[Image above] Students gather around to share their research during the poster session on Tuesday, July 16. Credit: ACerS

 

The 2024 International Congress on Ceramics (ICC’10) took place in Montréal, Québec, Canada—sometimes known as “the Paris of North America”—from July 14­–18, 2024. The event, which was co-organized by ACerS and the International Ceramic Federation (ICF), hosted 250 attendees, including 45 students, representing 24 countries.

Between the bustling city streets and flurries of French, ICC’10 showcased a variety of events, including robust plenary speakers, an Emerging Leaders Industry panel, and a lively student poster session. The conference featured many technical sessions, covering topics such as green ceramics, educational trends in ceramics and glass, nanostructured ceramics, and more. ICC’10 also welcomed a special performance by magician Drew Murray during the Wednesday evening reception.

Magician Drew Murray invited guests onstage during his performance at the Wednesday evening reception. Credit: ACerS

“ICC’10 was my first time attending a conference outside of the United States and my first conference as a young professional instead of as a student,” says Olivia Brandt, materials engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory “I really enjoyed the intimate setting of the venue, and the schedule provided plenty of opportunities to network with people.”

Some highlights from ICC’10 are summarized below. Special thanks go to 2024 ICF president Paolo Columbo, 2024 ICC president Edgar Lara-Curzio, and ICC program chairs Lisa Rueschhoff and Miladin Radovic for helping coordinate this robust international gathering.

 

Plenary lectures navigate a plethora of novel materials and processes

Five plenary lectures took place at ICC’10 across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. These sessions provided a comprehensive overview of several novel ceramic research areas. Each plenary speaker received a certificate of appreciation after their talk.

“A lanthanide journey: Navigating materials from multimodal imaging to miniature thermometers”

Eva Hemmer, associate professor of materials chemistry at the University of Ottawa

Hemmer’s talk explored the fascinating world of lanthanide-based materials, focusing on their exceptional optical properties that make them suitable for diverse applications in biomedicine, optomagnetics, and energy conversion. She then explained the benefits of fabricating lanthanides using microwave-assisted synthesis, which allows precise control of the material’s structure and so leads to optimized optical and magnetic properties.

Credit: ACerS

“Equatic: Scaling a seawater-based atmospheric carbon removal and hydrogen co-production platform”

Gaurav Sant, professor and Pritzker Endowed Chair in Sustainability in the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles

Sant presented an innovative approach used at his company Equatic to achieve simultaneous carbon dioxide (CO2) removal and green hydrogen production from seawater. The process involves pumping seawater through a proprietary electrolyzer, which separates the water into an acid stream (liquid), a base stream (liquid), hydrogen (gas), and oxygen (gas). The acid stream is neutralized with crushed rock to avoid ocean acidification, while the base stream is exposed to the atmosphere so it reacts with carbon dioxide and forms alkaline mineral hydroxides.

Sant emphasized the process’s efficiency, noting that it captures one mole of CO2 per two moles of hydroxide produced. He also shared insights from pilot plants in Singapore and Los Angeles, showcasing the feasibility and energy efficiency of this scalable solution for large-scale CO2 removal and hydrogen co-production.

Credit: ACerS

“Learning from the past, looking to the future of ceramic additive manufacturing”

Chang-Jun Bae, principal investigator for 3D printing materials at Korea Institute of Materials Science and professor of material science and engineering at the University of Science & Technology, Republic of Korea

In this talk, Bae discussed the transformative potential of ceramic additive manufacturing in industries such as energy, communication, and biomaterials. He acknowledged the challenges that come with 3D printing ceramics, such as the defects that form during the green body and binder burn-out stages, and he elaborated on this process using numerical simulations and experiments. He then introduced an in-situ sensing system for real-time defect detection.

Credit: ACerS

“Could UHTCs and UHTCMCs be enabling solutions for extreme environments?”

Diletta Sciti, director of research at the National Research Council of the Institute of Science, Technology, and Sustainability for Ceramics

Sciti’s lecture delved into ultrahigh-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) and their composites (UHTCMCs), which are crucial for withstanding extreme conditions in space exploration and hypersonic travel. Sciti first detailed the properties of UHTCs, such as high melting points and thermal conductivity, and then the development of UHTCMCs that offer improved damage tolerance and thermal shock resistance.  She finished by discussing the challenges and scale-up issues that come with deploying these advanced materials in real-world applications.

Credit: ACerS

“Innovations in nanostructured 3D-printed bioceramics for personalized bone healing”

Hala Zreigat, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Unit, University of Sydney, Australia

Zreiqat’s presentation focused on the development of nanostructured, 3D-printed bioceramics for personalized bone healing. She outlined strategies for creating engineered biomaterials that enhance the repair of critical bone defects, particularly in aging populations with impaired regenerative responses.

Zreiqat emphasized the customization of implants to meet patient-specific needs, detailing fabrication techniques that allow precise control over the shape, size, structure, and architecture of bioceramics. She also discussed the antibacterial properties of these materials, showcasing their potential in advancing bone and tissue regeneration in various clinical applications.

Credit: ACerS

 

Incoming ICF president and ECerS­–ACerS Joint Award winner announced

Two important announcements were made before dinner on Wednesday evening. First, current ICF president Paolo Columbo announced that Sylvia Johnson, ACerS past president (2018–2019) and Distinguished Life Member, would be the next ICF president. Then, Columbo was presented with the ECerS–ACerS Joint Award by ACerS president Rajendra Bordia and European Ceramic Society Fellow Jon Binner. This award recognizes individuals who foster international cooperation between ACerS and ECerS in demonstration of both organizations’ commitment to work together to better serve the international ceramics community.

Current and future ICF presidents Paolo Columbo and Sylvia Johnson pose together onstage before the Wednesday evening dinner. Credit: ACerS

 

Networking and mentoring help engage students and young professionals

ICC’10 also provided networking opportunities for the students who attended, including the welcome reception on Sunday evening, the poster session on Tuesday evening, and the Emerging Leaders Industry panel on Wednesday. These events, along with the new ACerS Conference Mentor Program, allowed students to connect with peers and professionals alike to discuss their research and network.

The ACerS Conference Mentor Program, launched earlier this year at the Glass & Optical Materials Division annual meeting, saw seven mentors paired with 14 mentees at ICC’10. Many of these participants also attended the Emerging Leaders Industry panel luncheon, which provided a relaxed environment to chat over lunch.

Participants in the ACerS Conference Mentor Program at ICC’10. Credit: ACerS

View more photos from ICC’10 on ACerS Flickr page. We look forward to seeing everyone at ICC’11 in 2026, which will be held in Japan!

Author

Helen Widman

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