AUS Spring 2014 Undergraduate Research - Symposium Booklet Apr. 2014 | Page 16

Metallic Icephobicity Rosemary Shafack, Dr. Liqiu Zheng Biology, Albany State University, Albany, GA The purpose of the research is to render metallic surfaces normally suffering from ice formation into anti-icing. Metallic icephobicity is a phenomena not well understood and has commercial implication of preventing ice damage to infrastructure. The surface of two different commonly available metals, a copper and aluminum, will be treated with binary electrolyte such as silver nitrate to render the surface upheaval. The roughened surface will be further treated with known organic compounds to reduce the surface energy, causing the metal surface to become hydrophobic or superhydrophobic. Surfaces that meet superhydrophobic conditions will be tested for ice-formation and further characterized by spectroscopic and imaging techniques. Super-cooled water drops will be seeded on the treated surfaces and is cooled by a Peltier chip until frozen. The process is recorded by a digital camera for analysis. If the treated surface does become ice phobic, a breakthrough is made and the data will guidance to understand the icephobic mechanism. Ossicles Printing in 3D Komi Sowu, Dr. KC Chan Bio-Engineering, Albany State University, Albany, GA This is the Phase II of multiphase project of establishing 3D printing research capacity applying biological field at ASU. We have completed the phase I of the project, i.e. design of a digital 3D model of the middle ear bones the Ossicles and printed three different 3D models of different sizes made up of different materials, including biocompatible material. In Phase II, we will investigate printing 3D cells directly to form a biological mode shaped like the ossicle based on the 3D digital model developed. Firstly, the concept and designed will be test using regular yeast cells and gel. Yeast cells mixed with agarose gel at temperature around 50C will be printed at miniature size, pushing the limit of 3D printing. Secondly, we will transforming stem cells turn into bone cells using the scaffold built for the yeast cell. Lastly, the experience learned will be applied to Phase III of the project, cultivate the bones cells from stem cells and shaped into 3D Ossicles.