European Coatings Conference planned.

For the fifth time, the European Coatings Conference, dedicated to "Smart coatings," will take place May 15-16 at the Holiday Inn Berlin Esplanade in Berlin, Germany.

Fourteen international experts from academia and industry have been invited to deliver high-level technical presentations about their research results and to answer questions about their practical applicability.

Four technical sessions planned for the conference will focus on novel coatings ingredients; responsive systems triggered by light; molecular surface design; and life science applications.

Session 1 on "Novel materials" will discuss developments showing application potential in functional coating systems, including conductive polymers, ionic liquids, inorganic fullerenes and nanotubes, as well as controlled-release nanocapsules.

Session 2 on "Let there be light" will examine intelligent, smart coatings, referring to systems that respond to external stimuli with a controlled change of properties. In this session, novel systems that use light as their trigger will be featured.

Session 3 on "Smart surface design" will include five presentations highlighting possibilities which range from switchable hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity to the controlled design of complex patterned or three-dimensional polymeric structures.

Session 4 on "Life science applications" will examine industrial coatings and biology, and the increasing range of applications which combine both worlds.

Further information on the European Coatings Conference is available from Vincentz Network, tel.: [phone]; fax: [phone].