Direction, Purpose, and Meaning of Research
Abstract:
Any scientific research should have a clear direction, purpose, and meaning. The concept of matter-energy equivalence could be extended to consciousness. In order to realize research as people oriented and environment-centered, there is need to have ethical values as the principle and foundation, especially when interdisciplinary research has become the order of the day. Application oriented emerging materials are touched up on, starting from organic photoconductors, such as phthalocyanine, and moving on to piezoelectric materials. Further, two-dimensional materials, smart materials such as synthetic spider web, chromoactive materials etc are indicated. Within the realm of multidisciplinary research biodegradable plastics, xenobots etc are pointed out. As pointers for future direction, development of biomaterials from ceramics, living cells and tissues, foams etc are mentioned for use in biomedical products using biodegradable and bio-absorbable materials are recommended.
Keywords: Organic photoconductors, Smart materials, Chromoactive materials, Biodegradable plastics.
What for is Research?:
We are gathered here as researchers to compare notes and to share our expertise and experience with regard to what is the urgent need in the world and what is setting the trend in research. Let us begin with our common understanding of science, starting with Einteinian equation E = mc2. We are familiar with the concept and examples that matter could be converted into energy. But we might find it difficult to convert energy into matter, though theoretically it should be possible.
But our search or research should have a direction, purpose, and meaning. For example, in our research we find out as matter turns into energy, we also realize that energy in turn should give rise to consciousness of others and their needs and hence to make our research enrich their lives. D. Bohm, an American-British scientists, argues that reality is tripartite, namely matter (mass), energy, and consciousness. He would state, “… consciousness is a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is an unending process of movement and unfoldment.”[1] Hence, this would bring in our commitment to make our environment meaningful and lasting. The whole process should revolve around ethics in order to give us the overall meaning about research. In a world of Multi-National Companies where exploitation of the people and amassing profit, our research should bring in the value that people should be more important than profit. In other words, ethical values should be the principle and foundation of any scientific research.
Inter-disciplinary Research is the Order of the Day:
We tend to think that our area of specialization is the most important in the world of research. We need to understand that our research should complement other research areas and hence inter- or multi-disciplinary research is the need of the hour. Take for example physics: Electrical charges are proposed to play a role in wound healing: In a normal skin, the external skin surface is always electronegative with respect to the inner skin layers. In contrast, in the case of a wound, it becomes positive compared with the surrounding intact skin and as healing progresses this potential changes.[2] A few decades ago, it was tried by keeping a silver mesh in the wound-area and applying mild electricity so that positive charges could be induced to accelerate the healing process. There seems to be clinical evidence base for silver dressings in the management of contaminated and infected acute and chronic wounds.[3] Using silver mesh, when compared with silver sulfadiazine cream, seems to yield better result in treatment of pressure ulcers.[4]
We could see that physics and chemistry are at the service of biology – Not only to understand the mechanism but to understand the living beings better. A single atom of physics and a molecule of chemistry become alive when they become an integral part of a biological system. Thus Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are complementary and when they converge they become alive.[5]
Today, Physics has branched off into various areas of specialization, such as Bio-Physics, Chemical-Physics, Medical-Physics and has now enriched with Nuclear-Medicine, Photon-Therapy etc. And further, we have astrophysics, condensed matter physics, electronics etc.
Emerging Trends in Research with regard to Application oriented Materials:
My memory goes back to my own research – It was in the area of chemical physics. I was investigating the ‘Optical and Transport Properties of Phthalocyanine and Related Compounds’ in 1990s. Phthalocyanine belongs to the family of aromatic, macrocyclic organic compound. It, especially Copper Phthalocyanine, became a leader in dyes and pigments. Prior to copper phthalocyanine no one could paint the car in blue as it was bleached by the sunlight. I was studying the optical and conductivity properties of the material and discovered that organic photoconductors have i. multiple conduction bands; and ii. molecular properties dominate the characteristics of the organic semiconductors. This is in contrast to inorganic semiconductors where the crystal determines the properties of the material.
