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NANOSCIENCE
Modeling a Realm Where Everything Is Different
The nanoscale—between 10 and 100 billionths of a meter—is the scale at which the fundamental properties of materials and systems are established. Melting temperature, magnetic properties, charge capacity, and even color are dictated by the arrangement of nanoscale structures. The realm of molecular biology also operates largely at the nanoscale.
While much is known about the physical properties and behavior of isolated molecules and bulk materials, the properties of matter at the nanoscale cannot necessarily be predicted from those observed at larger or smaller scales. Nanoscale structures exhibit important differences that cannot be explained by traditional models and theories.
Research at the nanoscale aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the unique properties and phenomena that emerge at this length scale as well as the ability to tailor those properties and phenomena to produce new materials and technologies in fields as diverse as electronics, biotechnology, medicine, transportation, agriculture, environment, and national security. But a quantitative understanding of nanoscale systems requires development of new computational methods. This section focuses on one application central to DOE’s mission: promoting clean and efficient energy production.