On June 19-20, 2003, a leading group of engineers and scientists from academia and industry will meet at the National Science Foundation for a visionary workshop on future directions in catalysis research. Catalysts and the multitude of products prepared through their use constitute a major portion of the US GNP. Undoubtedly, catalysts are the most successful application of nanotechnology in the modern economy. The ability to design and control catalyst structure at the nanometer scale is directly related to key catalytic properties, such as activity, selectivity, and stability. Recent advances now promise to revolutionize catalysis research: Synthetic techniques can now control assembly at the nano-scale, analytical methodologies can identify and probe structure to verify synthesis methodology, and predictive capabilities can provide guiding principles for structure/property relationships. Unprecedented control of the preparation of new nano-scale catalysts is on the near horizon.
This workshop will also address the role of catalysis within the framework of national inititatives in nanoscience and engineering. NSF's Mihail Roco, chair of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET), will present an overview of U.S. government efforts in nanotechnology research and development. Professor Mark E. Davis of the California Institute of Technology, who received the Alan T. Waterman Award, from the National Science Foundation in 1990, will present the charge and goals for the workshop. Plenary talks will be given on seven key topics explored by the workshop:
- Professor Don Tilley, University of California-Berkeley - Molecular Precursors to Catalytic Materials
- Professor Chad Mirkin, Northwestern University - Perspective on the Relationationship to Other Nanoscience and Engineering Programs
- Dr. E. Mark Davis, ExxonMobil - Perspective on Catalysis and Assembly at the Nanoscale by Industry
- Professor Robert Schlogl, Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin - Perspective On Heterogeneous Catalysis at the Nanoscale from Europe
- Professor Henry Foley, Pennsylvania State University - Use of Catalysis for Nanoscale Materials Fabrication
- Professor Raul Lobo, University of Delaware - Characterization Methods for Nanoscale Catalysts
- Professor Matt Neurock, University of Virginia - Computation and Modeling for Nanoscale Catalysis
Workshop participants will discuss these topics and develop a visionary plan for future NSF research in this aspect of catalysis. The results of the workshop will be released in a report following the meeting, and a web site will be developed.
