Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan

Versatile New Coating for Biomedical Devices

A new type of plastic coating made from vapor developed by Joerg Lahann and his research group (left) could lead to better biomedical devices such as stents and catheters that are "bioactive," meaning they can interact with the living cells around them in unique ways.The coating binds to a broad range of materials including glass, stainless steel, Teflon and silicon. More like a paint than a blanket, it is able to preserve the precise shape of the device it covers. The outer surface of the coating can be made to attract or repel certain molecules such as platelets or proteins. "We recognized that the biomedical devices have to be bioactive. You need to have biological signatures that can actively mitigate the response of the body to the implant," said Lahann, the Dow Corning Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering.

(Read full story by Nicole Casal Moore from U-M News Service)

Ralph Yang Receives DOE Award

Ralph Yang has received the Department of Energy's (DOE) 2008 DOE Hydrogen Program R & D Award at the Annual Hydrogen Review Conference in Washington DC in June. This award was given to him for his "pioneering work on hydrogen storage by spillover."

The hydrogen spillover phenomenon that occurs in many catalytic reactions has been known to exist for over 40 years. About 7 years ago, Dr. Yang started using this phenomenon to develop sorbents for hydrogen storage at ambient temperature, which could be used in future fuel cell cars. Few thought this approach would work, but Yang and his research group were able to show promising results under the DOE sponsorship and now over 30 research groups around the world are following their approach in the search for new materials for hydrogen storage.

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CHE PUBLICATIONS

2007 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING NEWSLETTER (PDF)

A Century of Chemical Engineering at Michigan

News Briefs

Scott Fogler was named by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) as one of the “Thirty Authors of Groundbreaking Chemical Engineering Books” for his widely used textbook Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering.

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Walt Weber was chosen as one of the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s (AIChE) “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” in honor of his many accomplishments in the area of environmental process dynamics & system sustainability.

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Nick Kotov and his group have won a Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 Award for their work on Ultrastrong Layered Polymer Nanocomposites. Nanotech Briefs is a digital newsletter on nanotechnology.

The President's Donor Challenge for Graduate Student Support

Make your graduate student support gift or pledge before December 31, 2008. Leverage your gift in a one for two match. Find out how to make a gift to the ChE Graduate Fellowship Fund.