tech, USA)
• Meenakshi Dutt (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA)
• Satish Kumar (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
• Evangelos Manias (The Pennsylvania State University, USA)
• Phillip Messersmith (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• Younjin Min (The University of Akron, USA)
• Gregory Odegard (Michigan Technological University, USA)
• Christine Peter (Universität Konstanz, Germany)
• George Schatz (Northwestern University, USA)
• John M. Torkelson (Northwestern University, USA)
• Vladimir Tsukruk (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
• Richard Vaia (Air Force Research Laboratory, USA)
• Silvia Vignolini (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
• Boris Yacobson (Rice University, USA)

Symposium Organizers