In this seminar the flow-induced crystallization (FIC) of two PLA with different microstructures (different L-lactic acid content) will be presented. The seminar will start with a general presentation of fundamental aspects of FIC and review previous work in the subject for polymeric systems such as PE, PP and PLA. The second part will present our recent work on FIC of PLA using simple shear, uniaxial extension and capillary flow experiments. In simple shear and capillary flow, increase in shear rate and decrease in temperature was found to enhance the crystallization kinetics particularly for Weissenberg numbers (based on the reptation relaxation time, Wi) greater than 1. On the other hand, in uniaxial extensional flow, once a critical Hencky strain is achieved, crystallization starts independently of strain rate and temperature. The amount of mechanical work per unit volume imposed/dissipated onto the polymers during flow to initialize crystallization was also calculated in capillary flow. The critical mechanical work for the onset of flow-induced crystallization was found to be independent of temperature and degree of molecular chain stretch (Wi) as Wi becomes greater than 1. The PLA sample with higher content of PLLA showed slightly higher zero-shear viscosity and a smaller thermodynamic barrier for the onset of crystallization. Lastly, the  degree of crystallinity increases linearly from 0% at the start of the flow-induced crystallization region and reaches a plateau at Wi equals to around 1. 

Understanding the mechanisms by which the topographical cues of extracellular matrix (ECM) affect cellular responses (proliferation, adhesion, growth, orientation, and differentiation) is fundamentally important for tissue engineering / regenerative medicine applications. Although a growing body of literature supports that the substrate’s topography influences the cell proliferation and differentiation, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In our attempt to approach this issue we study the cell response dependence on tunable topography, mechanical properties and defined chemistry. Our experimental findings also indicate that depending on the relation of the direction of flow with respect to the orientation of topographical features, wall shear stress gradients act in a synergistic or antagonistic manner to topography in promoting a guided morphological cell response. Towards this scope ultra-fast lasers as tools for 3D structuring were used. The laser fabricated substrates presented here could be used as model scaffolds for the systematic exploration of the role of 3D microenvironment on cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, with the ultimate goal of providing mechanistic insight to guide the development of clinically relevant strategies for tissue/organ repair.

The Workshop aims to highlight the contribution of engineering and computational methods in advancing biological and health sciences. It does so by bringing together top scientists to present their research in advanced genomics, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering and neuroscience along with short presentations from four of the ARCHER fellows.

The workshop is organized in the context of ARCHERS (https://archers.iesl.forth.gr/), a major project implemented by FORTH with the exclusive donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Through ARCHERS, over 100 young doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers have been supported over the past four and a half years and have carried out cutting-edge research in the Institutes of FORTH across a broad range of interdisciplinary thematics including preservation of cultural heritage and tackling of societal challenges such as environment, clean energy and health.

The workshop aims to highlight challenges posed by environmental pollution (in air, soil and water) and ecosystem threats, as well as technologies and actions to be taken to address these challenges.

The workshop is organized in the context of ARCHERS (https://archers.iesl.forth.gr/), a major project implemented by FORTH with the exclusive donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Through ARCHERS, over 100 young doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers have been supported over the past four and a half  years and have carried out cutting-edge research in the Institutes of FORTH across a broad range of interdisciplinary thematics including preservation of cultural heritage and tackling of societal challenges such as environment, clean energy and health.

The workshop aims to highlight the main areas of advanced and sustainable energy science and associated technological applications. The challenges for clear energy will be discussed with special attention to hydrogen related technologies.

The workshop is organized in the context of ARCHERS (https://archers.iesl.forth.gr/), a major project implemented by FORTH with the exclusive donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Through ARCHERS, over 100 young doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers have been supported over the past four and a half  years and have carried out cutting-edge research in the Institutes of FORTH across a broad range of interdisciplinary thematics including preservation of cultural heritage and tackling of societal challenges such as environment, clean energy and health.