Description of Subtheme:
Advanced Materials research at the Faculty of Science unites the best of both worlds in physics and chemistry. It is a well-established research subtheme that encompasses a range of deep-rooted collaboration between researchers from different disciplines. The collaborative efforts resulted in the development of two new central labs tailored especially for this specific purpose. The subtheme ‘Advanced Materials’ builds on this established cooperation and extends it into new directions.
Advanced Materials research at the Department of Physics focuses on synthesizing and characterizing novel nano-materials and studying their influence on the properties of high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs). Improving the performance of bulk HTSCs and therefore enhancing their use in practical applications has been of great interest worldwide and this has been achieved by several methods. In this sense, nano-ferrites and nano-oxides are synthesized using the solid-state reaction technique. The newly-synthesized nano-particles are added to several HTSCs aiming to improve the structural, mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of these compounds. In addition, the material science group in the physics department at BAU has been studying a wide variety of the properties of a recently discovered HTSC known as iron-based superconductor, which is expected to have wide applications in industry in addition to its great scientific interest. This work is carried out at BAU in collaboration with several local and international research institutes and universities including Alexandria University, The University of Tokyo, Keio University, Lebanese University, American University of Beirut, in addition to the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS)-Lebanon.
Advanced Materials research at the Department of Chemistry is mainly focused on the synthesis and structural characterization of novel nano-materials and their use in water treatment, corrosion control, protein crystallization, biological and medicinal applications, medical imaging, as well as homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. For example, iron oxide nanoparticles were developed as contrast agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI), while silica nanoparticles were utilized as drug delivery vehicles. Various types of metallic nanoparticles can be prepared by classical synthetic approaches, or by using green methods that employ natural reducing agents. Other types of inorganic nanoparticles that are also investigated in the chemistry department are the polyoxometalates (POMs), and their applications in various fields such as water treatment, corrosion inhibition, catalysis, and biomedical sciences are evaluated. Furthermore, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis are investigated by employing various metal catalysts to induce chemical transformations of selective functional groups in organic compounds.
A research trajectory that also falls within the Advanced Materials subtheme involves the utilization of chemically modified polymers for diverse industrial applications. For example, cyclodextrins are being investigated in drug formulation to improve the aqueous solubility of hydrophobic drugs, while modified dextran and hyaluronic acid are being examined as drug delivery vehicles as well as anticorrosion agents.
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