Commercially, phthalocyanines are much used as important class of colorant, and copper phthalocyanine is the single largest-volume colorant sold in the market. Traditional uses of phthalocyanine colorants are as blue and green pigments for automotive paints and printing inks and as blue/cyan dyes for textiles and paper.[6] Further, phthalocyanine has similar structure to haemoglobin. With its high extinction coefficients and long absorption wavelengths in the near infrared region, phthalocyanines and naphthalocyanines are well-suited for optical imaging and phototherapies in biological tissues. As phthalocyanines are synthetic analogues of porphyrins they are employed as photosensitizers in cancer therapy.[7] In recent years, active research fields include electrophotography, photovoltaics and solar cells, molecular electronics, Langmuir-Blodgett films, photosensitizers, electrochromic display devices, gas sensors, liquid crystals, low-dimensional conductors, and optical disks.[8]
Light-Emitting-Diodes are coming in a big way. Organic Light-Emitting-Diodes are preferred candidates for low-cost, low-energy consumption, and long-life flexible displays. The metal atoms in organic derivative forms, such as phenanathroline, comprising the cathode enable electrons to be extracted with less energy than is otherwise required. These organic derivatives are stable and resistant to degradation from oxygen or moisture.[9]
In the diagnostic technology, living cells are put into a tiny biochip and is then implanted into a patient. These living cells can detect biological changes within a patient’s body and send feedback to the patient and doctor about problems or impending illness.[10] Another area of interest for future development is protein based bio-chips. This biochip could be used to array protein substrates that could then be used for the drug-lead screening or diagnostic tests. If a biosensor apparatus is built into this biochip a further application might be to measure the catalytic activity of various enzymes. The ability to apply proteins and peptides on a wide variety of chip substrates is currently an area of intense research.[11]
New Materials for Application-Oriented Research:
Experimental interest for future applications has attracted piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials play a vital role in electronic devices such as actuators, sensors, accelerators, ultrasonic motors, transducers, filters and resonators as well as micro-electromechanical system. Energy harvesting devices with higher overall efficiency, stability, life-time and low-self cost of materials such as piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and electret ceramics and their composites invite interest. At the same time, new physical principles regarding multimode vibrations and complex deformations attract attention as well.[12]
Some of the new materials of interest are: Organic superconductors, rare-earth optical amplifier, high-field magnets, magneto-optical recording materials, porous silicon, quantum dots, gallium nitride and many more.[13]
Two-Dimensional Materials for Electronic Applications:
We are living in a knowledge society of Artificial Intelligence in an age of digitization. We are looking for new materials for modern applications. The successful isolation of graphene in 2004 has attracted great interest to search for potential applications of this unique material and other members of the two-dimensional materials family in electronics, optoelectronics and their interface with the biological systems. Making use of the unique properties of graphene for RF applications, novel applications are developed to design many fundamental building blocks of RF electronics, such as frequency multipliers, mixers and binary phase shift keying devices. There are other materials such as molybdenum disulphide with potential for high performance flexible electronics.[14]
Smart Materials:
Yet another family of materials is known as smart materials. These could be manipulated to respond in a controllable and reversible way, modifying some of their properties as a result of external stimuli, for example, certain mechanical stress or a certain temperature etc. As they are responsive, smart materials are also known as responsive materials, which could be labelled as ‘active’ materials, more accurately they are ‘reactive’ materials. They are classified as piezoelectric materials; Shape memory materials as they could return to their original shape when exposed to external stimuli; Chromoactive materials which react or respond to variation in temperature, light, and pressure; Magnetorheological materials which could be used as shock absorbers to prevent seismic vibrations in bridges or skyscrapers, photoactive materials, etc.
Materials science is constantly coming up with new discoveries that could revolutionize our future. Let us look at a few examples:
- Synthetic Spider Web: This family of material is not only five times stronger than steel, but also has great elasticity. Its potential uses include, bulletproof clothing, artificial skin or burns or waterproof adhesives.
- Shrilk: It is a fully biodegradable plastic. Its main component is chitin, a carbohydrate found in krill shells. It was created by researchers from Harvard University and is considered as the ideal substitute for plastic. Its decomposition time is only two weeks and it also works as stimulant for plant growth.[15]
- Conduction polymers: when exposed to electric or chemical simulations, the electrons can move from one end of the polymer to the other. Dielectric elastomers (also called electrostrictive polymers) can reduce or increase its volume by 30%, when exposed to electric field. They are used for building artificial muscle for robots.
- Smart gels are made of cross–linked polymer network inflated with solvent such as water, and can reduce or increase its volume up to 1000x. They can be programed to absorb or release fluids in response to almost any chemical or physical stimulus.
- Metallic carbon nanotubes have also been proposed for nanoelectronic interconnects since they can carry high current densities.
Multi-disciplinary Research:
We are more and more becoming enlightened by the need and use of multi-disciplinary research in order to address ever increasing complex challenges and changes. Let us think of two areas, namely biodegradable plastics and robots and xenobots.
Biodegradable Plastics:
When we think of substitute for plastic, we could think of biodegradable plastics as well. Stanford researchers have recently discovered plastic-eating worms. This may offer solution to the mounting wastage and garbage in the world. The mealworm, which is the larvae form of the darkling beetle, can subsist on a diet of Styrofoam and other forms of polystyrene. The worms converted about half of the Styrofoam eaten into carbon dioxide, as they would with any food source; and the rest of the remaining plastic is excreted as biodegradable fragments, which could be used safely as soil for crops.[16] This has opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem. This is an area of inter-disciplinary research.
Robots and Xenobots:
Scientists who could bring up the world’s first living robots think that these can replicate and generate offspring. It is believed that this could help us explain the origin of life on the Earth.[17] In Dec2021, researchers in the University of Vermont (USA) have enabled new lifeforms known as Xenobots to produce ‘offspring.’ The biological robots were designed on a supercomputer by artificial intelligence and then built in real life using embryonic stem cells from a frog. When the team tested the AI’s design in the lab, they were amazed when the Xenobots actually started self-replicating.
