Abstract
The development and application of nanomaterials is rapidly emerging as one of the major global events of the 21st century, analogous to the impact of the industrial revolution. While commercial and research opportunities abound, there are many challenges that face us with regard to the potential biological and environmental impacts of nanoengineered materials. The advantage of this period of time is that we have at our disposal a range of powerful analytical tools capable of characterizing materials at the nanometer and sub-nanometer scale. However, obtaining reliable information and accurate data interpretation can be extremely challenging, particularly when dealing with living systems in which rapid dynamic events occur at the nanoscale. The difficulty experienced in measuring these interactions is often compounded by the desire to obtain information at the nanoscale in three dimensions.
In light of these challenges, a review is presented of the biomedical applications where new nanoscale metrology approaches are required, with an emphasis on experimental, environmental and engineering challenges associated with investigating the nano/bio-materials interface.
Biography
Dr. Dudley S. Finch achieved his first degree and Ph.D. in Materials Science from Brunel University in the United Kingdom. His specialist area of research is the application of microscopy techniques (FE-SEM, ESEM, TEM and FIB) and spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, Raman, XPS and AES) to the study of structure–property relationships and biomaterials interfaces. Research fields include biomedical devices (left ventricular assist devices, knee and hip prostheses, urinary catheters, biosensors and actuators, and Bio-M/NEMS), coatings (DLC, ALD) and surface-modified materials.
Following a period of research in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Colorado and NIST Materials Reliability Division in Boulder, CO, Dr. Finch in collaboration with Ms. Heidi Haehlen co-founded AISthesis, LLC, a company dedicated to developing Bio-M/NEMS-based devices as new metrology tools for the study of nano/bio materials and interfaces.
