Argonne dedicates new Center for Nanoscale Materials
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ARGONNE, Ill. (Sept. 18, 2006) – The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National
Laboratory is moving to the forefront of the materials science revolution
today with the opening of its Center for Nanoscale
Materials.
Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of
roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.
A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, about 70,000 times smaller than the
width of a human hair.
“Argonne's new Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of five DOE facilities
that our Office of Science is
building to provide the nation's research community with state-of-the-art resources,” Secretary
of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. “The
fundamental research conducted at the center is expected to accelerate the
revolution that has already begun in nanotechnology and lead to a better understanding
of the behavior of nanomaterials.”
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said, “Nanotechnology is the most significant
technological frontier being explored today. Materials and devices at the nanoscale
level hold vast promise to help us cure the sick, protect our environment and
make us more secure. But that is only the beginning. By investing in cutting
edge research projects like this one at Argonne with the Department of Energy,
we're proving why Illinois continues to be a national leader in scientific
innovation that is changing our world and creating better jobs for more people.”
At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical and biological properties of materials
differ in fundamental and valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms
and molecules or bulk matter. “It's hard to imagine a technology that won't
be impacted by nanoscience, including biotechnology, computation, materials
development and energy technology,” said Eric Isaacs, center director. "The
list is endless."
The Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne will integrate nanoscale research
with Argonne's existing capabilities in synchrotron X-ray studies, neutron-based
materials research and electron microscopy with new capabilities in nanosynthesis,
nanofabrication, nanomaterials characterization, and theory and simulation.
The center is one of five being built at national laboratories across the country
as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Nanoscale Science Research Center
program under the Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
Nanoparticles are dominated by surfaces and interfaces with other materials,
therefore it's important to understand how they relate to a material's atomic
structure and surface chemistry. This is where a number of disciplines come
into play, including materials physics, surface chemistry and organic chemistry.
For example, it has been recently demonstrated that the color of the emission
from a semiconductor nanoparticle can be controlled not only by size, but by
binding a single or a few organic molecules to the surface.
Researchers hope this facility will lead to the creation of new materials
that transcend the performance-limiting present-day materials and processes.
These materials, incorporated into new devices and applications — such as ultra
strong permanent magnet nanocomposites, magnetic electronics and sensors, solar
energy conversion and storage systems, and molecular conductors — offer specific
functionality for diverse energy-related applications.
Work at the CNM will also look at integrating novel materials, specifically
bio-organic and inorganic materials. This research will lead to the creation
of entirely new classes of materials with tailored functionalities coupled
with individual components.
The center will also have the multidisciplinary ability to mix and combine
materials with patterning. “We want to go beyond making materials and create
novel devices,” Isaacs said.
The center's mission also includes the development of state-of-the-art tools,
which includes a joint project with the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne to
develop the world's best X-ray microscope to study these novel materials. “If
you're making little things,” Isaacs notes, “you need a tool to look at them.
The resolving power of this instrument will be 1,000 times better than an optical
microscope,” said Isaacs. “Since X-rays can penetrate materials non-destructively,
researchers will be able to determine the three-dimensional structure of nanoparticles
embedded in host materials or under growth conditions. Using this tool to characterize
extremely small structures will help build, atom by atom, new materials with
desired properties.”
Another part of the facility unique to the Midwest and crucial to the development
of nanomaterials is an 11,000-square-foot clean room with state-of-the-art
nanofabrication capabilities. “When you're trying to make small materials,
the smallest speck of dust is huge and can easily spoil the material,” said
Isaacs.
The center is now in the early phase of accepting users. Over the next year
and a half it will fill with people and tools until it is fully operational
in October 2008. The center was built as a joint partnership between the Department
of Energy and the State of Illinois. The State of Illinois provided $36 million
for the 85,000-square-foot building. The Department of Energy is providing
$36 million to develop and build the facility's advanced instrumentation and
will provide the necessary funds for its operation as a user facility.
“We expect the CNM to attract hundreds of researchers to Argonne each year,” said
Isaacs. “What they accomplish here will forever change how we view materials
and how we put them to work to improve our world.”
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology.
The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic
and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne
researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities,
and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific
problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for
a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed
by UChicago
Argonne, LLC for
the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
For more information, please
contact Steve McGregor (630/252-5580 or media@anl.gov)
at Argonne.
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