Track Categories

The track category is the heading under which your abstract will be reviewed and later published in the conference printed matters if accepted. During the submission process, you will be asked to select one track category for your abstract.

Track 1 : Manufacturing System and Simulation

The Advanced Materials Industry encompasses a full cycle form materials extraction, primary production, processes development and material characterization to product fabrication and testing. The development of advanced materials is associated with the generation of recent knowledge and intellectual  property, a combination of the association with advanced materials. The Advanced materials directorate has in the past financial year developed a baseline study on the sector in south Africa. The study entailed understanding the capabilities, opportunities, global trends, gaps and challenges of the industry, with a specific emphasis on titanium, Nano-materials, advanced composites and Nanotechnology and industrial applications in aerospace, auto motives, construction, and electronics, medical, packaging and renewable energy.

Track 2 : Recent Concepts in Materials Science

Nanostructures deal with objects and structures that are in the 1—100 nm range.  In many materials, atoms or molecules cluster together to form objects at the nanoscale. This leads to interesting electromagnetic, optical and mechanical properties. The term 'nanostructure' is often used when referring to magnetic technology. Microstructure is defined as the structure of a prepared surface or thin foil of material as revealed by a microscope above 25× magnification. It deals with objects from 100 nm to a few cm. Most of the traditional materials (such as metals and ceramics) are micro structured. Macrostructure is the appearance of a material in the scale millimetres to meters—it is the structure of the material as seen with the naked eye. Atomic structure deals with the atoms of the materials and how they are arranged to give structure of molecules, crystalline solidsetc., The length scales involved are in angstroms (0.1 nm). The way in which the atoms and molecules are bonded and arranged is fundamental to studying the properties and behaviour of any material. Crystallography is the science that examines the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is very much useful for materials scientists. Polymers display varying degrees of crystallinity and many are completely non-crystalline. Glass, some ceramics, and many natural materials are amorphous, not possessing any long-range order in their atomic nuclei.

Track 3 : Electronics and Photonics Materials

Semiconductors are the vital component of electronic and photonics research which plays an important role in recent life has its usage in devices and circuits. Even though they are not active conductors like metals, they have high motilities at both room and higher temperature by which electric current can travel faster. The current development in the photonic and electronic research that includes areas such as oxide semiconductors, plasmonics, spintronics, 3D integration, multiferroics is due to the advancement in Nanoscale fabrication. Semiconductor is used to fabricate chips for computers, mobiles, electronic device, iPods and GPS. Because of its remarkable optical properties they are also used to make lasers and LEDs, used to fabricate solar cells as it absorbs light and produce current. Silicon is one of the most significant semiconductors. The exploration of organic and hybrid semiconductors are underway.

Track 4 : Materials Manufacturing and Processing

Materials processing & Manufacturing is defined as the series of steps or “unit operations” used in the manufacture of raw-materials into finished goods.  The operations involve a succession of industrial processes with various mechanical or chemical procedures. Chemical engineering methods are applied in order to modify the cellular structure or molecular properties of materials on a microscopic level.  Thermal processes involving heat transfer  the addition or reduction of heat are used to alter a range of materials, especially metals.  Mechanical operations employ the use of specialized equipment in the transformation of solid matter.  While many characterization techniques have been practiced for centuries, such as basic optical microscopy, new techniques and methodologies are constantly emerging. In particular the advent of the electron microscope and Secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Track 5 : Ceramics, Polymers and Composite Materials

Important utilities of Materials Science and Engineering include the structures of ceramics and glass generally related to the foremost brittle materials. Bonding in ceramics and glasses utilizes ionic-covalent and valency variations with SiO2 (silica or sand) as an elementary building block. Ceramics are as soft as clay or as onerous as stone and concrete. Ceramics presently are an important aspect of domestic, industrial and building products, also as a broad ingredient of ceramic art. In the 20th century, novel ceramic materials were developed that are presently being used in innovative ceramic engineering namely in semiconductor manufacturing.

