Scope and topics

EnFI 2022 focuses on the field of surface engineering in its broadest sense. This rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field instigates collaborations between scientists from multiple disciplines as it contains elements from physics, engineering, biology, medicine, informatics and chemistry. 

Advanced functional materials are essential in an ever-changing society where a lot of effort, funding and attention is devoted to creating a smart, circular economy. Smart materials can help to shape a more sustainable future by offering solutions for e.g. reusing residual flows of biomass or energy conversion and storage. Studying the material properties of advanced nanomaterials can give us new insights into the mechanisms of diseases, offering new potential biomarkers for molecular diagnostics and providing insights in how to develop new therapies. High-tech microsystems, implants, drug delivery carriers and sensors also heavily rely on functional interfaces that are often inspired on biological concepts. EnFI 2020 aims at bringing innovative research in this wide range of domains together to continue to stimulate scientists from different fields to collaborate with and learn from each other.

In 2022, EnFI will remain a conference that also aims at developing the career of early-stage researchers. PhD students, but also graduating master students and postdocs, will fill up the majority of the timeslots in this conference. They are encouraged to submit an abstract to the conference, create a high quality poster and introduce their work by means of a short presentation pitch that serves as an appetizer to the results showcased in the poster market. It gives these young scientists the opportunity to talk about their research in front of a large, scientific audience. In addition, they can derive inspiration from renowned tutorial speakers and discuss their work with both senior and junior researchers during the poster market.

Although following list is by no means exhaustive, EnFI 2022 welcomes abstract submissions for research in various field including:

• Biosensors, physical and chemical sensors
• Biobased, bio-inspired and biomimetic material synthesis and engineering
• Cell-, organism-, enzyme- or nucleid acid-based technologies
• Microsystems, chip-based devices and thin film technology
• Analytical methods for studying interfaces and surfaces
• Biofunctional materials
• Biomedical engineering and technology
• Nanostructured materials & interfaces
• Polymers, metals and oxide materials
• Therapeutics, diagnostics and drug delivery systems
• Engineering of technologies driving sustainability