Maltese research published in leading international scientific journal

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Professor Joseph N. Grima said that various scientists from the Metamaterials Unit within the University of Malta’s Science Faculty have long questioned the way materials and structures behave when subjected to pressure, heat, or stretching.

The unit, composed of Prof Grima, Dr Reuben Gatt, Ms Daphne Attard, and other co-workers, questioned common assumptions and determined that one should never assure what seems obvious, and that materials and structures can respond in unexpected ways to particular stimuli or conditions.

Grima said that following the unit’s research conducted in Malta ongoing since 2004, Professor Andrew Domenic Fortes (University College London) and co-worker Emannuelle Suard and Kevin S. Knight performed tests on real materials (methanol monohydrate) that appears to have confirmed the behaviours predicted by Maltese researchers.

“It was in this light that Science magazine requested that Maltese researchers prepare a ‘perspective’ article on the matter,” Grima announced. “This request highlights the excellent international regard in which the Maltese science team is currently held. The perspective article will be published in this Friday’s (11 February) issue of the magazine.”

During the press conference,  Grima also explained that the materials in question have multiple real-world application, ranging from automotive applications (crash absorption), construction technology (bridges, girders), medical technology (internal stents), and safety technology (safety shock padding, crash helmets).

“The public should be aware that this technology could not only end up in your homes, but also – hopefully not – inside you too,” Grima remarked lightly.

Currently, the project that is closest to commercialisation is a foam material that is at an advanced stage of development that will see use in the automotive industry.

But this is not the first time work by Maltese scientists has been recognised by Science. Last summer, Sciene’s online website portal featured work published by Grima, Ms Elaine Manicaro, and Ms Daphne Attard in a prestigious journal (Proceedings of the Royal Society).

Grima emphasised that this development is proof positive of how the funding by the Malta Council for Science and Technology is leading to concrete achievements and is helping put Malta on the international science map.

With 30% of the publications in existence on research into these materials, Malta is in the top 4 leading countries which are breaking new ground into the field.

Speaking during the event, MCST chairperson Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando stressed the government’s commitment to continued investment in scientific research, pointing out how it increased the council’s funding allocation by €1 million in the latest budget.

He expressed hopes that the MCST will be able to encourage and support the eventual commercialisation of such technologies and assist their breakthrough into real-world applications.