RDG Conference Report of Mary Donnabelle L. Balela

Write up about the Conference

This conference series was established by the National Cheng Kung University and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the advances in the various fields of nanostructured materials.  The goal of the symposium was to unify materials research in engineering, physics, biology, materials science, as well as chemistry and neuroscience.  The conference was attended by experts from the academe and the industry from Japan, USA, Germany, China, Taiwan, Hongkong, UK, etc.

Feedback on paper presented

The focus of the paper is on the synthesis and characterization of the effect of nickel addition on the morphology of cobalt nanowires.  The effect of various parameters such as the amount of nickel and the application of external magnetic field was presented.  It was noted during the presentation that the morphology of the Co products can be easily varied just by manipulating the above parameters.

Future directions of research presented

The results of the present study show that the morphology and structure of the Co products can be easily tailored by varying magnetic field strength and the amount of nickel ions ion the solution.  It is planned that the applicability of these nanostructures as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries will be investigated.

Potential foreign collaborators

I am very fortunate to have established a good working relationship with Prof. Jyh-Ming Ting of National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan and the Promotional Center for Global Material Research under the headship of Prof. Masahiro Yoshimura.

Other important contacts and insights

ISMEN 2014 has been very beneficial for me in establishing linkages with various experts on materials science and engineering.  One is Prof. Kozo Ishisaki of NanoTEM and Prof Emeritus of Nagaoka University of Technology, who will be visiting on March 2015 and who has expressed interest in visiting the University of the Philippines and giving a lecture.

Short write-up of one’s participation (to be used to feature/publicize the grantee’s participation in the conference)

The format of ISMEN 2014 is different from the other conferences that I have attended.  Most of the oral presentations are from experts from the academe and industry, who have been working on various aspects of materials science and engineering.  Prof. Jackie Y. Ying, director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Singapore and editor-in-chief of NanoToday, who I have been admiring for many years, is a plenary speaker.  An opportunity to meet and listen to one of the rock stars in your field is an additional motivation for me to pursue this conference. The conference also encourages interactions among the participants.  So I was very fortunate to have meet Professors and graduate students from various universities in different countries.