Track 6 : Computational Materials Science

Computational Materials Science is comparatively a novel, rapidly emerging area of research that takes along elements from materials science, mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science. Computational Materials Science improves the interaction between computational work and experimental materials research on existing and advancing materials and their applications. The computational modelling of Materials involves the synthesis, processing, characterization of structures and devices to numerical methodology. Few of the computational techniques includes molecular dynamics, electronic structure calculations, phasefield, photonics using spectral methods for enhancing materials discovery. The computer vision can systematise and speed up the examination of microscope images and disclose structure-property relationships. 

Track 7 : Materials Synthesis, Processing & Characterization

Metal synthesis and processing involve theoretical modeling studies and experimental research on all aspects of the synthesis and processing of materials. It includes Additive Processing, Casting, Forming and Machining, Ceramic Components, Chemical Synthesis, Combustion Synthesis, Evolution of Material Properties, Explosive Shock Synthesis, Joining Technologies, Nanophase Materials, Plasma Synthesis, Structural Ceramics and Composites, Superconducting Oxides and surface engineering.
Certain principles are there to synthesize a novel material : to develop an understanding of different materials systems, to know the origins of physical, chemical, and functional properties of different materials, to study basic principles of synthesis and characterization of materials, to understand the origins of functional responses of materials and also the role of materials in science, industry, and technology. Often a pure substance needs to be isolated from a mixture or after chemical reactions (which often give mixtures of chemical substances). From ores, extraction can be done by means of oxidation catalysis and reduction whereas in laboratory by techniques like Hydraulic Washing, Magnetic Separation, Froth Floatation Method, Leaching and so on.
 
A ceramic is a non-metallic material composed of inorganic molecules, generally prepared by heating a powder or slurry and glassy materials are hard, brittle, and not crystalline which results in optical transparency. Solid state chemistry, also sometimes referred to as materials chemistry is the study of the synthesis, structure, and properties of solid phase materials, particularly, but not exclusively of, non-molecular solids. Thus it has a strong overlap with solid-state physics, mineralogy, crystallography, ceramics, metallurgy, thermodynamics, materials science and electronics with a focus on the synthesis of novel materials and their characterization. Mixtures of metallic materials are called alloys, are more commonly used than the pure metal. By alloying, some of the key properties of metals can be altered. Composite materials are mixtures of two or more bonded materials. The design and synthesis of these materials with different approaches can be done here.
 

Track 8 : Optoelectronic and Magnetic Materials

Optoelectronics is the science that deals with the study and application of electronic devices that interact with light. It includes research techniques such as optical devices, light-emitting devices, optoelectronic chemical materials and display devices. Materials with unique and precise optical, electronic and magnetic properties have extensive applications in lighting, sensors, computer and medicine. The optoelectronic and magnetic materials have involved attention in recent days due to their widespread potential applications in industries.

Track 9 : Electronic, Optical & Magnetic Materials

Materials have many unique inherent properties particularly electrical, optical, magnetic property etc. Novel electronic and photonic nanomaterials promise vivid breakthroughs in computing devices, communications, and solid-state lighting. The present analysis comprises bulk crystal growth, skinny film, organic semiconductors, and nanostructural growth, and soft lithography. Proper analysis of materials together allows us to synthesize superior quality materials by coalescing two or materials and producing a fabric superior to their parent materials. The unconventional optical materials are used in microscopy, imaging, spectral analysis, optical laser physics, optical wires, X-rays and telecommunications etc. Magnetic materials are used in superconductors, audio recording systems, information recording, generators, motors, transformers, compasses etc. Multiferrous materials are a special form of magnetic materials that show multiple characteristics like a magnetic force, Ferro elasticity, and Ferroelectricity.

Track 10 : Surface Science and Engineering

Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid–gas interfaces. It includes the fields of surface chemistry and surface physics. Some related practical applications are classed as surface engineering. The science encompasses concepts such as heterogeneous catalysis, semiconductor device fabrication, fuel cells, self-assembled monolayers, and adhesives. Surface science is closely related to interface and colloid science. Interfacial chemistry and physics are common subjects for both. The methods are different. In addition, interface and colloid science studies macroscopic phenomena that occur in heterogeneous systems due to peculiarities of interfaces.

