Adel Francis

Presentation

Francis is a Senior researcher or Professor of Ceramics at CMRDI with PhD, MSc and BSC chemistry degrees from university of Ain shams (Egypt), and Visiting Scientists at Imperial college London and Connecticut university, USA. In 2003, he was a visiting researcher at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and in 2011/2014 he conducted research at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU, Germany). He is a member of numerous scientific bodies such as the Royal society of chemistry (UK), the Egyptian syndicate for Professional Scientists and the German Society of Humboldtians. From 2007 to 2009 he did research at Technical University of Darmstadt as a Humboldt research fellow. His research is broad and encompasses a number of the various areas that fall under the heading of Materials Science and engineering. His research interests are centered on the relationships between the processing, microstructure and functional properties of ceramic and composite materials. He investigates functionalization strategies to modify metallic biomaterial surfaces (e.g. magnesium-based alloys) for medical implants and bone regeneration. Another important research area is the biological and functional behavior of organosilicon polymer-derived silicon-based ceramic composites for biomedical and engineering applications. Francis is a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation (AvH), and an alumnus of the FAU and DAAD.

Research Project

Biodegradable Magnesium is a significant and fascinating alternative to permanent metallic implants (e.g. stainless steel, cobalt-chromium, and titanium alloys) for orthopedic and dental applications. However, the vulnerability of magnesium to corrosion under physiological conditions has limited its introduction for therapeutic and clinical applications. Therefore, coating of magnesium seems to be a promising approach as it not only enables improvement in corrosion resistance but also provides a suitable surface for better bone bonding and cell growth. This project explores the surface modification of magnesium substrates by using a corrosion resistant coating made of organosilicon polymers /bioactive glass(BG) composites (in the presence of other additives, e.g. chitosan) via different coating techniques. The interdisciplinary nature of organosilicon polymers and their molecular structures, as well as their diversity of applications have resulted in an unprecedented range of devices and synergies cutting across unrelated fields in biology and engineering. Proper control of the treatment conditions and bioactive glass contents of the coating in combination with other additives (e.g. chitosan,..) is considered as being a proper way to stabilize the composite film, and to relate changes in the composition of the organosilicon matrix to the physical, biological and mechanical properties of the final composite product. In the end, development of new corrosion resistant coatings is expected to open up a new era in the engineering of materials for medicine and especially for orthopedic and dental applications.