Functional Materials, Surfaces & Devices

As the world accelerates into a technologically advanced future, functional materials, surfaces, and devices stand at the helm of this change. This symposium serves as a melting pot for ideas, innovations, and challenges in this domain. From exploring the potential of nano and microstructured materials across sectors like energy and transportation to diving deep into the intricacies of shape memory alloys and multiferroic materials, we promise an all-encompassing experience. Join us as we embark on this journey, unearthing the next big breakthrough in functional materials.

Energy intensive industries are transforming their production processes to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Future low-carbon technologies and processes will include more extreme conditions, such as high temperatures or corrosive environments. The materials and components used in these technologies must be able to withstand exposure to these conditions, be processable into industrial components and maintain performance over long durations. This symposium will address recent advances in the field of novel high performance and high temperature materials and components including new material design concepts, novel bulk materials or coatings(metallic and ceramic), and technologies for their development, with the final aim of manufacturing components for industrial applications. Topics of interest include but are not restricted to

• Advanced alloy development (also including modelling approaches) for applications under extreme conditions, e.g. high temperatures, corrosive environments, high wear and/or mechanical loads.
• Economic and life cycle considerations for novel materials and technologies, including modelling of materials degradation and lifetime estimation.
• Manufacturing technologies to increase sustainability in materials and components in terms of energy efficiency and resource consumption reduction e.g. coatings, powder metallurgy, ablation, LMD, HVOF.

Materials for heat and cold storage are becoming more important every day. Most of our heat is still generated using fossil fuels contributing significantly to our CO2 emissions. In addition to that, electrification of our heating and cooling infrastructure is putting enormous stress on the electricity grids in the form of net congestion. Heat and cold storage can be utilized to solve both challenges as it can store (renewable) energy in the form of heat and cold when the supply of energy is high and release it in the form of heat or cold when the demand is high.

The symposium will be dedicated to the progress in the field of thermochemical and sorptive energy storage, upgrade, and reallocation, with emphasis made on materials at the various scale levels. The 3 different scale levels are identified as: fundamental/molecular level, material/composite level, and device level, each level being subjected to its own challenges and demands. The crucial task of the symposium is to bring together chemists, physicists, thermal engineers and other professionals to comprehensively outline achievements and challenges in thermochemical storage of heat and closely-related fields.

Key topics:

• New materials for thermochemical energy storage
• Ad- and absorbents for heat storage and transformation
• Composite sorbents for thermal applications
• Chemical and sorption heat pumps
• Advanced sorption heating and cooling systems
• Scaling from materials to devices
• Economic and environmental aspects of thermochemical materials

The symposium welcomes the dedicated professionals to present their works in oral and poster formats.

Laser-based technologies are essential tools for advanced surface processing and welding, offering precise, flexible, and non-contact methods for modifying materials across nano-, micro-, and macro-scales. These capabilities are increasingly critical in high-performance applications within sectors such as microelectronics, biomedical devices, automotive, and aerospace engineering.

This symposium will provide a focused platform for researchers, engineers, and technologists working on the development and application of laser-driven surface modification and welding techniques. Topics include, but are not limited to, process development and system integration, innovations in controlling energy delivery and interaction at material interfaces. Particular emphasis will be placed on the fundamentals of laser-matter interaction, beam shaping and spatiotemporal control, in-situ monitoring and feedback systems, surface micro- and nanostructuring, laser transformation hardening, welding, cladding, alloying and dispersing, and surface functionalization. Contributions combining experimental, theoretical, or simulation approaches are welcomed.

Lightweight metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium are central to modern lightweight design strategies, offering significant potential for energy savings and resource efficiency in key technological sectors, including mobility, aerospace, energy, and construction. As global industries increasingly prioritize sustainability and carbon footprint reduction, the use of these materials continues to expand. However, their widespread application is fundamentally limited by their inherent susceptibility to corrosion, wear, and environmental degradation.

To unlock the full potential of lightweight metals in sustainable engineering, the development of advanced surface protection strategies is essential. This includes the functionalization of surfaces through innovative coatings, conversion layers, anodization, and other surface engineering approaches that enhance durability without compromising weight or recyclability. These protective systems must not only extend service life but also align with environmental regulations and circular economy principles.

This symposium will highlight recent advances in surface technologies for lightweight metals, with a focus on how they contribute to sustainable innovation. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary research bridging materials science, corrosion science, surface chemistry, and applied engineering to develop scalable and eco-friendly solutions. By addressing the critical role of surface protection, the symposium aims to foster dialogue on the future of lightweight metal applications in a resource-conscious world.