Track 11 : Smart Materials and Technologies

Smart materials are one of the most significant examining headings within the advancement of advanced new materials. Their properties will answer to reversible changes in their condition by an outer condition. Smart materials help in evacuating the limits among auxiliary and useful materials, which may bring about a huge upset in materials science improvement. It is a half and half materials that area unit made out of disparate stages which fundamentally change if any outer improvements are applied, for example, temperature, stress, magnetic or electric fields. Smart Materials are unit blends of in any event two unique materials, which permit the building of wished properties. Proper modeling, simulation, and management facilitate in coordinated framework structure of smart materials

Track 12 : 3D- Printing

Materials chemistry involves the synthesis and study of materials that have interesting and potentially useful electronic, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. Material chemistry is one of the most talked topics in the last few years. They are the new branch of materials science which takes advantage of new developments in chemistry. In fact, chemistry may provide a complete new board of materials for materials scientists and engineers to use. Chemistry began, and largely continues today, to be inextricably associated with preparing, processing, and utilizing materials. Much of the focus of materials chemistry in discovering and developing materials that may be exploited for desired applications. Today, many materials chemists are synthesizing functional device materials, and the discipline is often seen as directed towards producing materials with function—electrical, optical, or magnetic. Material chemistry is involved in the designing and processing of materials. Global market for catalysts is expected to reach $28.5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR (2015 to 2020) of over 3%. Asia-Pacific is having the largest market for catalysts accounting for more than 35% share. Major players for Catalysts are Albemarle, Arkema, BASF, Chevron, Clariant, Dupont, Zeolyst International and others.

Track 13 : Materials in Aerospace, Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Engineers in Aerospace industry develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems and space exploration. Speeding up of evolution of new materials, innovations in machining and cutting technology give manufacturers unique access to materials which was previously assumed as impractical or too hard to machine. The maintenance of new material is happening rapidly in aerospace, requiring DFM-minded interaction between material component design and characteristics.
In order to finalize the material for application or for an engineering product, it is significant to understand materials mechanical properties. Those properties affect the ability of a material and mechanical strength to be moulded in specific shape. Few typical mechanical properties of a material include Strength, Hardness, Hardenability, Toughness, Brittleness, Malleability, Creep and Slip, Ductility, Resilience and Fatigue.
Building materials manufacturing is a stabilized industry in most of the countries across the globe and the utilization of these materials is typically separated into particular specialty trades, like plumbing, carpentry, insulation work and roofing.
 

Track 14 : Advances in Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology

Advance Nano scale science and technology have occupied centre stage globally in modern scientific research and discourses in the early twenty first century. The enabling nature of the technology makes it important in modern electronics, computing, materials, healthcare, energy and the environment. Nanotechnology is one of the leading scientific fields today since it combines knowledge from the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Informatics, and Engineering. It is an emerging technological field with great potential to lead in great breakthroughs that can be applied in real life. Novel Nano and biomaterials and Nano devices are fabricated and controlled by nanotechnology tools and techniques.

Track 15 : Materials for Energy application & Energy storage

As advanced energy systems with enhanced conversion efficiencies, improved storage capacities, and better reliabilities are being developed to meet the global energy needs of the world’s growing population, these aspects have emerged key factors that affect the performance of energy materials. It is anticipated that this symposium will provide an outstanding opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and promote discussions on recent advances in the field of energy storage – materials and devices, their electrochemistry as well as mechanics in various applications. We also have extensive research around next-generation battery technology. Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator. Energy comes in multiple forms including radiation, chemical, gravitational potential, electrical potential, electricity, elevated temperature, latent heat and kinetic. Energy other form of Bioenergy storage involves converting energy from forms that are difficult to store to more conveniently or economically storable forms. Bulk energy storage is dominated by pumped hydro, which accounts for 99% of global energy storage.

Track 16 : Materials Chemistry and Physics

Materials Chemistry along with Physics manage with the structure, properties, process and performance of materials. Applied physics is destined for a particular technological or practical use of materials. Materials characterization is a wide physically and general process by which a material's structure and properties are probed and measured. Materials characterization usually done by the major techniques like Microscopy, spectroscopy, macroscopic testing. The range of the structures recognized in materials ranging from angstroms, As within the imaging of individual atoms and chemical bonds, up to centimeters, i.e., the imaging of coarse grain structures in metals.
It Shows the structural materials that will operate at extreme range of temperature, stress, strain, pressure, radiation flux, and chemical reactivity which defines the principal that the limiting factor of the performance of many energy systems. The design space of modern structural materials is huge—much too complicated to explore by trial and error. Predictive modelling is required to guide experiments within the most efficient directions, to accelerate style and testing, and to grasp performance.
 

