The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
(CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a research center and user facility that integrates nanoscale science research with neutron science, synthesis science, and theory/modeling/simulation. The building provides state-of-the-art clean rooms, general laboratories, wet and dry laboratories for sample preparation, fabrication and analysis. Equipment to synthesize, manipulate, and characterize nanoscale materials and structures is included. The facility, which is collocated with the Spallation Neutron Source complex, houses over 100 research scientists and an additional 100 students and postdoctoral fellows. The CNMS’s major scientific thrusts are in nano-dimensioned soft materials, complex nanophase materials systems, and the crosscutting areas of interfaces and reduced dimensionality that become scientifically critical on the nanoscale. A major focus of the CNMS is to exploit ORNL’s unique capabilities in neutron scattering.
The Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) makes use of existing LBNL facilities such as the Advanced Light Source, the National Center for Electron Microscopy, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. The facility provides laboratories for materials science, physics, chemistry, biology, and molecular biology. State-of-the-art equipment includes clean rooms, controlled environmental rooms, scanning tunneling microscopes, atomic force microscopes, transmission electron microscope, fluorescence microscopes, mass spectrometers, DNA synthesizer and sequencer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, ultrahigh vacuum scanning-probe microscopes, photo, uv, and e-beam lithography equipment, peptide synthesizer, advanced preparative and analytical chromatographic equipment, and cell culture facilities.
The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) focuses on exploring the path from scientific discovery to the integration of nanostructures into the micro- and macro-worlds. This path involves experimental and theoretical exploration of behavior, understanding new performance regimes and concepts, testing designs, and integrating nanoscale materials and structures. CINT focus areas are nanophotonics and nanoelectronics, complex functional nanomaterials, nanomechanics, and the nanoscale/bio/microscale interfaces. CINT is jointly administered by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories. This Center makes use of a wide range of specialized facilities including the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at LANL.
The Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory focuses on understanding the chemical and physical response of nanomaterials to make functional materials such as sensors, activators, and energy-conversion devices. The facility uses existing facilities such as the National Synchrotron Light Source and the Laser Electron Accelerator facility. It also provides clean rooms, general laboratories, and wet and dry laboratories for sample preparation, fabrication, and analysis. Equipment includes that needed for laboratory and fabrication facilities for e-beam lithography, transmission electron microscopy, scanning probes and surface characterization, material synthesis and fabrication, and spectroscopy.
The Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory focuses on research in advanced magnetic materials, complex oxides, nanophotonics, and bio-inorganic hybrids. The facility uses existing facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source, the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source, and the Electron Microscopy Center. An x-ray nanoprobe beam line at the Advanced Photon Source is run by the Center for its users. The State of Illinois provided funding for construction of the building, which is appended to the Advanced Photon Source. BES provides funding for clean rooms and specialized equipment as well as the facility operations.