Williams Marcel Caceres Ferreira, research group of Gaétan Laroche, Microscope électronique à balayage

Science and art are closely linked and appeal to imagination, hypotheses, and discipline. Here, a cross-sectional image of microporous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) captured by SEM looks like three sailboats in the middle of a storm. The ePTFE is a well-known material for its properties of high chemical resistance, high thermal stability, and low surface energy. These exceptional properties make this material very interesting for the manufacture of barrier membranes and vascular grafts. To improve its biocompatibility and long-term stability, a surface modification is usually carried out with an ionized gas, called plasma. This technique allows ePTFE to be covered with nanoscale coatings, thus creating chemical functions, and changing the roughness without affecting its volume properties. In this image, the ionized wind from the plasma covers the sails of the ships in the storm, pushing them to their maximum performance. 

Research supervisor : Gaétan Laroche