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The Center for Nanoscale Materials will abut Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. |
Scientific disciplines blur as researchers work together to understand nanomaterial secrets |
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Nanoscience and nanotechnology remain among the hottest areas of research, both nationally and at Argonne, where scientists are improving existing technology and establishing new areas for future exploration. The promise of nanoresearch to bring together the various scientific disciplines is being fulfilled, and the laboratory has been designated home to one of the Department of Energy’s five new Nanoscale Science Research Centers. The final design work on Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) is underway, with equipment acquisition and building construction planned to start by spring 2004. “Argonne is an ideal site for CNM,” said Eric Isaacs, the new director of the center. “Our research at the nanoscale is superb, and we are the only place in the country with hard X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source, neutrons at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source and electron microscopy—three powerful and complementary tools for nanoresearch.” Funding for the CNM building is being provided by the State of Illinois, with $36 million appropriated. The Department of Energy’s budget includes $36 million for CNM instrumentation, including the pioneering nanoprobe beam line to be built on the Advanced Photon Source. The CNM should be operating fully in 2007. In the interim, Argonne scientists continue investigating the nanoworld.
On the nanoscale, where the basic unit of measurement, the nanometer, represents one billionth of a meter, the distinctions among materials science, chemistry, physics, biology and other disciplines blur. Researchers in these disciplines are bringing their knowledge together, exploring new frontiers by integrating techniques and concepts across traditional boundaries. This cross-cutting research has substantial implications for most areas of technology. Atoms and molecules exhibit new properties when confined to the nanoscale, and composites with new properties and functionality can be created when such confined objects are put near each other. “Most importantly, the opportunity exists to create such miniature systems from the bottom up, using the nanoscale principle of self-organization,” said Sam Bader, scientific director of the CNM. “Traditionally, miniaturization is achieved, as in microchips, by sculpting materials from the top down. That principle has worked well for about half a century, but we are reaching its limits. Bottom up is the call of the future. It allows us to create materials that are not just smaller, cheaper and ‘greener,’ but that possess new attributes, inspired by biological systems, such as self-healing and self-repairing materials, and systems that adapt to changing environments.” In addition to developing CNM, Argonne has joined with the University of Chicago to establish the Consortium for Nanoscience Research. This connection brings together researchers from the two institutions to focus on interdisciplinary research. “We’re doing a lot of important innovative science, cross-cutting disciplines,” said George Crabtree, director of Argonne’s Materials Science Division. “Consortium meetings are one of the most important places we get together, and people are really thinking out of the box. Half of our work is out in what are, effectively, new fields.” See nano.anl.gov For more information, please contact Richard Greb. |