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Nanotechnology researcher Thabo Gcwabaza just returned from the University of Clemson, South Carolina, after a six month stint as a visiting scholar |
Thabo, braced for cold weather, in front of a chemical engineering building at Clemson University |
Thabo working in the laboratory at Clemson University |
After six months in the United States as a visiting scholar, PhD student Thabo Gcwabaza returned home with valuable knowledge gained from his learning experience and the distinct possibility of collaboration. He brought both back to the CSIR.
For Thabo, it all started in 2008 in South Carolina when he gave a presentation about his work in nanotechnology. Professor Douglas Hirt from Clemson University attended Thabo’s presentation and, based on research synergies, invited him to become a visiting scholar at his Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
It was an easy decision for Thabo. After all, he was no stranger to the US, having completed all three his degrees, from Bachelors to Master’s, in the country.
“I want to grow as a researcher in a place that can provide me with the opportunity to make a real difference in society. I believe that this is the place. The CSIR is where I want to be.” |
“I also needed a challenge that would push me out of my comfort zone,” explains Thabo. “I wanted to see if I could adjust to a different environment and make a meaningful contribution at the same time.”
The project
Just before Thabo joined the South Carolina university, Hirt and a colleague, Dr Christopher Kitchens, came up with the perfect project for Thabo:
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A poly-lactic acid is a bio-based polymer. It is an option to replace fossil-fuel-type polymers (plastics).
Biodegradable cellulose
can be extracted from many different natural materials, such as sugarcane or cotton. Thabo’s project specifically used cellulose nano-crystals extracted from cotton. |
To develop methods to produce and chemically modify cellulose nanocrystals that could be filled with poly-lactic acid. The purpose? To create a biodegradable ‘plastic’.
Although the whole project was far more complex than is described here, involving the chemical engineering, chemistry and materials science departments of Clemson University, Thabo succeeded. He was even asked to extend his stint at the university by another year.
“Clemson University provided me with an exceptional experience in a working environment very conducive to research, teamwork and problem solving. But I wanted to come home,” says Thabo
Different approaches, same background
Thabo hopes to share his newly-gained knowledge and experience with his colleagues at the National Centre for Nano-structured Materials. He explains a bit more about his work at Clemson and how it compares with his current PhD topic and work at the CSIR:
“At the CSIR I work on the preparation and characterisation of polymer-blend for short-term packaging.
Thabo’s first research project was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The second, which formed part of his Master’s studies, was funded by the US Department of Defence. It entailed attaching DNA strands to a biological substrate.
Find more information on Thabo’s DNA work at http://www.marshall.edu/mbic/ |
This is also the topic of my PhD studies. What I do is to look at the interfacial tension that exists between two different materials and then modify them to make them compatible, using a nano-filler such as a nano clay particle.”
“At Clemson the focus was on chemical modification with possible applications in the medical arena, especially drug delivery, and in the general plastics industry where a need for a biodegradable alternative exists. The approach may have been different, but the background is similar and is applicable to what I do here at the CSIR.”
Collaboration opportunities
Thabo’s success at Clemson has led to plans being made by the university to send a delegation later this year to investigate collaboration opportunities with the CSIR |
Thabo’s success at Clemson has led to plans being made by the university to send a delegation to South Africa later this year. This delegation will investigate collaboration opportunities with the CSIR and University of Pretoria, where Thabo’s PhD is registered.
His reason for not extending his stay in South Carolina has a lot to do with the CSIR. He explains: “I want to grow as a researcher in a place that can provide me with the opportunity to make a real difference in society. I believe that this is the place. The CSIR is where I want to be.”
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