Research scientist Marie-Louise Cairns gave Department for Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey a close-up look at a radio-frequency magnetron sputter system during a tour of research facilities at the Jordanstown campus.

Sir Reg was visiting the campus for a briefing on the work of the University from the Vice-Chancellor and senior academics, including Professor Jim McLaughlin, Director of the Nanotechnology & Advanced Materials Research Institute, and Professor Neil Hewitt, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Technology.

The sputter system can be used to modify the surface of orthopaedic biomaterials, e.g. total joint replacements such as hip and knee, to improve their bioactivity and – following integration into the body – thereby extending the life time of the implant.

The long-term aim is to produce ‘smart’ surfaces that could effectively control bone tissue regeneration both in vivo and in vitro.

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young