Friday, May 11 , 2007Volume 7, Issue 3
Materials Day 2007 Nano: Expanding the Frontier
The theme of Materials Day at Penn State on April 10-11was the science, the future, and the commercial viability of nanotechnology, which is the ability to control and manipulate matter on the scale of atoms, molecules, and macromolecules. Organized by Penn State's Materials Research Institute to bring University materials faculty and students together with industry representatives, and to showcase the results of University research, Materials Day 2007 was rich in both scientific information and opportunities for interaction among the materials community.
Prior to the official opening address on Tuesday afternoon, several important University/Industry Centers held their meetings in conjunction with Materials Day. Among those, the Center for Dielectric Studies, with a focus on electronic and piezoelectric materials and devices, is the premier university/industry center in terms of longevity in the nation, with many worldwide partners sponsoring research in capacitors, integrated components, and microwave materials. The youngest center, as of Materials Day, was the Center for the Study of Polymeric Systems (CSPS), which conducted its kick-off meeting on April 10th. Leveraging Penn State's expertise in polymer research and education, the CSPS has already entered into partnership with nine leading chemical and product manufacturers.
With its inaugural meeting beginning the day after the close of Materials Day, the Center of Excellence in Structural Health Monitoring quickly took over the position of youngest center. This Ben Franklin-sponsored center of excellence intends to advance the state of the art in structural health monitoring and make central Pennsylvania a magnet for the wide range of companies providing fitness-for-service diagnostics and prognostics for buildings, aircraft, bridges and roadways, and even the human body. Also meeting in conjunction with Materials Day was the Center for Sintered Products, a long-running partnership with the powder metal industry.
Nano Workshop and Tours
A new addition to Materials Day was an industry workshop on Competitive Modern Manufacturing through Nanotechnology, hosted by the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU). The CNEU is dedicated to research, development, and education across all aspects of micro- and nanotechnology. The well attended workshop gave industry representatives the opportunity to learn how the CNEU and the Pennsylvania Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology (NMT) Partnership can help companies incorporate nanotechnology into their processes and hire or train skilled nanotechnology workers.
Following the workshop, some 60 industry attendees took advantage of tours of the nano facilities in the nearby Materials Research Institute Building. Staff of the CNEU, the Materials Characterization Lab, and the Nanofab explained the capabilities of their labs, instruments, and the class 10 through 1000 clean rooms available for research and teaching. The tours were followed by a box lunch and conversations throughout the facility.
Keynote Address Targets Commercialization Barriers
There are numerous potholes and diversions on the road to nanotechnology commercialization, Mitch Horowitz, Director of Strategy at the global science and technology company Battelle's Technology Partnership Practice, cautioned a crowd of industry visitors and Penn State researchers in the keynote address. Despite forecasts of a $20 trillion impact in the manufacturing sector worldwide within a few years, Horowitz warned that due to overlapping patents, the high cost of facilities, a 5- to 7-year lead-time in materials development, and uncertainty of the valuation of nano as a business model, large companies and investors are slow to adopt nanotechnology.
Mitch Horowitz of Battelle discusses the pitfalls of nano commercialization
As a result, the future of nano commercialization lies with startups, he said. For startups, however, the Valley of Death is in proof of concept and prototyping. Without venture capital, it is the role of economic development agencies to help startups enable devices. He suggested the following: Focus on the application. Be first with a new product. Build consortia, such as bionano, sensors, or alternative energy. Foster strategic partnerships with industry. Tap into federal and state funding, including SBIRs and Ben Franklin, to develop prototypes.
His concluding advice: Nanotechnology will have to show impact on devices and systems to attract venture capital.
Panel Explores Pennsylvania's Role in Nanotech
Three panelists from various Pennsylvania organizations spoke to the need to reduce barriers to nano commercialization. Rebecca Bagley of the Pennsylvania Department of Community Economic Development remarked on the DCED's investment of $63 million in nano, which was matched by $70 million from the federal government. Pennsylvania has a strong base of research institutes, she told the audience, with strengths in MEMS, Pharma/ Biotech, Advanced Materials, and Chemicals. The commonwealth is ranked 7th in nanotechnology R&D.
