Engineering Conferences International (ECI) will be hosting a conference on fibrous protein nanocomposites from October 7 to 12, 2012. It is a multidisciplinary conference that turns the spotlight on the design, characterization and development of bio-nano hybrid materials that have applications in both nanomedicine and electronics.
The location for the conference is the island of Crete in Greece. Accommodation for conference participants has been arranged at the Daios Cove Resort.
Fibrous nanocomposites such as carbon nanotubes, polymer electrospun mats and protein-based nanotubes have garnered attention because of their potential industrial applications when integrated with nanoscale devices. Though carbon nanotubes hold enormous promise, they are characterized by high production costs and requirement for extreme conditions in production. Protein nanofibers can be effective replacements for carbon nanotubes owing to their relatively lower costs and mild assembly conditions. Electrospun nanofibers are hybrid materials that can complement protein nanofibers by virtue of their characteristics that enable flexible designs and ease of manufacturing. Nanomedicine and nanoelectronics will necessitate the future integration of synthesis of both protein-based nanofibers and electrospun nanofibers. The key themes of the conference will thus be discrimination of biosensing, engineered proteins and nanowire electrodes.
The conference will be chaired by Prof. Perena Gouma, Director of the Center for Nanomaterials and Sensor Development at Stony Brook, USA. The co-chairs are Prof. Anna Mitraki of the Department of Materials Science and Technology at University of Crete and Dr. Shuguang Zhang of the Laboratory for Molecular Design at MIT, USA. The presentations are scheduled to take place in the mornings, late afternoons and evenings with the afternoons slotted for informal discussions.