Nature is a wonderful and fruitful source of inspiration for the development of new materials and surfaces. It is well known that biological systems can sense, react, regulate growth, regenerate, and heal via smart material and surface designs, making nature a genius technologist to overcome any survival difficulty through evolution. Recent advances in materials science as well as micro and nanoscale fabrication techniques have enabled biologically inspired material systems that mimic many of these remarkable functions. Biomimetics is thus emerging as one of the most innovative areas of science today.

The aim of this symposium is to bring together scientists and engineers working across many different fields such as materials science, physics, chemistry, or biology, that share the common goal of developing new materials, hierarchical structures and surfaces utilizing nature as a source of inspiration.

Contributions will be oriented to basic and applied research, focusing on next-generation materials and surfaces that advance efficient and sustainable designs and high-performing functional materials.

Compositionally complex materials (CCM, often called high-entropy materials) comprising five or more different elements provide unique and promising prospects in scientific and technological areas, where the surface dominates properties such as electrocatalysis and corrosion, crucial for future sustainable energy conversion systems. CCM surfaces comprise high entropy alloys in the form of single-phase solid solutions, high entropy intermetallics and ceramics (oxides, nitrides), as well as amorphous multinary materials. Exploitation of the possibilities of CCM as surface design platforms need a combined theoretical and experimental understanding of their atomic-scale surface features. The unique properties of CCM are caused by the large number of diverse poly-elemental active sites across their surface. Gaining control of and the ability to design these surface atom arrangements (specific arrangements of (sub)surface atoms and their chemical identities) has the potential to overcome limitations of conventional electrocatalysts, paving the way to multifunctional materials, with unprecedented combinations of activity and stability for key electrocatalytic reactions such as hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, CO₂ reduction reaction, and beyond.

The symposium welcomes contributions from materials science, surface science, physics, chemistry, and data science with a focus on approaches to explore and exploit CCM using simulations and experiments (synthesis, characterisation, electrochemical investigations, and in-depth experiments towards atomic-scale resolution); results on understanding of phase (meta)stability, surface segregation and reactions, order and disorder, and finally surface atom arrangements.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), often called “white graphene,” has emerged as a versatile 2D material with unique chemical and physical characteristics—such as high thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. This symposium aims to bring together experts from academia and industry to explore the latest advancements in h-BN synthesis, functionalization, and integration into diverse applications ranging from electronics and energy storage to biomedical engineering and environmental technologies.

The symposium will include presentations that span from fundamental studies and material development to practical applications and scale-up strategies. Contributions that emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, novel composite structures, and theoretical modeling are especially encouraged.

Topics of Interest:

• Innovative synthesis techniques and doping strategies
• Characterization of structure-property relationships
• h-BN in electronics, photonics, and optoelectronics
• Role of h-BN in catalysis, energy storage, and hydrogen production
• h-BN-based membranes and sensors
• Biomedical applications and safety assessments
• Computational studies and machine learning-guided discovery
• Challenges in industrial integration and scale-up
• High Temperature and tribological applications

Target Audience:

This symposium is designed for material scientists, chemists, physicists, materialists, engineers, and industry professionals interested in nanomaterials, 2D materials, energy systems, electronics, and biomedical applications.

The formation of adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) is a thermo-mechanical process that typically takes place at high strain rates: the energy dissipated by plastic deformation leads to an increase of temperature, which results in thermal and/or microstructural softening and ultimately leads to localization of further deformation in an increasingly narrowed shear zone. Recent advances both in the fields of materials science and process engineering have shown that the formation of ASBs allows to generate surfaces with excellent geometrical and functional properties, for example during high-speed cutting. This has raised interest in more detailed investigations of the underlying mechanisms. Topics of interest specifically include   

• the effect of microstructure on ASB formation
• microstructural evolution and damage accumulation in ASBs
• the effect of ASB formation on the properties of the newly cut surfaces
• thermo-mechanical modeling of material behavior at high strain rates, including numerical simulations of microstructural evolution and phase transformations
• the relation between high-speed blanking process parameters and ASB formation 

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together scientists from the Research Unit FOR 5380, which focuses on ASB formation during high-speed blanking, with the wider research community studying high-strain rate processes and ASB formation.  