Anthony Green of the Ben Franklin Partnership of SE Pennsylvania represented the Nanotechnology Institute, an alliance of businesses and state agencies with a vision to make the Mid-Atlantic region a hub of nanotechnology commercialization. With an emphasis on bio-nano, the NTI involves 13 universities and institutions. All of the participating institutions have agreed to pool their intellectual property to offer packages of IP to industry.
Alan Brown heads the PA Nanomaterials Commercialization Center located in Pittsburgh. The Center's purpose is to bridge the Valley of Death by providing the funding necessary to get from proof of concept to early prototype. "Researchers are good at solving problems," Brown said. "Small companies are good at coming up with good ideas. And large companies have access to markets." The Center connects some of the nation's largest materials companies, including PPG, US Steel, and Bayer Materials with Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, and the University of Pennsylvania, along with the Pittsburgh Technology Council to review and fund promising nanomaterials research.
A Stellar Cast of Scientists Expands the Nano Frontiers
Fraser Stoddart of UCLA, Jeffrey Sanders of the Air Force Research Lab, Mike Chudzick of IBM, and Akhlesh Lakhtakia of Penn State described the new frontiers of nanotechnology as they expand their own fields of research.
Dr. Stoddart holds the Fred Kavli Chair of NanoSystems Sciences at UCLA and is director of the California Nanosystems Institute. His work with rotaxanes - dumbbell shaped molecules that can be used as molecular switches - has led to molecular RAM in computing, which Stoddart suggests will put the computer industry more than a decade ahead of the 2005 roadmap for semiconductor devices.
Dr. Sanders is the Chief of the Interfaces and Surfaces Branch of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB. He outlined the Air Force's use of nanotechnology in coatings, including nickel nanostrands on surfaces for conductivity and to mitigate lightning strikes on nonmetallic aircraft materials. Nanomaterials are also used to strengthen polymers and in miniaturization of satellites and flying sensors. With Penn State, the Air Force has developed hard coatings for anti-fretting turbine engine blades. Futuristic nano functionalities include shape-memory morphing technologies such as aircraft wings, chameleon nano composites with self-adjusting surfaces, nanostructured fullerene coatings that could operate in harsh climates, and MEMS devices.
Dr. Chudzick, head of IBM's 45nm node research group, told the audience that IBM's latest chip advance, announced in January 2007, is the biggest in 40 years. The high-K dielectrics and metal gate technology for transistors could allow chips to shrink to the 45nm node by 2008.
Dr. Lakhtakia, Charles Grover Binder professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, is a two-time winner of Nanotech Briefs Nano50 Award. He discussed trends in materials research leading to composite materials designed for complex systems performance. A new class of structured materials, called metamaterials, enabled by nanotechnology can produce multifunctional devices and complex systems to enhance and control electromagnetic waves. Metamaterials can produce "perfect lenses," advanced miniaturized antennas and filters, and "smart" glass that controls visible and infrared light.
Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Awards Presented
Eva Pell, Della and Rustum Roy, Walter Luscher, Thomas Mullen III, Qing Wang
Internationally renowned Penn State materials scientists Rustum and Della Roy joined Eva Pell, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, to present awards for innovative research to Walter Luscher, Ph.D. student in Materials Science, for developing novel methods for creating aggregates that exhibit either a metallic coating or porous core structure with a dense outer shell. Thomas Mullen III, Ph.D. student in chemistry, was recognized for his development of self- and directed-assembly techniques for fabricating molecularly precise structures on the 1-100 nm scale.
The award to a junior faculty member was presented to Qing Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, for designing new electroactive polymers and polymer nanocomposites for applications in energy storage and harvesting.
An industry reception, table-top exhibits, and interactive poster session featuring more than 100 student and faculty posters rounded out the 2-day event, making this the most successful Materials Day to date.
To view the complete program and poster abstracts, visit http://www.mri.psu.edu/events/materialsday/
