16:00

Welcome address
Rodrigo MARTINS
E-MRS President

16:15

Functional Materials by Self-assembly. Properties and Applications

Luisa DE COLA
Physikalisches Institut, and CeNTech, University of Münster, Heisenberstrasse 11, D-48149 Muenster, Germany  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The creation of molecular assemblies: crystalline or amorphous, rigid or soft is a very fascinating field at the cross point of different disciplines. Our effort, in this talk, focuses on the use of luminescent metal complexes for the formation of soft [1-3] and hard crystalline luminescent systems [4,5]. Tuning the design of metal complexes based mainly on iridium and platinum metal ions we are able to control the degree of intermolecular interactions leading to the formation of fibers and gels, or crystalline materials. In particular the possibility to promote aggregation and the new emission properties rising from the formation of the assemblies, such as enhancement of the emission or color change, will be discussed in two examples. The dynamic behaviour of the systems can be exploited to design soft materials which can be employed for molecular imaging. Interestingly some of the systems can self assembly in water but also in living systems. We will discuss the first example of dynamic assemblies of organometallic systems in living cells [6].
The luminescence can also be switched on upon self-assembly and the formation of fibers can be followed by time resolved spectroscopy. Furthermore the highly luminescent aggregates have been employed to build up electroluminescent devices.
Finally the assembling processes can be used to close and open the pores of nanocontainers and the possibility to release the molecules entrapped inside will be shown with an example [7].

[1] C. A. Strassert, C.-H. Chien, M. D. Galvez Lopez, D. Kourkoulos, D. Hertel, K. Meerholz, L. De Cola Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2011, 50, 946.
[2] M. Mydlak, M. Mauro, F. Polo, M. Felicetti, J. Leonhardt, G. Diener, L. De Cola, C.A. Strassert Chem. Mat. 2011, 23, 3659.
[3] M. Mauro, G. De Paoli, M. Otter, D. Donghi, G. D'Alfonso, L. De Cola Dalton Trans. 2011, 40, 12106.
[4] M. Mauro, K. C. Schuermann, R. Prétôt, A. Hafner, P. Mercandelli, A. Sironi, L. De Cola Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 49, 1222.
[5] E. Quartapelle Procopio, M. Mauro, M. Panigati, D. Donghi, P. Mercandelli, A. Sironi, G. D´Alfonso, L. De Cola J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2010, 132, 14397.
[6] S. Kehr, M. Mauro, J. El Gindi, L. De Cola to be submitted [7] M. Otter, J. El Gindi, L. De Cola submitted.

16:55

Organic Electronics at the Interface with Life Sciences

George MALLIARAS
Department of Bioelectronics, Centre Microélectronique de Provence, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint Etienne, France

The emergence of organic electronics has brought to the forefront materials and devices that are ideally suited to interface electronics with biology: The “soft” nature of organics offers better mechanical compatibility with tissue than traditional electronic materials, while their natural compatibility with mechanically flexible substrates suits the curvilinear form of organs. More importantly, the ability of these materials to conduct both electronic and ionic charges opens up a new communication channel with biology. Examples will be presented of the application of organic electronics in neuroscience, tissue engineering, and medical diagnostics, while the implications for the design of materials and devices will be highlighted.

Nanoscale manipulation of light: physical insights and technological opportunities

Naomi. J. HALAS
Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; http://halas.rice.edu/

Metallic nanoparticles, used since antiquity to impart intense and vibrant color into materials, have more recently become a central tool in the nanoscale manipulation of light. This interest has led to a virtual explosion of new types of metal-based nanoparticles and nanostructures of various shapes and compositions, and has given rise to new strategies to harvest, control, and manipulate light based on these structures and their properties. As one begins to assemble metallic nanoparticles into useful building blocks, a striking parallel between the plasmons of these structures and wave functions of simple quantum systems is universally observed. Clusters of metallic nanoparticles, structurally analogous with simple, diatomic or complex, aromatic organic molecules- behave like coupled oscillators or antennas of various types, introducing effects characteristic of systems as diverse as radio frequency transmitters and coupled pendulums into light-driven nanoscale structures. These paradigms give rise to new ways to manipulate light, and from these new capabilities, new applications emerge that can benefit society, from biomedicine to solar energy-harvesting strategies.

EU-40 Award Ceremony

Patchy Particles: from Characterization to Applications

Francesco STELLACCI
Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

A bird eye view of any folded protein shows a complex surface composed of hydrophobic and hydrophilic patches that coexist at a molecular length-scale. To date little is known on the fundamental properties that such coexistance determines. In this talk, I will present my group’s activities into the synthesis, characterization, and understanding of mixed monolayer protected nanoparticles that present a surface coexistence of patches of opposite hydrophilicity at a similar length-scale. I will show that these materials are ideal model compound to uncover the basic properties that such coexistence determines at the solid liquid interface, and will conclude with example of application of these nanoparticles when used as mimic of biological entities (e.g. as cell penetrating peptides, as nano-enzymes, etc.).

Engineering Organs and Other Small Challenges

Molly M. STEVENS
Imperial College London, UK

A disagreeable side effect of longer life-spans is the failure of one part of the body – the knees, for example – before the body as a whole is ready to surrender. The search for replacement body parts has fueled the highly interdisciplinary field of tissue engineering and
regenerative medicine.
This talk will describe our research using new biomaterials-based approaches in tissue regeneration for regeneration of large volumes of complex biological tissues. Another example of bio-inspired engineering that I will talk about is our group's current research efforts in exploiting specific biomolecular recognition and self-assembly mechanisms to create new dynamic nano-materials, biosensors and drug delivery systems. In particular our recently developed peptide-functionalised nanoparticles for enzyme biosensing enable extremely sensitive facile enzyme detection and have a host of applications across diseases ranging from cancer to global health applications.