Q&A with Ivica Kolaric, Head of Functional Materials Department, Fraunhofer IPA
Thursday, 20 December 2018
In the first of a series of interviews with members of our Advisory Board speaker panel, we talk to Ivica Kolaric, Dipl.-Ing. FH Ivica Kolaric, MBA, Head of Functional Materials at Fraunhofer IPA.
1. As the head of the functional materials department at Fraunhofer IPA – what do you see as the most exciting developments in functional material development taking place at the moment?
There are many, but I’m particularly excited about Ultra-rugged, Large Area Sensors for connected cars.
2. What is Fraunhofer’s role in these developments?
Fraunhofer is the largest research organization for applied research in Europe. We are experts in material preparation, dispersion, application, printing, and system integration.
3. You have done a lot of work in the field of graphene commercialisation and promising applications, which applications do you think stand to benefit most from developments of graphene?
Conductive inks as pastes for printed electronics, large area sensors and conductive layers, thermal dissipation layers.
4. You have been with Fraunhofer for 18 years. What has yours (and your team’s) biggest achievements been in this time?
Fully printed EAP actuators for medical applications and as preparation methods, casted Metal Matrix composites (under atmosphere).
5. What excites you most about the future of nanomaterials?
That we just understand a bit about the potential of nanomaterials. And this fraction of knowledge is already promising a very nice future. Once we unlock the full potential of nanomaterials we’ll be able to have far better applications, better products and by the end, a better life.
6. What are you most looking forward to about The Advanced Materials Show 2019?
The UK is a powerhouse in materials and materials are going to be a vital part of almost any innovation. I am looking forward to meeting a smart and inspiring community to talk on fascinating topics across the two-day show.
Find out more about our Advisory Panel and see the other experts speakers here: https://advancedmaterialsshow.com/conference/advisory-board/