Discovering a unique method for fabricating highly nanostructured thin films has won ESM researcher Melik Demirel, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, one of only 33 prestigious awards, offered nationwide, by the Office of Naval Research in 2007.

The ONR Young Investigator Award recognizes and supports new faculty who can help to solve problems of interest to the US Navy.

Professor Demirel’s thin films show promise of creating coatings that would keep organisms from growing on the hull of vessels, which can slow a ship’s speed, increase fuel consumption and cause corrosion. As one example of the importance of this research, the heavy growth of marine life, such as barnacles, mollusks, algae and bacteria on a vessel’s hull can cause a 6% to 45% increase in fuel consumption. "Not only is the Navy interested," says Demirel, "this will apply to the whole marine and biomedical industry."

Since the late 1990s, the navy has discontinued the use of copper-based coatings, which were hazardous to marine shell-life, but beyond the savings in fuel and dockyard time, the research is so fundamental that it can be applied to biomedical devices, such as prosthetic devices in the human body that are attacked by proteins.

Nanostructured polymer coatings improve the surface properties of traditionally coated medical devices by providing superhydrophobic and self-decontaminated surfaces. Demirel’s approach utilizes thin films of nanostructured poly-p-xylylene (PPX), a polymer material. The films are made of freestanding, slanted, parallel columns containing nanowires. "They have controllable topology, controllable porosity, and controllable chemistry at the same time. You can tune all these parameters so that you have several emergent properties," Demirel explains. "In the future we plan to use these films for specific controlled drug release, tissue targeting, and localized delivery." In addition, the fabrication method is inexpensive and scalable to industrial applications.

"The navy is looking for immediate results for antifouling coatings, but also for new materials technologies for the long term; the latter is really where my research fits in. When I came to Penn State in 2003, I began to apply oblique angle deposition to my specialty of polymers. Through reading, and through discussions with my colleagues, I came up with the idea for a new deposition technique in the area of bioantifouling."

Funding from the ONR lasts for three years with the possibility of an additional two years, if they like the results, Demirel says. Total funding amounts to about $500,000, including a partial match from Penn State. Demirel and his Bionanomaterials Group operate the Bionanomaterials Lab in the Earth and Engineering Science Building.

Contact: Melik Demirel (814) 863-2270 (office). His website is http://www.personal.psu.edu/mcd18/ .

Source: Materials Research Institute, eMaterials @ Penn State, Volume 7, Issue 3
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