DETROIT—U.S.
Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today in Detroit
announced the launch of a state-of-the-art center for collaborative
nanotechnology research at Commerce’s National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST). Scientists from U.S. companies,
universities and government will focus on overcoming major
technical obstacles to cost-effective manufacturing of products
made with components the size of atoms and molecules.
Speaking
on the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative
to the Detroit Economic Club, Gutierrez described the new
center as an important, and needed, addition to the nation’s
nanotechnology research efforts.
“The
President is committed to strengthening American competitiveness
by funding basic research,” said Gutierrez. “The
national Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology will
help the private sector develop innovative products like more
efficient batteries, lighter-weight and higher performing
materials for aircraft and autos, and smaller computer chips
to power digital devices.”
NIST’s
new Center
for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) features a
growing research staff that will blend many types of specialized
expertise—physics and chemistry to mechanical engineering
and computer science. CNST also houses a Nanofabrication Facility,
or Nanofab. This large “clean room” is equipped
with a still-growing array of state-of-the-art tools for making,
testing and characterizing prototype nanoscale devices and
materials. These instruments will be available to collaborators
and to outside users.
Under
the American Competitiveness Initiative, the President has
proposed a $20 million increase in funding for NIST’s
nanotechnology research in fiscal year 2007. Part of the proposed
increase would be used to speed the ramp-up of CNST research
and services.
CNST
is based in NIST’s new Advanced Measurement Laboratory,
ideal for nanotechnology research because environmental influences,
such as vibration or variation in temperature, can be controlled
to extreme levels. CNST’s prime objective is to lay
the technical groundwork necessary for U.S. industry to translate
nanotechnology’s many anticipated offerings into practical
realities—manufacturable, market-ready products.
Through
the CNST, partnering researchers also will have access to
NIST’s vast wealth of advanced measurement capabilities
that exist outside its Nanofab.
Hallmarks
of NIST’s new center of excellence will be its twin
focus on measurement and manufacturing at the nanoscale, which
are two key priorities of the federal government’s National
Nanotechnology Initiative, and CNST’s emphasis on long-term
partnerships.
As it
progresses to full-scale operation, CNST already has launched
its in-house research program, and the center’s Nanofab
has completed installing a variety of fabrication equipment
and measurement instrumentation, which is now being tested
and verified. For more information on CNST, go to http://cnst.nist.gov.
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