This proposal will enable exchanges between US and Japanese researchers and institutions, and provide early career researchers opportunities to establish international professional relationships on issues related to nanomanufacturing. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) in Japan will fund the travel of the Japanese delegation to the US and cover the expenses of hosting the US delegation's visit to Japan. NSF would cover the travel expenses of the US delegation to Japan and expenses of hosting the Japanese delegation's visit to the US.

Exchange opportunities for researchers are expected to capitalize on research synergies across institutions, address current challenges in nanomanufacturing concepts, techniques, and practices, and form enduring collaborations between individuals, institutions, and countries. The bi-lateral exchange of participants includes a US visit by the Japanese delegation in October 2010 and a Japan visit by the US delegation in December 2010; these visits will include activities at host institutions, tours of facilities, discussions, and presentations of research.

Project Report

: Symposium on The Future of Nanotechnology The 2010 Symposium on The Future of Nanotechnology, funded through the NSF-MEXT Young Researchers Exchange Program on Nanotechnology, was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Northwestern University (NW), University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW), and University of California - Berkeley on October 4 – 8, 2010. John A. Rogers (PI), director of the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS) at UIUC, Paul Nealey, director of the NSEC Center on Templated Synthesis and Assembly at the Nanoscale at UW, and Xiang Zhang, director of SINAM (NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center) at Berkeley hosted presentations, poster sessions, discussions, and facility tours for 15 senior and junior Japanese nanotechnology researchers, followed by a reciprocal visit by 10 US researchers (eight early career researchers from UIUC, NW, and UW, accompanied by two senior researchers) to several Japanese nanomanufacturing research sites. Dr. Takahisa Ohno at NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science) arranged similar activities at NIMS, University of Tokyo (Hongo and Komaba campuses), Kyoto University (Yoshida and Uji campuses) and Osaka University for the US visit to Japan (December 6 - 10, 2011). The NSF-MEXT Young Researchers Exchange Program on Nanotechnology, an intellectual and technical exchange between experienced and early stage US and Japanese researchers, establishes international professional relationships between institutions and researchers to advance the field of nanotechnology through visits of major nanomanufacturing research centers in each country. The 2010 symposium featured seminars from leading researchers addressing current challenges in nanomanufacturing, micro/nano-fluidics-based toolbits, devices, and aptamer arrays, among others. Exchange opportunities included 1) exploiting research synergies across institutions, 2) addressing current challenges in nanomanufacturing concepts, techniques, and practices, and 3) forming lasting collaborations between individuals, institutions, and countries. Intellectual Merit The phenomena that scientists have been able to observe by controlling the composition of matter at the nanoscale have far-reaching implications for a wide range of technologies, including electronics, computation, communications, energy, transportation, health care, and medicine. However, to realize the economic potential of this technology in the form of products, the capability to ‘manufacture’ at the nanoscale is a challenge that must be addressed in order to make ‘nano-enabled’ products an economic reality. The symposium fostered a synergetic approach to determining and solving key research challenge areas requiring not only an interdisciplinary but international approach to meet the challenges of working at the nanoscale. Presentations at the U.S. sites covered various research frontiers and challenges in nanomanufacturing. UIUC presentations (October 4 and 5) focused on fluidics and flexible electronics and combinatorial chemistry applications. Featured speakers included Professors Takao Someya (University of Tokyo), Katsuaki Suganuma (Osaka Uni­versity), and Osamu Tabata (Kyoto University), Placid Ferreira (Mechanical Science and Engineering, UIUC), and Kent Choquette and Rashid Bashir (both of Electrical Science and Computer Engineering, UIUC). UIUC activities concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Clark Cooper (NSF). Presentations at NW (October 6) focused on dip pen nanolithography and biological and chemical sensing applications. Presentations at UW (October 7) featured polymer self-assembly and microelectronics applications, while Berkeley presentations (October 8) centered on 3D nanomanufacturing platform issues. The reciprocal visit centered on nanomanufacturing activities conducted at several Japanese research institutions (NIMS, University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Osaka University). The scope of presentations at NIMS (December 6) focused on nanomanufacturing with scalability, nano-imprinting, organic materials processing and devices, MEMS/NEMS and process simulations. The future of applications incorporating electronic and photonic devices, catalysts, photovoltaics, and biological and chemical sensors was also discussed. University of Tokyo (December 7) provided tours of nanotechnology research labs and facilities by Professors Takao Someya, Ichiro Sekiya, and Makoto Fujita. Presentations at Kyoto University (December 8-9) covered exciton confinement in quantum dots, planar GaAs nanowire substrates, patterning proteins on hydrogels, and cell length analysis of mechanical properties. Activities at Osaka University (December 10) featured microchemical systems applications, carbon nanotube chirality control, electrochemical energy storage, and the synthesis and processing of nanomaterials. Broader Impact of Proposed Research This program has helped establish and formalize collaborations with young principal investigators at the stage in their careers when key professional relationships are formed. It has helped increase the number of talented researchers across national boundaries and helped solidify the possibilities of collaborative research initiatives between industry, government and academia in both countries. Associations established through this program have facilitated the investigation of key research challenges in nanomanufacturing which promise to have a broad impact on medicine, electronics, and materials in the next two decades, and have facilitated the cross-fertilization of the latest research advances, theories, and applications developed across the participating institutions. This exchange of ideas has served to foster early career researchers’ professional development and cultural literacy in addition to increasing the body of knowledge in the area of nanomanufacturing.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2010-09-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$66,685
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Champaign
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
61820