X-rays and Neutrons:
ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR NANOSCIENCE RESEARCH

Washington, D.C., June 16-18, 2005

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Report Probes Key Tools for Nanoscience Research

X-Rays and Neutrons: Essential Tools for Nanoscience Research is the report of the NNI workshop, held June 16-18, 2005, that explored how x-ray and neutron scattering techniques are being used to characterize and process materials, devices, and systems at the nanoscale and are considered prospects for advancing the field. The meeting participants and chairs propose a 20-year roadmap for x-ray and neutron nanoscience, and identify cross-cutting themes to catalyze future research.

Workshop Presentations are also available.

The workshop was sponsored by the Science and Engineering and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) and the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).

Summary

Virtually all of the grand challenges in nanotechnology have as overriding themes the need to determine the structure over a wide range of length scales and to understand how the combination of the structure and dynamics leads to their unique properties. Both x-rays and neutrons cover all the length scales of interest in nanoscience, from the atomic structure of individual building blocks to the configuration of assembled, functional structures, making them essential tools for the elucidation of these challenges.

The workshop is one of a series of workshops in support of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategic Plan prepared by the Nanoscale Science and Engineering and Technology Subcommittee (NSTC), recently updated in December 2004 as part of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (Public Law 108-153).

As called for in the Strategic Plan, the workshop will provide a guiding strategy to policy makers for the development of essential scattering tools for R&D in nanotechnology. The workshop report will be developed by internationally renowned participants who will identify frontier problems in their fields from experimental and theoretical perspectives by addressing the essential questions:

• Which of the outstanding problems in nanoscale synthesis, structure, dynamics and properties can be addressed using X-ray and neutron techniques such as scattering, imaging and spectroscopy, and how can these techniques help illuminate the important and urgent issues at the nanoscale?
• How might the current resource base in X-ray and neutron scattering techniques be augmented and used in solving outstanding problems in nanoscale science?

A scholarship program will also provide the opportunity for selected early career researchers to participate fully in the workshop and the development of the ensuing report.

Projected Outcomes

The workshop will bring together established experts and young scientists from the x-ray, neutron, and nanoscience/nanotechnology communities to discuss future research directions and opportunities. The goal of the workshop is to identify and promote the innovations in scattering techniques and related instrumentation required to tackle the exciting challenges of nanotechnology research now and for the future. The focus of this workshop will be to identify frontier problems in nanoscience such as understanding interfacial structures, nano-systems, confinement, and self-assembly of hard materials, soft materials, and biomaterials which can be elucidated through the use of x-ray and neutron scattering techniques.

After these research opportunities are identified, the workshop report will outline a roadmap for the prioritized development of these critical resources. Specifically, the workshop report will address the following goals:

• Identify the challenges in characterization at the nanoscale for the next 5-10 years that may be addressed using x-ray or neutron scattering techniques.
• Identify the instrumentation and techniques that must be developed to meet these challenges and allow research in nanoscience to advance.
• Identify both short and long term R&D in areas such as beam optics, detectors and in-situ characterization that will be required to support this vision.

The workshop report will be an effective tool for funding agencies, principal investigators, academia and industry to coordinate their long term investment strategies.

Supported By

• U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences
• National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Center for Neutron Research
• National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Sciences

Workshop Chairs:

• Ian Anderson (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Spallation Neutron Source)
• Linda Horton (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences)
• Eric Isaacs (Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials, and University of Chicago)
• Mark Ratner (Northwestern University)

Workshop Organizers:

• Ian Anderson (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Spallation Neutron Source)
• Kristin Bennett (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences)
• Al Ekkebus (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Spallation Neutron Source)
• Pat Gallagher (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
• Phillip Lippel (National Nanotechnology Coordination Office)
• Linda Horton (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences)
• Eric Isaacs (Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials)
• Helen Kerch (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences)
• Celia Merzbacher (Office of Science and Technology Policy)
• Mark Ratner (Northwestern University)
• Guebre Tessema (National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research)

Contacts

Allen E. Ekkebus, Spallation Neutron Source,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email ekkebusae@sns.gov,
Phone: 865-241-5644.

Summary

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Presentations/Agenda

Scholarships

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Organizers

Contacts