News and Events

News:

April 16, 2008

Department of Energy Issues Research Lab Call for Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency

DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has announced a new Research Lab Call for DOE National Laboratories titled "Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency 2008." Approximately $10,000,000 total funding is available over 3 years. The deadline for proposals is May 30, 2008.

This purpose of this Lab Call is to fund development of nanotechnologies that will reduce energy and carbon intensity in manufacturing applications. The objective is to drive improvements in the reliability of nanomaterials production and scale up of manufacturing processes, and seeks "quick-win" projects with a realistic path to commercialization in 3 to 5 years. The Call is based on the results of the June, 2007 Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency Workshop that was attended by stakeholders from various sectors (basic sciences, industrial research, end-users, business leaders, and Federal agencies). Although the solicitation is restricted to DOE National Laboratories as prime awardees, industry collaboration is critical in bringing the R&D projects to the commercial market.

The proposed R&D and commercialization plans should address one of the following technology categories:

• Catalysts
• Coatings and thin-films
• Separations media
• Nanocomposites
• Other nano-developments that yield energy and carbon benefits.

Click here for more information on the Lab Call.

December 31, 2007

Industrial Technologies Program Completes Nanomanufacturing Workshop Report

The Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has released the Report on the June, 2007 Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency Workshop. The workshop was attended by more then 100 industry experts, scientists, and engineers from various sectors (basic sciences, industrial research, end-users, business leaders, and Federal agencies). The workshop identified target applications in catalysis, coatings light-weight materials, material modification, separations, thermal management, and thin films. The Workshop sessions also identified two primary challenges for industrial nanomanufacturing:

• The ability to produce nanomaterials with the requisite qualities and in quantities useful for industry manufacturing applications, and
• The ability to integrate these nanomaterials at an industrial scale into useful products without sacrificing functionality.

Click here to view the report in full.
More information on the workshop is available at: http://eenm.govtools.us/

October 25, 2007

NAC Contributes to the Foresight Institute’s Technology Roadmap

The Foresight Nanotech Institute and Battelle recently have released a technology roadmap for productive nanosystems which includes contributions from two NAC researchers. This roadmap points the way for development of “Atomically Precise Technologies”, which hold the potential to meet many of the greatest global challenges, bringing revolutions in energy, science, and medicine. Sharon Robinson, Manager of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NanoApplications Center (NAC) contributed the chapter “Scaling Up to Large Production of Nanostructured Materials” to this roadmap with input obtained from a Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency Workshop sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program in June, 2007. Dave Geohegan of the NAC also contributed a chapter to the Roadmap.

For more information go to http://www.foresight.org/

Events:

October 14-19, 2007

Seattle, WA
AVS 54th International Symposium & Exhibition

Sharon Robinson and Claus Daniel of the NanoApplications Center will present “Nano-Manufacturing of Materials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NanoApplications Center" at the Nanomanufacturing of Materials Session on Tuesday October 16 at the AVS 54th International Symposium & Exhibition in Seattle. Their paper will discuss the capabilities at the NAC and projects involving investigation of infrared-based processing for high temperature processing of metals, development of coating processes that infuse alloys into metal surfaces, and novel real-time characterization techniques to process monitoring and control. Conference information available at: http://www2.avs.org/symposium/seattle/welcome.html

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