International Union of Materials Research Societies
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European Policy and Materials Innovations Featured at 2007 E-MRS Spring and Fall Meetings www.emrs-strasbourg.com In 2007, the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) held its Spring Meeting in Strasbourg on May 28–June 1 and its Fall Meeting in Warsaw on September 17–21. The Spring Meeting, chaired by I.W. Boyd (University College London), J.K.N. Lindner (University of Augsburg), H.-U. Habermeier (Max Planck Institute), and J. Perriere (University Paris VII), attracted 2100 participants from 61 countries and provided a program of 19 symposia, a plenary session, poster sessions, a 50-company industrial exhibition, and other technical and social events. The technical symposia covered materials innovations in the areas of photonics, nanostructures, photovoltaics, electronic materials, transparent electronics, nanoscale self-assembly, carbon nanotubes/ nanowires, sensors, laser processing, coatings, molecular magnets, and the science and technology of art conservation and restoration. The Plenary Session consisted of presentations addressing specific materials topics and European scientific policy and initiatives. Geoffrey A. Ozin (University of Toronto, Canada) presented a talk on photonic paper. Ozin and his colleagues are working on “P-Ink,” which they hope will be “one material offering infinite colors.” P-Ink is unlike conventional liquid crystal displays, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs, and plasma display technologies as it is based on diffraction, enabling it to be viewed in full sunlight. Polymer gel chemistry is used to create a nanocomposite thin film of photonic crystallites in a partially crosslinked polymer. Silica microspheres from 100 nm to 1000 nm diameter are dispersed in a regular array in a poly(ferrocenylsilanes) (PFS) polymer which is capable of dimensional changes controlled by the redox potential. Thus it is active, tunable, and reversible. By placing the system between electrodes and applying a voltage bias, the gel swells or contracts, which changes the interplane spacing of the silica microspheres. This results in a color-tunable device. Ozin reported that P-Ink is stable in air, does not degrade in humid conditions, and can be applied to rigid or flexible substrates, making photonic paper possible. The image remains when power is switched off, saving energy. P-Ink’s ability to produce wavelengths from the blue end of the spectrum, which requires very small microspheres, through red to the near IR 556
The Meeting Chairs for the 2007 European Materials Research Society Spring Meeting in Strasbourg were (left to right): H.-U. Habermeier (Max Planck Institute), J. Perriere (University Paris VII), I.W. Boyd (University College London), and J.K.N. Lindner (University of Augsburg).
The E-MRS and MRS Society officers met to discuss areas of mutual interest. Shown (left to right) are Paul Siffert, General Secretary, E-MRS; Anulf Jäger-Waldau, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, European Commission; Cynthia Volkert, 2007 MRS President-Elect; Peter Green, MRS Past President;
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