In recent years, the field of materials science has witnessed a paradigm shift with the emergence of 3D structural design of functional materials. The symposium objectives encompass showcasing cutting-edge developments in the realm of 3D structural design of functional materials. It provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge among experts, fostering collaboration and networking. The diverse spectrum of applications for 3D materials, including energy harvesting, storage, sensors, biosensors, and more, will be explored. Additionally, the symposium will delve into the various 3D printing technologies that underpin the fabrication of these functional materials, with discussions ranging from additive manufacturing to bioprinting. The symposium program covers an array of topics, including materials innovation, 3D printing technologies, energy harvesting and storage, sensors and biosensors, biomedical applications, environmental sustainability, and industrial applications. It will feature keynote presentations by leading experts, followed by contributed talks and poster sessions. Interactive panel discussions will provide participants with the opportunity to engage in in-depth conversations about the challenges and opportunities inherent in 3D structural design.

This symposium is targeted at a broad audience, including researchers, scientists, academics, students, and industry professionals interested in the latest developments in 3D materials and their applications. It offers numerous benefits, including gaining insights into the forefront of research, networking with peers and industry partners, showcasing research and innovations, and exploring opportunities for collaboration on multidisciplinary projects.

Symposium Topics:

• Materials Innovation: Discuss the use of various materials, including 2D materials, polymers, cellulose, and more, in 3D structural design.
• 3D Printing Technologies: Explore different 3D printing techniques, such as additive manufacturing, bioprinting, and nanoscale 3D printing, for functional materials fabrication.
• Applications: Diverse applications of 3D materials, including energy harvesting, energy storage (ex. supercapacitors, batteries) sensors, biosensors, electromagnetic shielding, wearable electronics and more.
• Environmental Sustainability: Address how 3D materials contribute to sustainable practices, including recyclability and reduced waste.
• Industrial Applications: Showcase real-world industrial applications and case studies of 3D materials for enhanced product performance.

Magnetic materials are of increasing importance for a wide spectrum of applications as energy conversion (electrical machines, generators) cooling, sensors or actuators. This includes hard and soft magnets as well as magnetocalorics materials and ferromagnetic shape memory alloys.

Today a variety of different and partially opposing aspects have to be considered such as magnetic performance, availability of raw materials and sustainability.

From these perspectives, this symposium will deal with the development, processing and characterization as well as applications of the various magnetic materials. In addition to classical procedures and methods, new directions such as additive manufacturing and recycling will also be explored. Both experimental and theoretical works are welcome.

This symposium focuses on recent developments in thin films and multilayer coatings for functional applications covering their synthesis, advanced characterization, exploration of microstructure-property relationships and their applications in surface engineering. Both fundamental and application-oriented contributions are welcome.

• Major focus areas of the symposium are:  
  Thin films and surface engineering devoted to industrial applications such as wear protection and friction reduction in tools, components and other tribological systems. For instance, improvement of coating's performance with respect to high thermal stability, oxidation resistance and adhesion, optimum mechanical properties and lower friction, high potential for enhancement of tool and components performance.
• Coatings for tailoring other functionalities, like for instance surface wettability for controlling condensation phenomena, which has an enormous impact on several industrial applications such as thermal power plants, air conditioning systems, heat pipes for electronic devices cooling, water harvesting and ice prevention
• Presentations on progress in fundamental understanding of novel multi-component, metastable solid solutions, nanostructured and hybrid organic-inorganic coatings, on advanced coating architectures and design concepts and on large scale deposition approaches are highly welcomed.
• Microstructure engineering of metallic, ceramic and hybrid organic-inorganic thin films to create novel micro- and nanocomposites: this includes metallurgical processes controlling the microstructure evolution in micro- and nanoscale thin films (e.g. diffusion or interface related phenomena such as grain growth and phase transformations); novel processing routes to tailor the microstructure (e.g. utilization of pulsed thermal or laser treatments to vary the morphology of composites or to facilitate the formation of metastable microstructures); and influence of microstructure design, processing and post-treatments on properties and residual stress state.

Due to their unique properties shape memory alloys are in the focus of both research and academia. Based on a solid to solid phase-transformation large fully reversible strains can be obtained. For application in the biomedical field, binary Ni-Ti-alloys are robustly employed. However, limited transformation temperatures and high cost are the major roadblocks to application in seismic or high-temperature environments.

This symposium will mainly focus on both the development and characterization of shape memory alloys overcoming limitations of commercially available alloys. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Fundamental aspects of martensitic transformations, microstructures and shape memory effects.
• Novel applications: Elastocalorics, energy conversion, civil engineering, and others
• Fe-based shape memory alloys including processing of large scale parts
• Fatigue resistant shape memory alloys
• High-temperature shape memory alloys including ternary Ni-Ti-X, Ti-based alloys and others for application above 150 °C
• High entropy shape memory alloys
• Characterization of elementary mechanisms leading to degradation
• Novel processing routes
• Advances in simulation of shape memory alloys