Robbie Ward

rward2@greenvillenews.com

Bubble-filled glass created by Clemson University researchers produces images clearer than the best commercially manufactured optical fibers available for invasive medical procedures.

The reach and scope of this discovery could lead to endoscopes taking clearer images to identify digestive problems, colon cancer, ulcers and other serious medical concerns.

The milestone achievement earned a spot on Physics World's Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2014. The research was published early this year in the journal Nature Communications.

John Ballato, a Clemson professor of materials science and engineering, led efforts to manufacture the glass optical fiber at the university's Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies. He said the optical fiber created contained bubbles comparable to foam on beer, making the glass hard to see through when viewed from the side.

"It turns out if you make those bubbles the right size relative to the size of the light and put them in a structure like a fiber, then, low and behold, a whole different branch of physics opens up," Ballato said. "And you can get a greater ability to image something."

The international monthly magazine published by the Institute of Physics recognizes outstanding research, discoveries and other achievements in the annual list. Achievements recognized this year include scientific milestones ranging from nuclear physics to nanotechnology. A European Space Agency's spacecraft landing on a comet for the first time received the top honor on the list.

Physics World editor Matin Durrani said scientific efforts on the list faced stiff competition from research published worldwide. Editorial staff, most with advanced degrees in physics, select the breakthroughs each year based on the fundamental importance of the research, significant advance in knowledge, strong connection between theory and experiment, and general interest to all physicists.

"We made our choice on the more than 250 news stories we wrote during the year, although those were whittled down from the many thousands of papers we check out each year," Durrani said in an email to The Greenville News.

The team responsible for producing the thin optical fiber included Ballato and a technician at Clemson's Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies as well as others at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Corning Inc.

Project researchers say their work has created opportunities to create imaging fibers based on a theory in the field of condensed physics. The theory known as "Anderson localization" was first formulated in 1958 by physicist Philip Anderson, who shared the 1977 Nobel Prize related to the work.

Researchers Karl W. Koch and Arash Mafi thought of the idea to make the optic fiber while both were employed at Corning Inc. Mafi, who further developed the idea as an associate professor at the University of Madison-Milwaukee, said additional research could likely refine the discovery.

"An important future goal for this research is to improve the specifications of the glass disordered fiber for high-quality image transport," said Mafi, now at the University of New Mexico. "The contribution of Professor Ballato's team has been instrumental in advancing the project and we certainly hope that our collaborations continue in the future."

Ballato's history of strong research and his success in transferring it to commercial applications led to a new position in March, when he was appointed Clemson's vice president for economic development. Related to his research, Ballato has developed and managed numerous programs reaching $46 million in funding and has co-founded three South Carolina-based companies. He holds more than 25 U.S. and foreign patents.

The new job involves blending innovation and economic development goals throughout the university. However, the scientist and administrator said his research won't disappear. He sees it as important to his new role working to commercialize the university's research across all disciplines. It's also a key reason why he entered academia.

"There's a credibility involved when you've successfully done what you ask others to do," Ballato said. "I'll always maintain my research, one of the reasons I came to the university in the first place."

Research, commercialization and economic development have strong interconnections in laboratories and the marketplace. Innovations from university-funded research often create new jobs and businesses. Inversely, research requires financial support to advance more innovations. Sources of competitive research funding like the National Science Foundation place as much emphasis on research's broader impact as its intellectual merit.

Mafi received $408,000 in NSF support for the optical fiber project through a grant supporting young university faculty with outstanding research. However, he said funding for the project recently ended.

"In order to continue this research and pick the fruits of the trees that we have planted over the past four years, we need to secure new sources of funding," he said. "All we can do at this point is to keep our hopes high and do our research."