Los Alamos National LaboratoryCenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies
Helping you understand, create, and characterize nanomaterials
Research
Integration is the key to exploiting the novel properties of nanoscale materials and subsequently creating new nanotechnologies to benefit society.
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Providing the Scientific Basis for Integration of Nanoscale Materials and for Enhanced Performance
Nanoscale materials exhibit extraordinary physical, chemical, and/or biological properties. Isolated, or individual, nanoscale materials are scientifically interesting, but they rarely make significant technological impact.
Building blocks comprised of individual nanoscale materials are commonly integrated with other materials into architectures that amplify their properties (up-scaling) or lead to new ensemble behaviors (emergent phenomena). By surveying the integrated environments of greatest potential impact, and by developing a fundamental understanding of the principles that govern the integrated properties and behaviors, we can capitalize on the greatest potential for nanomaterials to have an enduring impact on scientific and technological innovations.
Nanoscale integration has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, in the same way that the development of the semiconductor-based integrated circuit (or computer “chip”) did. The development of the “chip” required the capability to integrate a large number of resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors on a single platform.
Once the “chip” was developed, it enabled countless innovations. CINT envisions similarly transformational technologies will ultimately emerge from nanomaterials integration.
Understanding the principles of nanomaterials integration has been the central theme of CINT since its inception. CINT will brings together expertise and capabilities across our four Science Thrusts.
An underlying theme of our research is a fully integrated feedback loop of synthesis, characterization, and modeling, that will allow the nanoscience community to realize, and develop the ability to predict and a priori design, unprecedented materials functionalities.