Advances in Material Sciences:
I would conclude with mentioning the top ten advances in materials science today.
- International technology roadmap for semiconductors as a combination of science, technology, and economy.
- Scanning probe microscopes paving the way for nanotechnology.
- Giant magnetoresistive effect to produce real-space images of electrically conductive surfaces with subnanometer and spatial resolution.
- Semiconductor lasers and LEDs which form the basis of telecommunication, especially LED which is not a conventional light source, rather an electronic source related to the transistor.
- Nanotechnology
- Carbon fibre reinforced plastics revolutionizing transport, packaging, civil engineering, and sport.
- Li ion batteries leading to prolonging battery-life.
- Carbon nanotubes, especially fullerene tubes arousing greater interest.
- Soft lithography creating an attractive route to microscale structures and systems needed for applications in biotechnology.
- Metamaterials opening the vista for novel applications such as lightweight lenses for radar waves.[18]
Future Direction:
With regard to our future collective endeavour we need to think of multi-disciplinary research which would be useful for the society at large. The need of the society, in general, could be considered energy and environment and our research and its application should have ethics as principle and foundation. In a critical and challenging situation like pandemic aftermath, we could think of medical physics as one of the priorities.
We could develop biomaterials from ceramics, plastic, glass, living cells and tissues which can be reengineered as coatings, fibres, films, foams, and fabrics for use in biomedical products and devices. Some of the applications could be heart valves, hip join replacements, dental implants, or contact lenses. They are often biodegradable, and some are bio-absorbable, which implies that they are eliminated gradually from the body after fulfilling a function. For example, bio-absorbable zinc stent dissolves over time, minimizing the normal chronic risks associated with permanent stents. Early testing with absorbable zinc stents have been promising.[19]
Conclusion:
We have contributed much and now it is time to think of road less travelled. Perhaps we need a paradigm shift from conducting research for the sake of research or as a knowledge-quest to people-centered and need-based research that would enrich our future along with the environment. Wish you all the best for deliberations that would be helpful to the globe.
Francis P Xavier SJ
01Mar2022
[1] Bohm, D. (2005). Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge, p.10. Retrieved from
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3928760/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2742464/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21675444
[5] Xavier, F.P. Physics and Chemistry in unravelling the Mysteries of Biology. Invited talk delivered at Shibaura Inst of Technology, Tokyo (23Oct2017). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0XuP3C8cU
[6] Gregory, P. (2000). Industrial Applications of Phthalocyanines. J. Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines 4(4), pp.432-437.Retrieved from https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-1409%28200006/07%294%3A4%3C432%3A%3AAID-JPP254%3E3.0.CO%3B2-N
[7] AIP Conference Proceedings 1517, 49 (2013): https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4794220. Retrieved from https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.4794220
[8] Yilmaz, Y. (Ed). Phthalocyanines and some Current Applications. Retrieved from https://www.intechopen.com/books/5862
[9] New Organic Light-Emitting Diode Material. Retrieved from https://www.displaydaily.com/article/press-releases/new-organic-light-emitting-diode-material
[10]Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=biochips+in+medicine&oq=biochips+in+me&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j0i10i22i30j0i22i30j0i10i22i30j0i22i30l2j0i10i22i30j0i22i30.3420j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
[11] LexInnova. (2013). Bio-chips: the Future of Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.wipo.int/edocs/plrdocs/en/lexinnova_biochips.pdf
[12] Rybyanets, A. et al. (2013). Development of new Piezoelectric Materials and Transducer Designs for Energy harvesting Devices. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287254246_Development_of_new_piezoelectric_materials_and_transducer_designs_for_energy_harvesting_devices
[13] Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics: Basic Research for Tomorrow’s Technology (1999) – New Materials and Structures. Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/read/6407/chapter/5 (https://doi.org/10.17226/6407.)
[14] Wang, H. (2013). Two dimensional Materials for Electronic Applications (PhD Thesis, MIT). Retrieved from file:///Users/francis/Downloads/868828146-MIT%20(1).pdf
[15] Smart Materials, discover the Materials with which we will shape the Future. Retrieved from https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/smart-materials-applications-examples
[16] Jordon, R. (2015). Plastic-eating worms may offer solution to mounting waste, Stanford Researchers discover.
[17] Hahn, J. (Dec 2021). Living Robots evolve to procreate in ‘astounding’ scientific Breakthrough. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/06/living-replicating-robots-xenobots-3/
[18] Wood, J (Ed), (2008). The top Ten advances in material Science. Materials Today 11 (1-2) pp.40-45. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702107703516
(https://doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(07)70351-6)
[19] Biomaterials. Retrieved from https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/biomaterials#:~:text=Metals%2C%20ceramics%2C%20plastic%2C%20glass,in%20biomedical%20products%20and%20devices.