Page 41 - EngineerIT June 2022

INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTS AND INNOVATION

CSIR scientist ranked among

SA’s top materials scientists

ore than 30 000 knowledge when it comes to wound
scientific publications healing materials, because we can
Mhave cited Professor predict how a material might interact
Suprakas’s nanotech inventions and with human skin, and we can predict
discoveries over the last 15 years. side effects like swelling or secondary
Prof Suprakas is a chief researcher infection.”
and manager at the Council for He says his multidisciplinary
Scientific and Industrial Research team is also making an incredible
(CSIR)’s Centre for Nanostructures and impact on sustainable agriculture and
Advanced Materials at the Department environmentally friendly chemicals, first
of Science and Innovation - CSIR by developing new ‘green’ materials,
Nanotechnology Innovation Centre. He and then by transferring those “For any new materials that we are
leads one of the CSIR’s most productive technologies to industry. trying to develop, we now ask ourselves
research groups, working on new “We are serving seven different what the fate of that material will
materials for smart packaging, energy, industries right now,” says Ray. For be,” he says. For instance, his team is
sensors, carbon dioxide conversion, instance, the team is working with working on smart packaging made from
water purification, drug delivery, Sappi on biomass conversion, which plant-based polymer nanocomposites,
cosmetics, manufacturing and even means finding value-added uses for which can be discarded to biodegrade
wound healing. the plant waste created during their without harming the environment.
According to figures collected by paper-making process. The team is Ray says that they are now also
prominent website, research.com, in also working with Engen on processing using data science to streamline the
December 2021, Ray’s 615 research optimisation for environmentally research process. “Say for instance we
articles had been cited 34 509 times benign polymers, and has provided want to develop a new plastic material,
by scientists from over 180 different medical nanotechnologies to 3Sixty there are thousands of research papers
countries. This is a measure of his Health. already available on plastic materials
output and performance as a scholar, “We have been setting up our known as polypropylene composites.
and the website ranks him as South centre for the last decade, and now we Before wasting time and money testing
Africa’s number two researcher in are moving fast. In the next decade, we new plastics blindly, we can first gather
materials science. will do more and more.” all this available data and use artificial
“My name is ranked, yes, but it is He says that one of the most intelligence (AI) to predict how new
really a team achievement as a research important ways to keep the team materials will work, so that we can
centre, as the CSIR and as a country,” moving so fast is to develop their select only the best candidates to test,”
he says. management skills. “You can be a good he explains.
“For our group, this kind of scientist but if you don’t know how to He says that this all comes neatly
recognition means we are making an manage a project you won’t make an full circle because the very AI that he
impact in the science community. It impact.” uses relies on nanotechnologies and
means we are doing something relevant To him, being rated South Africa’s materials developed by top scientists
for the world, and that really boosts our second-highest materials scientist is like him.
motivation. It also means that funders simply a steppingstone to bigger things. “The future lies in advanced
can see how well our researchers are “We want to be even more relevant to manufacturing, robotics and AI. These
doing.” society and industry. We want to see, industries need tougher, lighter, more
He says that the ranking reflects in four to five years, that we are top in intelligent materials that don’t disturb
the hard work of the centre’s junior the country and in Africa. We are doing the environment or human health.”
and senior experts in fields as diverse something good here, so we would The demand for such materials
as modelling, chemistry, biochemistry, like to be number one in relevance and is already booming globally, and Ray
engineering and physics. cutting-edge science.” and his team are now in a comfortable
“We have the most diverse team, Ray says “cutting edge” today sprint to meet that need. “You cannot
which we have built from the bottom means researching and creating invent if you are not moving fast. If you
up,” he says. “For example, we can draw sustainable materials in the most are even a little bit slow, you will be out
on computer modelling and medical efficient way possible. of the race.”

EngineerIT | June 2022 | 39