Research Focus Areas of Other NNI Agencies


Many other agencies involved in the NNI are active in supporting academic research in nanoscale science and technology.

The Department of Defense has funded research in nanoscale materials and applications that would meet the operation needs of the U.S. Armed Forces. These include developing nanostructures for revolutionary catalysts and sensors as well as developing nanoscale applications in areas such as solar cells, solid-state power generation, and decontamination from chemical, biological, or radiological attacks. DoD also funds a substantial share of the NNI investment in nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, and nanomagnetics research, in particular research on spin electronics and quantum information science. The U.S. Army's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT provides a vital conduit for the transition of academic innovations in nanoscale science and engineering into applications for the benefit of warfighters in the field. DoD agencies have also funded a number of Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) topics in nanotechnology-related areas.

The Department of Energy has funded a wide variety of research efforts in nanotechnology. These include fundamental research into the unique properties and phenomena that matter exhibits at the nanoscale. DOE research interests include catalysis by nanoscale materials, the use of interfaces to manipulate energy carriers, nanoscale assembly and architecture, and scalable methods for synthesis of nanomaterials.[7] DOE has also funded extensive research into modeling and simulation of nanoscale materials and processes, as well as advanced computing to enable large-scale modeling and simulation.

DOE's network of five NSRCs will play a key role in providing access to large-scale research facilities and equipment needed by academic nanotechnology researchers. Small universities in particular do not always have the resources to purchase the latest nanotechnology research instruments, and even large institutions may find it prohibitive to buy specialized light sources and other large-scale instruments that are needed for some experiments. These resources will be available at the NSRCs, which are user facilities available to the entire R&D community, with time and staff support allocated on the basis of merit-reviewed proposals. The centers are under construction as of this writing, and are co-located with complementary light sources and other facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a combined center at Sandia National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Time, materials, and technical assistance are provided free of charge for researchers who are willing to publish the results of their work in the open literature, and on a cost-recovery basis when used for proprietary purposes. These DOE centers complement NSF's National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network and the Network for Computational Nanotechnology, NNIN's network of user facilities devoted to computational modeling of nanomaterials.

The National Institutes of Health has many Institutes that are funding research into nanotechnology-based disease detection, prevention, and therapeutics, as well as tools that will allow greater understanding of the biological processes that influence our health. Nanotechnology research can develop unique capabilities to measure and manipulate on the size scale of individual cells. Efforts have already been funded to develop new tools that gather information on macromolecular systems in living cells or organisms. Other funding is targeted to detection and treatment of specific diseasesfor example, research into targeted imaging contrast agents for detecting very small numbers of cancer cells at the earliest stages of the disease, and even nanoparticles that can selectively deliver chemotherapy drugs only to tumors without damaging normal tissues. The National Institutes of Health, like most federal agencies, funds considerable other basic nanoscale research that it does not formally classify as nanotechnology.

The Environmental Protection Agency is funding research in nanotechnology applications that protect the environment by sensing and removing pollutants as well as research in more environmentally friendly manufacturing technologies. EPA also is supporting extensive research studies on how nanoscale materials might impact human health and the environment. In particular, in 2004 EPA took the lead in organizing (with NSF and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH) an interagency program for environmental and human health effects of manufactured nanomaterials. This project is likely to be expanded in future years, possibly to include funding agencies in other countries.

NASA sponsors a wide variety of research on the fusion of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology to study and mimic the organizational structures found in nature. Other research funded by NASA supports space exploration in areas such as sensors for extraterrestrial materials and applications that monitor human health. NASA researchers have collaborated with universities in a number of nanotechnology-related areas, including some leading-edge research in carbon nanotube fabrication and applications. In 2003 and 2004 NASA funded four University Research, Engineering and Technology (URETI) centers devoted to promoting interdisciplinary academic research in a variety of nanotechnology-related topics. These are located at UCLA, Texas A&M University, Princeton University, and Purdue University. The initial awards were for five years, with options to extend NASA's support for an additional five years.




Nanotechnology. Science, Innovation, and Opportunity
Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity
ISBN: 0131927566
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 204

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