Prof. Dr. SABU THOMAS PhD, FRSC, FEurASc,DSc(UL,France), DSc(UBS,France) Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam, Director, School of Energy Materials, Founder Director ,International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Former Director, Professor, School of Chemical Sciences Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
Biodegradable polymer scaffolds are useful materials to integrate the femoral part of the implant with the bone, and provide a matrix for cellular growth. Synthetic biodegradable polymers can provide temporary scaffold for cell adhesion and expansion both in vitro and in vivo and guide tissue regeneration with defined sizes and shapes. The fibrillar structure is important for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiated function in tissue engineering. The structure allows for growth and is convenient for transport of nutrients. The synthetic polymers such as Polycaprolactone (PCL), Poly l-lactic acid (PLLA), and their copolymers have attracted wide attention for their biodegradation in the human body and are used for tissue engineering. Several methods have been practiced to create highly porous scaffolds including fiber bonding, solvent casting/ salt leaching, gas foaming, phase separation and electrospinning. Out of which electrospinning is the simple and cost-effective technique for producing nanofibers from polymer solution. Introduction of organically modified clay in polymers leads to different types of structures which include intercalated or exfoliated morphology. The nano reinforcement increases the mechanical rigidity, mobility, stiffness and biodegradability in biodegradable polymers. Moreover, it also increases the porosity of the polymer nanocomposite. Nanoparticle reinforced scaffolds are yet to achieve importance. In fact they have a wide range of interests in tissue engineering. Literature reports regarding nanoparticle reinforced scaffolds are very scant. Hence the present investigation will be interesting and will find application in tissue engineering in the foreseeable future. In the present talk the state of the art on the synthesis, morphology, structure, properties and applications of dual porous nanocomposite scaffolds will be presented.
Dr. Sumana Ghosh has completed B.E. from IIEST, Shibpur and M.Tech. from IIT, Kharagpur. She has got Ph.D. degree from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Currently, she is the Principal Scientist of CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), a premier research organization in India. She is working in the field of coating, joining and microwave processing of materials. She has published 45 papers in reputed journals. She has published 60 papers in national and international conference proceedings/ book of abstracts. She has 5 Indian patents and 9 book chapters. She is a reviewer of some SCI journals
Statement of the Problem: Ceramics possess high-temperature strength, high hardness, superior wear resistance, chemical stability, lower thermal and electrical conductivity. Glass-ceramics are prepared by controlled nucleation and crystallization of a glass precursor. The properties of glass-ceramics depend on its composition and microstructure, which are influenced by the processing technique. It has been already established that the microwave energy can be used for the processing of various materials on account of its unique microstructure and properties, improved product yield, energy savings, reduction in manufacturing cost and synthesis of new materials. The purpose of the present study was to form improved glass-ceramic coatings on metallic and ceramic substrates by using microwave processing technique.