Howard University (HU) will establish the CREST Center for Nanomaterials Characterization Science and Processing Technology. The Center will advance the chemical knowledge base underpinning the determination of the chemical status of nanomaterials, providing the intellectual foundation for verification of directed synthesis, and development of methods for fabricating new nanomaterials with definable chemical identities and technologically useful properties. In collaborations with investigators at Lucent Technologies, HU faculty will innovate processes for converting nanomaterials into thin film structures for device applications. HU efforts involve the formation of a core group of research faculty that focuses on the chemical, rather than the physical, characterization research of nanomaterials.
The research and technology objectives of the CREST Center at Howard University include: (1) executing the characterization science research required for determining the chemical status of nanomaterials; (2) developing methods for generating novel nanomaterials and elucidating the vapor phase chemistry underlying the synthesis of nanomaterials; (3) innovating processes for fabricating nanostructured materials and devices with record setting performances; (4) enhancing research collaborations between multidisciplinary teams at HU, Lucent Technologies, and NIST; (5) broadening characterization research support across multiple disciplines at HU; (6) supporting research collaborations in nanoscience throughout the region, and (7) increasing the opportunity for undergraduates and graduate student participation in research and laboratory experimentation.