Track 17 : Surface Science and Engineering

Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid–gas interfaces. It includes the fields of surface chemistry and surface physics. Some related practical applications are classed as surface engineering. The science encompasses concepts such as heterogeneous catalysis, semiconductor device fabrication, fuel cells, self-assembled monolayers, and adhesives. Surface science is closely related to interface and colloid science. Interfacial chemistry and physics are common subjects for both. The methods are different. In addition, interface and colloid science studies macroscopic phenomena that occur in heterogeneous systems due to peculiarities of interfaces.

Track 18 : Biomaterials

Biomaterials are a non-viable material made of multiple components used to interact with biological systems. It is used frequently in medical applications to enhance, replace, regenerate or repair any body part or function. These materials can be natural or synthetic, alive or lifeless, solid or liquid but are unable to develop or grow. Few of the biomaterials are Metals, glass, polymers, ceramics, materials derived from animals. Artificial knee is made up of silicon and titanium. Intraocular lens are produced from acrylic and silicone. Sterlized bovine bone is used in orthopaedic surgery as a natural biomaterial. A biomaterial is said to be best when it is biocompatible and work synergistically with the biological host. Currently biomaterials are used in medical practice as Medical implants, regenerated human tissues, Molecular probes, biosensors, drug delivery systems. The future of biomaterials research is involved in the development of Immunomodulating biomaterials, Injectable biomaterials, Supramolecular biomaterials.

Track 19 : Renewable and Alternative Energy

Renewable energy is produced from natural processes that are endlessly replenished. Those energies are sunlight, geothermal heat, wind, tides, water, and various forms of biomass. Renewable energy is the clean form of energy, non-polluting, cost effective and efficient that can be reliable for long term. Alternative energy is used as an energy source that is an alternate to fossil fuels that produce low environmental effect. The best examples of alternative energy sources are Hydrogen, Tidal, Biomass, Biofuels, Wind energy, Geothermal energy, Natural Gas, Hydroelectric, Nuclear energy, solar energy, hybrid systems, fuel cells, Batteries, Solar regulators, Investors, Solar panels and green power.

Track 20 : Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Biomaterials are those materials which are usually made of multiple components that interact with biological system. Biomaterials are normally used in medical application like drug delivery, therapeutics, and diagnostics to replace a natural function. The most commonly used biomaterials are polymers. All biomaterials meet certain criteria and regulatory requirements before they can be qualified for use in medical applications. Biomaterial Science has a broad scope that covers the fundamental science of biomaterials through to their biomedical applications. 
Tissue engineering is an emerging field which involves biology, medicine, and engineering that is likely to revolutionize the ways we improve the health and quality of life for millions of people worldwide by restoring, maintaining, or enhancing tissue and organ function. In other words, tissue engineering is the development of artificial tissue and organ systems. The term regenerative medicine is often used synonymously with tissue engineering, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells to produce tissues. 
 

Track 21 : Bioelectronics

The application of electrical engineering principles to biology and medicine is termed as Bioelectronics. It helps in creating novel advanced devices or processes for the inhibition, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health. Interesting applications of Bioelectronics are artificial limbs, humanoids, Pacemakers, Blood Glucose Meter, Biosensors. The next revolutionary development is to produce hybrid materials that interface with natural or synthetic cellular structures with nanoscale electronics to improve human health, impact energy, and to sustain the environment. Bioelectronic research discovers the usage of conductive polymers, quantum dots, photonic dyes, organic semiconductors, carbon nanotubes, graphene, gold nanoparticles, and microfluidic materials for applications in bioimaging, wearable electronics, biosensing and implantable electronics (sensors and electrodes).

