Start of Initial Training Network (ITN) (GLACERCO): Glass and Ceramic Composites for High Technology Applications
A new Initial Training Network (ITN) funded by the EU has been awarded in the field of Glass and Ceramic Composites for High Technology Applications (GLACERCO) to a consortium with participation of our Institute. The total Funding awarded is: 3 890 000 €.
The coordinating institution is Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. The kick-off meeting was held in Torino, Italy, on 15th February. The project has a 4 year duration.
The aim of the project is to offer multidisciplinary research training in the field of high-tech glasses and composites, in collaboration with industry and universities The scientific goals are to develop advanced knowledge on glass based materials and to create innovative, cost-competitive, and environmentally acceptable materials and processing technologies. The inter/multi-disciplinary characteristic is guaranteed by the presence, within this consortium, of five academic partners and five companies, from six countries (Italy, Germany, France, UK, Czech Republic, Finland), having top class expertise in glass science and technology, modelling, design, characterization and commercialization of glass and composite based products.
High-tech glass-based materials (glass-ceramics, glass- and glass-ceramic composites and fibres) bring competitiveness in strategic fields as medicine (bioactive glasses as bone replacement and drug delivery systems), telecommunications (glass devices for broad-band applications), photonics (glass based photonic sensors), clean energy (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells glass sealants), waste management (vitrification and re-use of wastes), Recruited researchers will benefit from a complete set of equipments and expertise able to develop advanced knowledge in highly strategic fields for EU, such as medicine, telecommunications, photonics, clean energy production and waste management.
The Institute of Biomaterials (Prof. Boccaccini) will lead the Work package related to the Design, preparation and characterisation of new glasses suitable for medical applications. The research includes glass-based biomaterials for oncology (i.e. ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics for hyperthermia), drug release (bioactive glasses and microcellular ceramics) and bone substitution (i.e. glass-ceramic macroporous scaffolds) and arthroprosthesis (i.e. glass and composite bioactive coatings).An integrated approach to the application of bioactive glasses in the biomedical field, from materials development to in vitro tests, will be pursued, including also a comprehensive comparison with available biomaterials to highlight the advantages of bioactive glasses in the different selected applications.
More details on the project are available here.