 

Track 22 : Material Science Applications

 
Material Science is that the branch of science deals with the structure, properties, performance, characterization and method of materials that related to construction or manufacture like metals, polymers, ceramics and composites etc. Through the help of the material science we'll apprehend the history of the material like physical and chemical properties, so thus a reason material science and engineering options a pleasant scope significantly in rhetorical engineering, Nano technology, bio materials, metallurgy, failure analysis, investigation materials.
 

Track 23 : Role of Graphene in Advanced Materials

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted much attention in the past decade. They have high specific surface area and also electronic engineering and properties that differ from their bulk counterparts due to the low dimensionality. Graphene is the best known and the most studied 2D material, but metal oxides and hydroxides (including clays), dichalcogenides, boron nitride (BN), and other materials that are one or several atoms thick are receiving increasing attention. They exhibit a combination of properties that cannot be provided by other materials. Many two-dimensional materials are synthesized by selective extraction process which is critically important when the bonds between the building blocks of the material are too strong (e.g., in carbides) to be broken mechanically in order to form Nano structures. These have a thickness of a few nanometres or less. Electrons are free to move in the two-dimensional plane, but their restricted motion in the third direction is governed by quantum mechanics. Magnetic topological insulator comprised of two-dimensional (2-D) materials has a potential of providing many interests  and applications by manipulating the surfaces states like yielding quantum anomalous Hall effect giving rise to dissipation-less chiral edge current, giving axion electromagnetism and others. The chemistry of electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties varies in a peculiar style and these materials are applied widely in case of ambipolar electronics, transistors and so on.

Track 24 : Metals, Metallurgy, Materials and Mining

Material science plays a important role in metallurgy too. Powder metallurgy is a term covering a wide range of ways in which materials or components are made from metal powders. They can avoid, or greatly reduce, the need to use metal removal processes and can reduce the costs. Pyro metallurgy includes thermal treatment of minerals and metallurgical ores and concentrates to bring about physical and chemical transformations in the materials to enable recovery of valuable metals. A complete knowledge of metallurgy can help us to extract the metal in a more feasible way and can used to a wider range. Global Metallurgy market will develop at a modest 5.4% CAGR from 2014 to 2020.
The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth is called as Mining, where as Metallurgy is the field of Materials Science that deals with physical and chemical nature of the metallic & intermetallic compounds and alloys. Different techniques and technologies used in the extraction and production of various metals are extraction of metals from ores, purification, casting, plating, spraying, etc. in the series of processes, the metals are subjected to thermogenic and cryogenic conditions to analyze the corrosion, strength & toughness and to make sure that the metal is creep resistant. In 2015, Global Ore mining industry performance has been weak due to falling iron ore prices and stagnating demand from emerging markets. However, industry performance is expected to improve over the five years to 2020, with revenue expected to rise.
 

Track 25 : Manufacturing System and Simulation

The Advanced Materials Industry encompasses a full cycle form materials extraction, primary production, processes development and material characterization to product fabrication and testing. The development of advanced materials is associated with the generation of recent knowledge and intellectual  property, a combination of the association with advanced materials. The Advanced materials directorate has in the past financial year developed a baseline study on the sector in south Africa. The study entailed understanding the capabilities, opportunities, global trends, gaps and challenges of the industry, with a specific emphasis on titanium, Nano-materials, advanced composites and Nanotechnology and industrial applications in aerospace, auto motives, construction, and electronics, medical, packaging and renewable energy.

Track 26 : Advanced Polymer Synthesis, Processing and Applications

Polymeric materials  play a very important role in human life. In fact, our body is made of lot of polymers, e.g. Proteins, enzymes, etc. Other naturally occurring polymers like wood, rubber, leather and silk are serving the humankind for many centuries now. Modern scientific tools revolutionized the processing of polymers thus available synthetic polymers like useful plastics, rubbers and fiber materials.As with other engineering materials (metals and ceramics), the properties of polymers are related their constituent structural elements and their arrangement. Most of the polymers are basically organic compounds, however they can be inorganic. polymer application engineers and scientists possess the specialist industry knowledge which can bring you the insight you need to solve problems, progress product development, ensure compliance and achieve a successful market launch for these industries, Automotive Engineering, Packaging, Medical.